Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1886-09-10
EARTHQUAKES
Probably the Nest General Agi-
tatlOn of Terra Firma that this
Country Has Ever Expe-
rienced.

Large Buildings Sway Back and
Forth and Panic Seizes the
People, But Nothing Sc.
riOus Results.
On the night OF the :51st OF August earth
quake shocks were felt in nearly all the
Eastern, Central and Southern cities, viz:
New York. Chicago, Washingt on, Cincinnati,
Detroit. Memphis, Nashville, St. Louis,
Richmond, Raleigh, Louisville. Cleveland,
Columbus, Dubuque, Philadelphia, ETC.,
etc.
Prof. Seman Newcomb OF the Nautical
Almanac, furnishes the following figures re-
gardiug the earthquake: First shock occur
red at 1858 and lasted twenty seconds; the
second about 3:54}k5, and lasted until 9:5e.
The officials OF the signal service bureau
report that four distinct shocks were felt
in Washington.
The first began at 9:54 and lasted forty
seconds, the second was felt at 1904 and
; was followed by another at 1910 and by
a fourth at 1890. Prof. Capen, the wealth.
er prophet Of that city predicted that ''aw.
iul and terrific earthquakes would be re-
ported.
There is q marked similarity in accounts
from all points struck by the earthquake,
| though incidents are varied. The follow
ing from Washington will answer for many
other places:
At e:55 at night the desks in the ass ocia~
| ted press Office in the Corccran
building began to vibrate in Pc
culiar but unnistakable fashion that sug-
later the janitor reported that the upper
stories OF the building were rocked
back and forth, and the night man
ager of the Western Union Telegraph
office made a similar announcement, with
the additional information that the clock
/ the western wall Of the room had
stopped. Telephone messages from
a gentleman connected with the as
ISOLATED press Office, who lives on
other points in the city reported that the
ornaments on mantelpieces were rafting.
The telegraph operators in Atlanta few
! minutes before this had notified the Wash
ington operators that the ''shake" WAS
coming and to look for it, but no atten-
| ton was paid to the warning, as it was
regarded as joke. Two shocks oc-
Cured, the second OF longer duration
| and more severe than the first, and a Jew
seconds later it was felt in all parts OF
the city, creating considerable consterna-
ton. Several meetings in progress in va
rious parts of the city were broken up by
the frightened members, thinking the
| buildings were falling, rushing from
the halls into the street. At the
! opera house the large audi
ence became frightened by the shaking OF
the building, and a stampede ensued. The
occupants Of the galleries, mainly gentle
nell down the stairs. falling over one
another in their efforts to escape from
the building, and stopped for nothing
! till they reached the street. The audienc e
in the lower part of the house was com.
posed principally OF ladies, but they were
less frightened, and few left their seats.
The performers went on with their pieces,
and quiet was soon restored. No one was
| injured. People on the street did not
feel the shock, and the first knowledge they
had OF the occurrence was obtained from
the sight of the frightened inmates OF the
houses rushing from them into the streets.
The Western Union operator at Bowie,
Nd, twenty miles from Washington, te]e-
grained that the earthquake cracked the
walls OF his station and stopped the clock.
In the upper stories OF the tall Western I'm
ion building in New York the waves were
| plainly observable, and persons walking
about experienced the sensation as OF fall
ing. At Columbia, 8. c., there were ten dis
tinct shocks, but none 80 heavy as the
first which lasted three minutes. The
streets were filled with people getting away
from their shaking houses.
! AtAtlanta, Ca, the city was thrown in
to a state OF the widest excitement. The
shocks were accompanied by a rumblng
| succession. The scene at negro churches
was one of utmost confusion negroes going
on their knees feeling sure that the judg-
ment day was at hand.
At Langley Ga, the earthquake destroyed
a mill dam, and the water washed away
the roadbed. Atrain rushed into the flood,
and the engineer and fireman we're drowned.
Two shocks were felt at Bloomington
III. Desks, furniture and chandeliers were
swayed. The latter oscillated north and
south.
Proba bly, the worst scare at Cincinnati
was in the composing room Of the CONNER
cial Gazette Office. There the swaying ter
rified the printers, and a dozen or so
jumped out Of the windows to the roof OF
the adjoining building, distance OF six
feet.
At Detroit the wave went from west to
east, and was felt in all parts Of the city,
pictures and chandeliers were shaken.
At Memphis it's motion was from north
to south, and lasted ten seconds. 1t had
rapid, oscillating movement. Great con.
sternation was felt.
At Richmond, Va. the shock lasted
about three minutes, and men, women and
children who had retired jumped from their
beds and rushed out OF doors.
At Raleigh n. c., buildings rocked, walls
cracked, floors broke loose from their sup
porters, chimneys fell and lamps were over
turned. The motion Of the earth was
| very decided.
| At Wilmington, n c., they we're very &C.
! we're, and came near wrecking several buii'i
| irgs. No such excitement was ever known
here before. The shock rang church bells.
1t also threw down plastering and rang
door bells in houses.
At Cleveland, Ohio, people left the
theaters and ran into the streets, At
the opera house q stampede for the
street took place. Nearly everybody
made q rush for the doors, but hap
| PLY no one was severely injured.
At Dubuque, Iowa, people at the tops
OF high buildings felt the building vibrate
violently. Printers in the fourth story OF
/ the Herald building ran for their lives to
the foot OF sixty.foot staircase, and the
| audience in the opera house was very much
| frightened. Many ran from the building.
Jamestown, n. Y, was severely shaken.
The shocks lasted twenty seconds. The
| people rushed into the streets. Chandeliers
! yibrated and several persons experienced
! nauseau.
! People in every part of Savanna, Ca,
, were terrified and rushed into the streets
and sought the open squares and other
places.
WONDERFUL SPOCTER
An Artesfan Well ut Belle P1aina Iowa.