The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1886-09-10
About Earthquakes.

by natural forces. Such shaRihSN, 10 WHICH, ,
every rart Of the world is liable arc ottsn im-
perceptible except to very sensitive instruments
but on the other hand are frequently produc-
tive Of fearful destruction of life and property
On November H. lSGl, another great earth
Quake occurred in Switzerland, simultaneously
with which it wss noticed that in the artesan
wells ut Passy, Paris the sediment suddenly in
creased from ?J6 to 2,@GS grains per cubic
metre after which it began to decrease. In
general it has been noted that the springs OF
this place are similarly affected 10y almost
every earthquake Of western Europe.
In Portugal, the city of Lisbon was visited
on the morning of November |, 1870, by one
of the most memorable earthquakes recorded III !
history The rumbling sound that rrccedes
most eartheuakcs was Immediately followed by
the great shock which threw down the princi-
pal portion of the city. The sea retired, lcaV-
ing the bar dry, and returned in minute as
great wave or breaker 80 feet or more iii height.
Il is believed that GOO0O persons pcrishcd i'll
the space of six minutes. The part of the city |
that was permanently enSulfcd beneath the
waters Of the bay WAS covered to the depth oil
| GOO feet The portion OF the earth that was
shaken by this earthquake was estimated ny
Humboldt as equal to four times the extent
| of Europe but many Of the reports anu csti-
mates in reference to it have been greatly cXaS-
| gcratcd, and from more exact considerations
| Reclus states that probably an area equal to SIX
times that of France was Sensibly distributed
| The shock was felt in the Alps and on tho coast
| of Sweden: in Bohemia the warm springs of
Teplitz disappeared for time, and again burst
| forth deluging the region with ochre stained
| waters Many towns were destroyed in north
ern Africa. The waves Of shock reached Scot
land probably passing under it, causing tempo
rary changes in the waters of Loeb Lomcnd,
| which suddenly rose more than two feet a2d
then fell to below their usual level. Almost If
not quite simultaneously there began the great
| eruption of the volcano Of kotlugGia in Ice
land The velocity of propagation of the wave
Of shock was about 1000 feet per second, ana
its origin was probably under the ocean some
distance west Of Portugal. The great sea wave
that swept over the coast of Portugal was nearly
| GO feet high at Cadiz, and extended to Madeira,
| and possibly TO the West Indies. The numcr.
| Gus other earthquakes and earthquake waves
experienced during the same month throughout
! Europe and America may very probably have
had some connection with that at Lisbon, but
| are not to be confoundcd with the shock "t
| November |.
In India, by the. earthquake Of 1919, tract
| of 1000 square milcs Of country near the
mouth of the Indus was submerged. and q
| neiChboring region elevated into mound
s The great earthquake of January 10, 1869, has
G been studied by oldham with results of great
value The origin of the shock was point
=. under Asaloo. somewhat deeper down than IN
i | the Neapolitan earthquake rs investigated ny
: Mallett. Eruptions of sand and hot water
f took place through the assures. forming cones
- The entire lower valley of the Gauges was EN-
) | braccd in the fields of disturbance, and the
u shock was felt quite decidedly at Calcutta.
s In mid ocean there certain regions ire
v | ouently visited by earthquakes, If We may rely
- on the testimony of those navigating thcip
Among these may he specially designated TIT
| portion of the Atlantic Ocean near the cquato
, and about half way between Guinea AMI BrazlI
In the United States, in ISL, occurred tn
famous earthquake of New Madrid in Missouri
, in the valley of the Mississippi river. Hum
IL | boldt remarks that IT presents one o. Inc lev
1T | examples of the inceSsant quaking ot tn
| ground for several successive months iar Iron
any volcano over an extent OF countr
| stretching for 200 miles .soutliTtatt-ff6tTt IN
- mouth Of the Ohio river the ground rose an
" sank in great undulations. and lakes wel
IN formed and were again drained. The Snriac
o. n. T.. and :. W., and were sometimes nor
% than half Il mile long from these fssures mt
and water were often thrown rs high tn
tops of the trees. During the continuance
m these conyulSons the inhabitants diS!ingUishe
nj two classes of movements, the vertical and til
- horizontal; the latter were regarded rs ia
more desolating than tho former. The distu
- Dances continued over what has since bee
lie called ''thc sunk country until March -
O. | lSl2, when they ceased cOincidcutly with til
=. great earthquake of Caracas. The most sever
-, earthquake that has been recorded in the Mic
&c Is, 100. The shock then felt in New En@lan
e. was undoubtedly 4 wave promulgated fro
an | either the same centre whence cmanatci I'll
tremendous disturbance that had deStroyc
~ Lisbon on the first day of the month, or from
re centre whose activity had been stimulated Il
TO the continual Quakings that then prcvaic
from Iceland to the Meditcrrancan Til
earthquake of the 18th began in Mas>achusc,
j., | with roaring noise like that Of thunder
after minute 3 continuance of this lhcrc can
re the first severe shock with swell like that Of
II. long rolling sea-l swell So great that men
te the open fields ran to seize something by hlc
to hold on lest they should be thrown duwI
After two or three lesser shocks there came til
most violent of all, producing quick horizon
tai tremor with sudden jerks aud wrcnchcS
J" this continued two minutes, and after Sligl
n revival died away. Numerous other shock
Nv followed in the course of q month. In BostO
J., the main shock threw down dislocatcl an
~ twisted many chmneyS, wind vancs, brio
l" buildings, &C., and throughout the country
ld threw down the rillc stone walls bounding tn
IN | farms new springs Of water we're opened til
., vessels in the harbor felt the shock large nun
~ bers Of fish were killed and iloa,ei on The >u,
ce face Of the water. Nine hours a,tcrwald. at
II clock p. IN. q sea wave 20 feet high, Ia IT In
OF undoubtedly originated at the Of th
a. earthquake, arrived ut tho harb"r OF 81. MAJ
= tin in tho West Indies. On October II, lN7'
| occurred the most considerable shock that In
Id been observed in the Middle anl Easter
l. States during the present century. The SpurC
q. of this disturbance has been traced with som
= probability to the volcanic region 30 t" III
is miles y. t.. Of quebec from this region III
st shock spread to st. Johns, New Drums wicl
and thence felt westward To Chicago an
southwark to Now York The velocity OF til
wave of shock was about llOOO feet per second
The occurrence OF the shock felt ut Quebec wa
J. teegraphcd to Montreal hy the operators Of tn
Montreal telegraph company in time to call tn
ID attention Of those AT the latter city 10 tn
-, phenomena about 80 seconds before the shoe
: rc; he'd them. In California, the carihpu;N