New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1886-10-03
,ow ou1 RLgsrON WAS SHAKEN.
,r,soN TO FEAR ANOTHER EARTH
Nv QUAKE.

QUAhC.
-c-,r suocKs DUE TO SECONDARY CAUsEs-
cyo,o oIcAL FORMATION OF THAT REGION
-. an. Edttor OF rae Tr'o"he'
o,n u. The idea that Charleston and Its I'M
.s,a,s vicinity had suddenly become an esr'nquake
- ws. perhaps, most natural TO upscientino
ce" s.,,, and Immediately after the late terrible
ss,.r ana it was this thought which I'D led so ma
,.,Iav to the OF the stricken popo'aee' iue
.en,est rational grounds for such suspicion wouia
r coarse have proved severe blow 10 the iuure pros
cs O, the city, and Is therefore most important to
- that the fear was absolutely groundless and to
monstrate the perfectly natural and patent causes OF
all the trouble The destruction OF the city ana lis
suburb sunmerv e twenty-five miles distant together
with the fear-insprng phenomena WHOM accom-
panied It, was due entirely to secondary causes NOT
only 10 there proof Forthcoming OF the volcanic action
,up posed but demonstrative evidence OF hs absence
An earthquake centre" IL IL means anything, means
n section of county exposed 70 constant local perm
from active voicanc agency beneath It or In It's near
vicinity. Now there Is not hot or warm spring. NOT
trace OF volcanic formations, nor an Indication OF
volcanic action within hundreds OF miles OF charleston
Whatever the cause great w.ve may have
been--and II is my purpose to discuss that point
srieslons share 10 the smpuse was but ltte
N ALL greater than that OF hundreds OF other places
VII ch equally safe froL any fear or recur-
renee generations centuries 10 come That wave
for unquestionaby 1t was wave-however occas'hei.
will probably when have heen discovered
and weighed. lie ranked among the great geological
con,usions occurring at such long intervals OF tne
NOD arising such widely differing causes as 20 alay
ali fear of return for ages yet TO come.
But tue sedmentary formation upon which Charles
ton is built the ocular habit of construction there pre-
yaing and the singular deeply interesting lime
stone between the Santee River and ihe head
waters the Ashley extending southeast toward he
coast viii satisfactorily fol- al the Ihenom eha
which have proved destructive so appalling and so
Tp,a anti farn
An the bed of the Congaree about sixty tive miles IN
land Sections OF tue two artesian wells IN wentworth
ST. ana on Marion square snow slight differences I'D
formation at points, but in general agree IN e1
hbne sand sandy clay, blue marl argiliaceous LIARS
and similar isht and loose porous formations to
oepth OF 1855 From near six hundred feet down.
ward there occur few strata OF limestone, marty and
sandstone rocks mostly very thin from two TO ten ieet
Note we'll while surface wells were hiieo WIN Sanu
and volcanic mud" and geyse's Formed ia various
paris OF the city aud country the flow OF these artesa
wells was undistirbsd. Now remember that much OF
the city is built upon made land piles rlcet man, saw
dust etc The entire soil is undermined by large
cister.s and tidal drains. The FIRST shocks felt were
vertical clearly proven by the throwing Oh WAFER
ont of pitchers which not overturned ana Dy the
position OF many marble monuments his motion
squeezed together from below tue loose strata above
noticed forcing water through the hght UPPER crust
sand from superficial beds win some o Tue p piue
mari below thus brought 10 the surface Inis
caused the dreaded goysers ana vD!cSne eIuPtIons
hicnc ma
feet ami certainly not over sixty Inc crash al QUO
instant OF falling city and the reverDerauo lhr0ugn
the rar and shaking testify that this was awful
and demorszng beyond descIlptioh. lhen after tne
city down. came the swayIhg, roekihs m Vi
which almost threw me To the ercuna ana Pro'isoea
snnnst nausea OWING 10 the variety oil soil
ana fpuadaton the testimony to these motions is not
uniform In different parts OF the clt5 nese experiences
were quite different. The whole occupied between zen
and rwentv seconds. rhe atmospheric cOndlton vas
absolutely still. Intensely hot ana close ana snH
electrical This. too. was no doubt soeonuary eneot
prolnced by magnetZine OF the earth ron Internal
friction There is no reason 10 consuei IL III any way
As to summerville and tue adjacent country, the
peculiar are c ,oa, t head waters Of tie
Cooper mari is SUPERFICIAL green shhu Des ne cioe
the surface and ven o, , ta'' r haUnsI ~,
srbterranesn stream lhls stream mas Deeh exosed "a,
various points. sucn as Cave LIll tntaW ioosnee ana
Wnnihoro by the breaking in OF the roof i"ruiS so
called suriEgs and fountains These are etlines
SMALL holes OF FEW feet diameter. very deep ana slant
w lin other water, full OF hsh, many OF them very
large This superficial limestone disappears near Tue
man 400 TO COO feet. We know whereit trends.
BE ou1ng somewhat deeper ana co'erea py seScrM
xils and Ten Mile Hill, along th9 savannah Railroai
mr. urh coaswise Georgia aud Florida followed out
H. IND ercoatOn OF water uD0er snmlnerVille ad along
Tie me o the railroad UtO "a succession OF caverhous
reservoirs these caught up ana Transmitted 10 Tue sur
fcs the frat Shocks, While the looser strata an ler
Chsreston male them scarcely petcepuole. When Tue
main shock came cracked the walls ana roofs o. these
in every direction Iney are u, n o Tevy
great size depth but sufficiently large W Gauss hoah!
lars and slides the roofs have 1aeu IN anu e ses
collapsed under the wear OF tne consIana3 n 1I
wafer abort. the settling process necessarily
M sDch disturbance OF the underlying strata VIII ac
count satisfactorily Tor all the succeeding phenomena
winch have Occas!Oued so much unnecessary InouSl
very natural uueasiness The h'sures ana sOsiGcnces
IA various places are imply lime slhSs lcSs eAteh
hive than which have occurred OF iate years Will
put any earthquake accompaniment ~ \, n m
Charleston, sept. 90, 1886.