Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1886-09-02

ing stated that the people were still gath
cred on the beach. A relief train has
been dispatched TO Charleston from this
city TO render assistance to the sufferers
and to repair the railroad.
MILLIONS OF DOLLARS WORTH OF PROPERTY
DESTROYED.
AUGUSTA, GA, Sept. Private dis
patches from Charleston report that many
people were killed and millions OF dollars
worth of property destroyed by the earth
quake.
Port Royal reports severe shocks and
some damage 10 property in that section
| CHARLESTON sHRouDKD IN GLOOM PRoBA-
bly, NO GAS To.NIoHT-THE PEOPLE IN
TENTS.
CHARLESTON, s. O., Sept 1.-The city il
wrapped in gloom, and business is en-
tireiy suspended. People generally re-
main in the streets in tents and npder i'm.
provised shelter, and will camp out to-
night fearing another shock.
The gas-works are injured and prob
ably the city will be without light
tonight. The steeple OF the Unitarian
Church has fallen. There ia much injury
10 mansions on the east and south battery.
The portico Of the Rayenal mansion il
down. Hardly house in the city escaped
injury, and many are 80 shaken and
| cracked that hard blow. would bring
them down.
The shock was severe at Summerville
and Mount Pleasant and Sullivan's
Island, but no loss of life is reported
there. Fissures in the earth are noticed
from which fine sand apparently from
hffIra ,nIl
and is very noticeable.
THE FAST MAIL sToPPED.
Private dispatches received at the p,
W. a. b. railroad station, in this city,
state that the southern fast mail, which
left Wilmington at 8.04 O'Clock, yester-
day morning, is now lying at telegraph
station, 80 miles this side OF Charleston,
unable 20 proceed further. An operator
who walked from Charleston to the
nearest telegraph station sends word that
there In not n safe building left in the
city. Il is reported that two passenger
trains on the Seaboard & Roanoke rail.
road were thrown into river by the
earthquake.
THE SHOCK AT REHoBoTH.
REHoBoTH BEACH, Sept. 1.-The resi-.
dents of this usual quiet town were sud-
denly thrown into state of intense ex-
element at 9.55 p. M, by an earthquake
shock of about ten seconds duration. The
Hotel Henlopen was badly shaken, chairs
being moved and several lights extin-
guished. IL was Of more serious nature
and longer duration at the Breakwater,
distance of nine miles from here, and
three from LeweH. Strange to say it was
not perceptible ut Lewes. The Hotel
Henlopen closed this morning. The
Bright House will be open until October.
THE RECORD OF AN IMPRovIsED sEIsMobRTER.
WASHINGTON, Sept. 1.-Maior Powell,
| director of the United States geological
survey, was interviewed by q reporter of
the Associated Press to-day and made the
following statement:
The earthquake was we'll observed by
Mr.. W. j. MCGEE Of the geological survey
in the third and upper story of brick
house No. 1924 Corcoran street. After
the elimination of the first shock the
| phenomena were timed. A rough sub
| stitute for seismoscope was improvised
out OF tumbler Of water placed on q
| stand in the centre of the room and the
high head board of the bedstead served
| M rude s,ismolnetcr.
Tho following is the record:
Time OF elimination of the first shock
18th meridian) 9.54i p. m.
Duration of first schock (estimated) 80
seconds. Time of termination of the
same, 955. Time of termination of
slight tremors, 1000.
Several slight tremors followed but
were not timed.)
Time Of reoommencement of continuous
tremors. 1908. Time of elimination of
the second shock, 10.09l. Duration Of
the second shock, about 80 seconds. Time
of termination Of second series of
tremors, 1918.
Direction of vibration-As indicated by
the improvised seismoscope, the horizontal
direction was from N. 80' Z. to E.; /. O., a
very little north Of east, but there was an
indeterminate vertical competent in the
undulation very peroeptible in the motions
of liquids and of articles of furniture.
Roughly the upward Impulse in each
vibration appeared to be third or half
Of the lateral impulse.
The rate of Yibration-This was mea-
sured on the high swinging head board
of bedBtead during the second shock
and found to be 115 or 100 per minute.
Amplitude of Misunderstanding the
second shock the head board 81 feet high
swung through an arc of from ! TO / Of
an inch. II was estimated that the ampli-
tude of oscillation during the earlier
shock WINS twice or thrice as great.
During 1885 there were recorded the
following earthquakes in the United
States and Canada Canadian province,
8; New England, 8; Atlantic states, 81
Mississippi valley, 81 Pacific slope, 81
total, 80.
During the 10 years 1872 9 there have
been recorded in the United States and
CANADA 3G4 earthquakes, distributed rs
follows: Atlantic slope 147, Mississippi
valley GO, Pacific slope ISL.
From this list 1t appears that in the
entire area earthquakes occur on an
average once in IL days, and once
month on the Atlantic slope. Many Of
these disturbances are, however, so slight
as to be unperceived by the majority Of
the people, and il should be observed
that the list is more complete iii the
densely populated and frequently shaken
Atlantic slope than in either the seldom
shaken Mississippi valley or the sparsely
populated Pacific slope.