The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1886-09-04

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commodious main Office on Brad
street, cleared up their delayed work,
and resumed service.
"Chief Facts OF the Earthquake"
WARRINGTON, september 3-Pfef.
Powell received by cable today re-
quest from Secretary Topley, of the
British Association for the Advance
ment OF Science, ito wire chief facts
Of the earthquake" The following
was sent in reply: Topley, British
Association, Birmingham, England:
Earthquake most severe on record in
United Stats, and affected greatest
area. Origin Along line OF post quat-
ernaiy, dislocstion on eastern haDkj
OF Appalachans, especially where 1t
eros es central North Clrolina. Slight
premonitory shocks felt the Gao
linas for several Days, moderately
severe shocks occuui6g near Chsrlet-
ton August 81 aud 28 The principal
shocks Causing great destruction in
Char eston originated in central N r h
Carolina August 81, $3.50 pm, 18Th
meridian time. Thence the shocks
spread with great Tapidity In all direc-
tlons with velocity varying ton
twenty-five to sixty miles per minute
over 900, GOO square miles, one-quarter
OF United States, embracing twenty
eight States, from tne Gulf
of Mexico 10 the great lakes
and Southern New England, and
from the Atlsnt C seaboard to
the Central Mississippi Valley. In
the CArolin as II was accompanied by
landslides, crevasses, and great de-
sTuctlon oil property. Halt Of Charles
ton is in RUNE, and more than fory
lives Lost. No sea wave has been yet
reported. A second moderately re-
we're thouk was fat at Charleston at
1925 o'clock am. September |, and
minor shocks followed at incre lsiDg
intervals. The principal shock was
felt over this vast area within fifteen
minutes, and may be racorde az some
OF the princip pal points on n scale 81
iutencity OF five, as 70 lowe: R'leigh
4, at $3.50 o'clock, pm. Charleston B,
at 9:54; Cedar Keys, Fla, 2, at 1905;
Knoxville 3, at 9:55; Memphis 4, at
OBS; st. LOUIS 2, at 10; Milwaukee, 3,
at 1905; Prttsbu'g 3, at 10; Albany 2,
at 10; Sprir gfi I'D. Mass, l, at 10;
New York 2, at 9:53. POWELL.
Prof. Powell has already received
about 100 reports from obs arvels in
various directions respecting the earth
quake, and several hundred more are
expected. Their substance il to be
recorded upon maps, which when com
pleted are expected to show with q
close app zach to alb oluse accuracy
the points of origin, elimination and
greatest Intensity and the direction OF
the several earth movements, as well
as the boundary line OF the ahec ed
area.
A VISITORS EXPERIENCE DURING THB
QUAKE,
The first passengers coming north
from Charlt ston, &. g., ar ived this
morning. They were unable to leave
Charleston until yesterday morning on
account Of the interruption in Railroad
,mmunicatiou. Thomas II. Toleon,
OF Ba tlmore, one OF the pa sengers,
gave reporter an account OF his ex-
perience.
II WAS ltopping at the Charleston
Hotel" he said. Il was in my room,
which was on the third floor. When
| lit my gas / heard noise and sup.
posed / had broken eomethino, bat
could find nothing broken. / went to
place my hat on bureau, and Just
then the shock CANE. / would have
fallen II l had not thrown my hands
out and chung to the window. II
seemed rs though the hotel YVES lifted
up and ewing back ward aud forward
a distance OF fifteen or twenty inches
at each vibration. At the first shock
the lights in the house all went out.
Then the plssteriug began 10 fall. 1t
flashed on my mind that should en-
deavor to get out Of the house, and i
got out into the corridor and CROPPED
my way, III utter darkness.
Other people in the house were
likewise cropping th,ir way out.
The air was filled with plaster
duet. All around was a tar BILE r,ar-
ing and moaning sound, end the din
was heightened by the falling of tim
bers. / found the front door
OF the house closed, O fort
innate thing for me-, ss IL eaved my
life. 1t took me a moment to find the
knob, and as / was looking for 1t TONS
Of brick fell down from the upper part
OF the house in front OF the door. |
ran out through the heaps Of fallen
bricks, and fell twice in get ing to the
middle Of the street. There Irsma n
ed, terror stricken. Two shocks came
after / reached the middle of the street,
faint one seven minutes after the
first, and another more violent nine
minutes later, the three shocks
occurring within sixteen minutes.
| remained in front OF the hotel until
o'clock. was 30 unnoryed that ]
could scarcely stand. As IL became
quieter went up thest'eet to an open
space aud remained there until 3
o'clock. Then we bad another slight
shock, AT o'clock | went 10 the bat
terry park and found ID Gro 3D.
ed, several thousands of ter
rihed people having assembled
there. There remained during the
remainder Of the night. AT 8 O'Clock
another faint shock was felt. Al day
light l, like others, felt more encoui'
aged, and moved around to zee what
destruction had been done. i found
at the battery front some Of the mos
costly houses in the city cracked from
the ground to the top, and come por
tlons Of the buildings were destroyed
completely. All OF the Charleston
residences are built with porches II
I ont, many having substantial pillars
and These porches were ell thrown
down. There was not house IL
Charleston that had is chimney
standing. The terror among the PEG
ple during the night was intense
They rushed through the streets fran
tiCilly, calling on God to have mercy
on them. People who, perhaps, neve
prayed before then prayed aloud
Then to this was added the ehrleks o
the wounded and the lamentations o
those who had lost friends. Here ant
there parits with lights were looking
| thponnh tha pnina To- ,,.;..l..n. v&ao ala