Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1886-10-14
Enteredatthe Post once. in Lancaster, wis. !,
FAMOUS EARTHQUAKES.
The Famous New Madrid Earthoual.c
and the New England shock of
1855.


and the New England Shock of
1855.
Earthquakes have shaken the United
States in days gone by In 1911 occur.
red the famous quake of New Madrid.
Mo-, in the valley of the MississinDi.
Humboldt declared that the shock pre.
sents one of the few examples of the in
cessant quaking of the ground for sever.
al successive months far from any vol.
cano. Over an extent of country
stretching for 500 miles southwark from
the mouth of the Ohio river the ground
rose and sank in great undulations. ana
lakes were formed and again drained.
The surface burst open in assures tbat
generally trended northeast and south.
west, and were sometimes more than
half a mile long From these assures
mud and water were often thrown rs
high as the tops of the trees. During
the continuance of these commissions
the people distinguished two classes Of
movements-the vertical and the hori-
zontal. The latter were regarded as far
more desolating than the former. The
disturbances continued over what has
been called "the sunk country until
March &c, 1872, when they ceased coin
cidently with the great earthquake Of
Caracas.
The most severe earthquake that has
Leen recorded in the Middle and East
ern states was that of Nov. is, 1855.
The shock then felt in New England
was undoubtedly wave promulgated
from either the same center whence
emanated The tremendous disturbances
that had DESTROYED Lisbon on the first
day of the month or1roma center whose
activity had been stimulated by the
continual quaking that then prevailed
from Iceland TO the Mediten anean.
The earthquake of the 18th begaa in
Massachusetts with a roaring noise Ike
that Of thunder. After minutes con
tinuance of this there came the first
severe shock with 4 swell like that Of 4
long-rolling sea-a swell so great that
men in the open fields ran to seize some
thing by which to hold on lest thew
should be thrown down. After two OF
three lesser shocks there came the most
violent of all, producing quick, hori-
zontal tremor, with sudden Jerks and
wrenches. This continued two minutes
and after n slight revival died away.
Numerous other shocks followed in the
course of a month. In Boston the main
shock threw down or dislocated and
twisted many chlmneys, wind vanes,
brick buildings, etc, and throughout
the country it threw down the rude
stone walls bounding the farms; new
springs of water were opened, the YES
sells in the harbor felt the shock, aud
In, ,ba,.e Cd, IL
foated on the surface of the water.
On Oct 10, 1870, occurred the sew
crest shock that has been observed III
the Middle and Eastern states during
the present century. The source Of this
disturbance has been traced, with some
probability. to the volcanic region near
Quebec. From this region The shock
spread to ST. Johns, N. b., and thence
was felt westward TO Chicago, and
southwark to New York. The velocity
of the wave shock was about fourteen
thousand feet per second.
In California the earthquake Of 1852
destroyed one of the southern mission
houses. That of March %, 1872, was
the most severe that has occurred on
the slope in many years. Great dam
age was done III San Francisco by
cracking of the walls of five public
buildings. In Nevada, the mining
regions suffered in 1871 by the dcstruc-
ton of Lone Pine and other settlements.
During 1885 there were recorded the fol-
lowing earthquakes in the United States
and Canada: Canadian provinces, s;
New England. 5; Atlantic States, 9;
Mississippi Valley, 8; Pacific Slope. 81;
total, So. During the twelve years,
1872-S3, there has been recorded in the
United States and Canada SCI earth
quakes, distributed rs follows: Atlantic
Slope, 147; Mississippi Valley, &C; Pacl-
fie Slope 151. From this list it appears
that in the entire area earthquakes occur
on an average once in twelve days, and
once q month in the Atlantic Slope.
Many of these disturbances are, how
ever, SO slight as to be unperceiyed by
the majority Of the people, and it
should be observed that the list is more
complete IN the denscly populated and
frequently shaken Atlantic Slope than
in either the seldom shaken Mississippi
Valley or the sparsely populated Pacific
Slope
The occurrence of earthquakes in the
eastern portion of the United States
seems to be related in q very interesting
way to certain geological facts observed
in the region. At least considerable
share of the Atlantic Slope earthquakes
are supposed to have a sequential con-
nection with line of displacement pas
sing through the Carolinas, Virginia,
Maryland, Delaware and New Jersey.
This line of displacement has for some
years past been a subject Of inycstiga-
ton by the geological survey. In Geor-
gia and the Carolinas it is represented
by general seaward fitting Of the sur
face, unquestionably connected with
subterranean movements, and IN VIZ
ginia this widespread tilting begins to
concentrate in definite line, whieh in
| the latitude of fredericksburg is q gem
| tie monoclinal; ]. G., the rock strata are
there locally bent downward, and here.
as well as elsewhere along the dlsplace-
| ment, the land toward the sea is depres-
sed and that toward the mountains j.
elevated. In the latitude Of Washing
| ton the displacement becomes either
| close flexive or fracture, and lies IN the
eastern branch. It's amount here is
eighty feet. At the head Of Chesapeake
| Bay the displacement is one hundred
feet, and it appears to increase north
ward, reaching two hundred or three
hundred feet in the lower Hudson Val
| ley. The whole Of this movement has
| probably occurred in post qHaternary
times, and is still in progress. Indeed,
it may be questioned whether any gen
eral organic movement Of any part OF
the earth's surface during any period Of
| geologic time has been much more en-
ergetic and rapid than that now taking
place along the Atlantic slope, and our
comparative immunity from serious
earthquakes here is to be attributed not
so much to absence Of these great earth
movements, resulting in the formation
| of mountains and chains, and even the
| upneaval of continents, rs 70 tne prob
able less profound depth Of this great
displacement than those Of most noun
tain regions, and especially % tile fact
that no volcanic rents have been esiab-
lished
A parsimonious individual went iatc
drug store the other day 70 htFe n
prescription put up. BE sure that you
| give me generous measure, said he 70
/ 81 IL I..ut /. 4,4f.fEtE