Middletown transcript., 1886-09-02
Heavy Eartbouake.

| 'AS sASSN VI oh Col bn4uoho Ou uCoAdJ O'cA
: ing. Though not so severe as the shock fel
in August 1884, 1t was nevertheless very pre-
ceptible. 1t did no damage to life or propert.
in this section, the only noticeable effect v
have heard Of being the stopping Of q fsS
clocks located In upper rooms. y
Published reports show the disturbance I,
have been widespread. From reports o
the daily papers from various sectionl
of Delaware and Maryland we note that thl
earthquake was felt in about the SAINT
severity at those points as in Middletown
The middle Atlantic and southern states ex.
perienced a severe shock which be.
gan somewhere south of Raleigh, North
Carolina, and extended in q line
along the tide water, past Richmond,
Washington, Baltimore and Troy, N. Y.
Major Powell of the geological survey, WASH
ton, says that there is a line Of weakness in
the crust of the earth marked by displace-
ment and in the neighborhood of this displace-
ment is found the principal water falls, which
constitute the water powers Of the Atlantic
slope. at will be interesting" he said,
:" to discover the relations Of the point of
origin of this earthquake to this line of dis
| placement of weakness"
The officials of the signal service bureau re-
port that four distinct shocks were felt at
Washington. The first began at s.54 and
lasted 40 seconds the second shock was felt
at 1904, and was followed by an
other at 1910, and by another at
1890. Dispatches from principal cities re-
late the time at which the shock was exper-
fenced and the scenes which followed.
First reports from various points were to
the effect that the people were generally very
much frightened by the shaking of the earth
and the buildings SO much SO, that they fed
as for their lives.
Later reports bring news of dire calamity
in the southern states. The worst being at
Charleston, South Carolina. A dispatch
from there, lated Sept. lst, says:
An earthquake, such as has never before
been. known in the history of this city,
swept over Charleston last night shortly
after ten o'clock, causing more loss and in
jury to property and far more loss of life
than the cyclone of q year before. The city
is wrecked, the streets are encountered with
masses Of fallen bricks and tangled telegraph
and telephone wires and up to an early hour.
it was almost impossible to pass from one part.
of the city to another.
The first shock was by far the most
severe. Most of the people with their families
passed the night in the streets which even
this morning are. crowded with people afraid
to re-enter their homes. More than go per-
sons are killed and wounded, chiefly colored.
Among the whites killed and fatally injured
are M. J. Lynch, DR.. R. Alexander Ham,
mond and Ainsley Robson. Fires broke out
in different parts of the city Immediately
after the earthquake and some are still burn
ing, but there is no danger of spreading,
There is no way of leaving thecity at psesent.
A later dispatch, of same date. from Char
lesion makes mention of second shock e.ss
At precisely s.25' o'clock this mcrning
another wave swept over the city, coming, as
did the other, from the southeast and going
in north-westerly direction. By that time
many of the people who had been out on the
public parks and open places all night had
ventured into their houses to get clothing
and something to eat. The approach of the
shock was heralded by the usual rumbling
sound resembling distant thunder. Then il,
gradually approached. The earth quivered
and heaved, and in three seconds it had pass
ed, the sound dying out in the distance.
This is the only wave felt since 2.s0 a. M |
1t was. not destructive, all the destruction |
having been done at 9.55 last night. The
city is complete wreck. st. Michael's and |
st. Phillips churches, two of the most his
torie churches in the city are in ruins, SO is
Hibernian Hall.
The police station and many other public |
buildings and fully two thirds of the resi-
dences in the city are uninhabitable, being
wrecked totally or partially. 1t is impossi-
BILE at this time to give a correct estimate Of
the casualties. tits expected that between so
and 100 persons have been killed and several
hundred wounded. At the time Of the FIRST
shock fires broke out in FIVE different places
In the city, About 20 houses were destroyed
BY FIRE. Scarcely 100 houses in the city are
occupied at this time, the people being all
:amped in the open places.
All the stores are closed and scarcity of
provisions is feared, not from q want Of pro-
visions but because no one can be got to
reach the stores to sell them.
Charleston seems to be the only point
where there was any considerable loss of
life, though the damage and loss 10 property
vas much more widespread, mill dams were
burst, large public and private buildings
haken to their foundation or badly injured
md other damage done.
INDICATIONS OF AN EART HoUAKE.
Those who have been in countries subject