Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1886-09-04

yielding nature in the superficial uppsr
strata which conducted The vibrations
and forward movements Of the earth
the waves, meeting with less resistance
than from the hard substance for In the
interior, we're more rapid and jerking,
and shook the surface with more vio-
lence. The presence Of innumerabls
assures, observable in tho city and In
the country ss far ss Summervills and
hey opd, is accounted for BY this Same soft
material yielding readily TO the pressure
of the earth-wavss, which pushed up
their crust and squeezed out, ss it were,
water and sand subject to the pressure.
Blue sand and yellow sand thus elected
are found in the upper strata, and that
It came from near the surface is proven
by the fact that no mari is found
in it, and that begins at from 65 to 30
feet below the surface and extends to
nearly l,lO0 feet deep. To show still
more conclusively that the waye-mo-
tions were confined to very limited
depth beneath the surface, it Is only
necessary to state that mono OF
the shallow or fonr-hundred-feet
Artesian wells are at all affected nor
is there any change noticeable in the
flow or quality Of the water from two
deep Artesian wells, which would have
been the case if the cause Of the earth
quake had been local or deep-seated.
The statement Of the communication
OF land waves to enormous distances
is fully verified by observations Of pre-
vious earthquakes since and even be-
fore the Christian era. The absence Of
q tidal wave proves conclusively that
the cause Of the disturbance was con.
fined to the lald, and the jerking mo-
tions communicated to vessels, as re-
ported by their officers, were caused by
vertical vibrations intermediate between
rapid forward transmission and slower
backward jerks.
PROFESSOR POWELL GIVES FACTS
CONNECTED WITH THE RECENT
DISTURBANCES.
(By telegraph to the Dlspatch.l
WASHINGTON, September 3.-Pro-
fessor Powell received by cable to-day
a request from Secretary Topley, Of the
British Association for the Advancement
of Science, to "wire the chief facts Of
the earthquake" The following was
sent in reply:
Topley, British association, Bir-
mingham, England: The earthquakes is
the most severe on record in the United
States, and affected the greatest area.
Origin along the line of the post
quaternary dislocation on the eastern
flank of the Appalachisns, especially
where it crosses Central North Caro-
lima; slight premonitory shocks felt in
the Carolinas for several days mod
erately severe shocks occurring near
Charleston August 9th and 28th.
The principal shock, causing great de-
struction in Charleston, originated in
Central North Carolina August 3lst at
$50 p. NJ, 18th meridian time; thence
the shock spread with great rapidity
in all directions, with velocity varying
from twenty-five to sixty-five miles a
a minute, over an area of 100000
square miles-ons quarter of the
United States-embrscing twenty
eight States, from the Gulf Of Mexico
to the great lakes and southern New
England and from the Atlantic sea-
board to the Central Mississippi Valley.
In the Carolinas it was accompanied
by landslides. crevasses, and great de-
struction of property. Half of Charles
ton is in ruins, and more than forty
lives lost. No sea-wsve yet reported.
A second moderately severe shock was
fell at Charleston at 8:25 A. NJ. Sep
tember lst. Minor shocks followed at
increasing intervals. The principal
shock was felt over this vast area
within fifteen minutes, and may be re-
corded at soma of the principal points,
on scale OF intensity Of 5, as follows:
Raleigh 4, at $50 P. NJ; Charleston
D, at 9:54 L. NJ. Cedar heys, fla., -
at 1905 Knoxville 3, at 1856; Mem
phis 4, at 9:55; St. Louis 2, at 10;
Milwaukee 3, at 1906; Pittsburgh 8,
at 10; Albany 2, at 10; Springfield,
Mass, /, at 10; New York 2, at 9:53.
"POwELL."
Professor Powell has already received
about one hundred reports from OBJ
servers in various directions respecting
the earthquake, and several hundred
more are expected. Their substance is
to be recorded upon maps, which, when
completed, are expected to show, with a
close approach to absolute accuracy.
the points of origin, elimination. and
greatest intensity and direction of the
several earth movements, as we'll as
the boundary line Of the affected area.