The Democrat. (Scotland Neck, Halifax Co., N.C.) 1884-1896, 1895-03-21
COULD HAVE A WAVE.
LAKE MICHIGAN COULD RISE Up
AND SURPRISE CHICAGO.
All It Neses is an Earthquake 70 Sc.
It Going.

"Apropos OF the recent Atlantic tidal
wave" said an ancient mariner 10 a
Chicago Tribune man the other day.
| IAN account OF one nearer home might
be of interest at this time. II isn't
necessary to have an ocean Of water 10
produce one of these waves by long
odds Old Lake Michigan could get
up prime article in that line and
show Chicago few things heretofore
unthought Of. All that would be nee
essary would be an earthquake in the
lake and then there would be from six
| to ten feet Of water here in no time
The story that started to tell you has
an earthquake as the prime cause, a
tidal wave as the immediate effect, and
ruined town was the result.
"New Madrid, Mo, was destroyed by
the great shake as it was called, in
the year 1911 The whole Mississippi
valley was affected. The center Of vio-
lence was at Little Prairie, near New
Madrid The vibrations were felt over
the Ohio valley as high as Pittsburgh
New Madrid suffered more than any
other town on the Mississippi. At that
time Indians were dangerous and the
persons engaged in carrying produce IN
boats to New Orleans kept in company
for mutual defense In the middle Of
December 16 there was a terrible shock
aud jarrlng of the boats SO that the
crews were all awakened and hurried
on deck, thinking of an Indian attack
The noise and commotlon we're dread
full, but soon stopped. In the morning
loud roaring and kissing were hearo
anu tIloIc WAS d tICuJcIluOuS DOlIJuR up
of the waters of the Mississippi in huge
swells, tossing the boats about so vio-
lently that the men were thrown about
on the decks. The water in the river
changed to a reddish hue, then became
black with mud thrown up from the
bottom, while the surface, lashed by
the agitation of the earth beneath, was
coyered with foam, which, gathering
into masses the size OF barrel, fIoated
along the trembling surface.
''The earth opened IN wide fssures,
and closing again threw the water,
sand and mud In huge jets higher than
the tops OF the trees. The atmosphere
was filled with a thick vapor of gas.
AT New Madrid several boats were car
ried by the great waves up onto the
bank of the river just above the town,
and we're left high and dry a consider
able distance from the water Many
boats were wrecked on the snags. while
others were sunk or stranded on the
sand bars and islands The scenes for
several days during the repeated shocks
we're horrible. The sulphurated gases
discharged tainted the air with noxious
effluvia, and so strongly implegnated
the water of the river for one hundred
and fifty miles below that it could
hardly be used for any purpose for
many days.
New Madrid, which stood on bluff
twenty feet above the summer floods,
sunk so low that the next rise covered
it to depth of five feet. The bottoms
of several lakes in the vicinity were
elevated and have since been planted
with corn. People lived along the river
in those days more than in the country,
so the big water disturbance did proba-
bly, more damage than the shakes
where there was no water. SO you can
easily see how there can be tidal wave
without an ocean and that we may
have one of our own some day. When
it comes 1t should be a good one, so
those eastern people will be satisfied we
did not manufacture it to get even"