The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1896-01-18

the shore tearing away from the land
and lapsing into the watery abyss
The second day on the river, the sun
rose the same dim ball of fire, and the
air was thick, heavy, oppressive, as be.
lore. The portentous signs of this terri
BILE natural CONFUSION increased Alarmed
and confused, the pilot affirmed he was
lost, as he found the channel everywhere
altered, and where he had hitherto known
deep waters he found huge trees with
their roots turned upward. The trees
that still remained ON the shores were
seen waving and nodding without
wind.
The adventures had of course, no
course but to continue their route as best
they could, but towards evening they
vera at a loss for a place of shelter. They
had usually brought to, under the shore,
but at all points they saw the high banks
disappearing. A large island in mid
channel which had been known by the
pilot, was sought for in vain, and thous-
ands of acres constituting the surround
ing country were found to be swallowed
up, with their gigantic growth Of forest
and CT cane A bout noon OF the next day
the first steamboat reached New Madrid.
Here the Inhabitants were in the
greatest CONSERVATION and distress, Part
of the population had fled for their lives
to the higher ground.
| The news of the arrival of the steam
boat spread . like wildfire. The people
congregatea in little squads, and dis
ooursed in mysterious whispers. At last
1t became generally known that the mys-
terry OF the terrible earthquake had been
solved. Everybody believed that the
cause of the shocks was due to the float
ing of the great steamer on the river.
The comet which appeared, and suddenly
vanished, was but the harbinger of the
event. Great excitement prevailed, and
the floating of steamboats, on the. river
was sterIlly denounced.
After shaking the valley Of the Mis-
sissippi to it's center. the earthquake
vibrated along the courses of the rivers
and valleys, ana died away along the
shores Of the Atlantic. In the region
of its greatest force, the pending and tre-
mendous elemental strife which finally
ensued, the current of the Mississippi
was driven back from it's source with
| ppalling velocity for several hours, in
consequence of an elevation of its bed
lis accumulated waters came booming
on, and, overlapping the barrier thus
suddenly raised, carried away everything
before them with resistless power. Boats
then floating on the surface shot down
the declivity like an arrow from bow
amid warning pillows, and the widest
disorder. A few days action of it's pow
erful current sutfioed to wear away every
vestige of the barrier thus strangely in
terposed, and its waters moved on their
wonted channel to the ocean.
The day that succeeded this night of
dread brought no solaoe in its dawn.
Shock followed shock; dense black
cloud of vapor ovsrshadowed the land,
through which no sunbeam found it's way
to cheer the desponding heart OF man.
WEIRD RUINS.
The appearances that presented them
selves after the 1bsidence of the princi-
pal comm otion were indeed staggering to
the beholder. Hills had disappear ed, and
lakes now found in their stead numerous
lakes became elevated ground, over the
surface Of which vast heaps of sand were
scattered in every direction; while in
many places the earth for miles was sunk
below. the general level of the surround
ing country, without being covered with
water.
One Of the lakes thus formed is sixty or
seventy miles in length, and from three
to twenty miles in width. 1t is in some
places very shallow, and in others from
fifty to one hundred feet deep, which laf-
ter is much mora than the depth OF the
Mississippi in that quarter. In sailing
over it's surface one is struck with aston
ishment at beholding the gigantic trees
of the forest standing partially exposed
amid the waste of waters, branches aud
leahess, like gaunt, mysterious monsters
Rut this wonder is still further increased
on casting the eye on the dark blue pro-
found, to witness cane brakes covering
it's bottoms, over which mammoth
species of tortoise is occasionally seen
dragging its grotesque body along, while
countless millions of fish are sporting
through the aquatic thickets. The lakes
constitute one Of the most remarkable
features in American scenery.
"The great earthquake has become
the standard American seismal shock
to which all previous earthquakes have
been compared for their severity and de-
VISITATION.