The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-12-18
ENGLAND SHAKEN
BY EARTHQUAKE
Violent Seismic Disturbances All Over
the Little Island.
TWO DISTINCT SHOCKS ARE FELL
An Earl shaken In His Bed..Cathe.
draIs and Churches Injured BY the
Severe shocks .. The Populace
Panic Stricken..Fled In Terror
From Their H0uses..Shocks Lasted
From Four to Thirty Seconds.

London, Dec 17.-Great Britain Is in
the throes Of q genuine and unpreced-
ented sensation. An earthquake, the
most violent experienced in this coun-
try. has shaken every shire from Dur
ham to Surrey and from London to the
Welsh coast. The subterraneOus dis
turbance was first noticed at about $50
this morning. 1t lasted from four to
thirty seconds. and at many points two
distinct shocks were experienced.
The most severe shocks were felt at
The earth shaking was accompanied by
q loud. rushing sound. Buildings were
violently shaken. furniture was shift
ed, doors were thrown open and pic
lures and other ornaments were upset.
The Inhabitants were panic stricken
and fied from their houses.
The earthquake also visited Birming-
ham and various points in Shropshire.
and was violent in Worcester and the
country surrounding that city. Houses
rocked and furniture was overturned.
|, There was very great excitement
among the rustics about Poole, who
thought that the end Of the world had
come.
Houses shook for nearly q minute at
Bristol and Clifton, causing much
alarm in those districts.
The railroad employees at Crewe re.
port that they felt the rails oscillate,
and at Evesham the earthquake shock
Was followed by brilliant light in the
sky.
Up to Tuesday the weather in Eng
land was unusually mild, but on Tues
day there was q sudden change to Sc
we're frost, which was followed by
dense fogs and snow on Wednesday.
In the mining districts 1t was at first
thought that the shocks were the result
OK colliery explosions and this belief
prevailed for some time afterward.
EARL OF WARWICK DISTURBED.
The disturbance was experienced
with great violence at Warwick Cas-
tie. The Earl Of Warwick was awak-
ened and felt his bed lifted a. though
by some force beneath II, and the fur
niture in his room was shlrtsd.
The inhabitants Of Slough were
awakened by q shock so severe that
they thought the Middlesex Powder
factory had exploded.
large area of ground sank near
Stockport, and at Melton Mowbray the
noise which accompanied the earth
quake shock resemblsd q discharge of
gun-cotton under water.
At some points perSOns on the copn-
try roads who were going to work
were thrown down, and q number OF
people were thrown out Of their beds.
Hereford cathedral was injured by
the severe shock felt at that place.
There the dull rumbling beneath the
earth's surface was followed by two
terrific crashes and a terrible lifting
and rocking. The panic at Hereford
was 80 great that one woman died OF
fright. People rushed wildly into the
streets. Many chimneys fell, crashing
into the thoroughfares, and all the
pinnacles of st. Nicholas church top
pied over and part of the pinnacle OF
the cathedral fell to the ground.
At Liverpool the earthquake was
preceded by heavy thunder and a
fearful hail storm.
LONDON ESCAPES.
In London the earthquake was only
slightly felt. A singular phenomenon
occurred at BridgenOrth, near Shrews-
bury, previous to the disturbance. The
streets suddenly seemed to be on fire.
and there was a violent report, accom-
panied by earthshaking. People who
were going to their work in that vicin-
ity say they were, for a time, unable
to walk owing to the vibration,