The times., 1898-11-26
an EARTHQUAKE SHOCK
Distinctly Felt in Washington
Yesterday Afternoon.
WEATHER BUREAU RECORD
Was Heaviest in the Mountain
Rnnges Down the Const-Was Oh
served in Many Parts of the city.
Of Short DuratiOn-NO Excitement
No Damage Reported.

| An earthquake shock is reported at the
same hour from mountain towns in the
western part of North Carolina and of
southwest Virginia yesterday afternoon.
| The time was 2:5O o'clock. The places
visited by the shock are in the same line
of mountain ranges. About year ago
similar and more serious shocks visited
| the same region.
| The shock was felt here. and was dis
| tinctly recognized in various portions of
! the city but at a later hour than that re-
! ported along the mountain range.
A Times reporter visited the Weather
Bureau last night to learn much about
earthquakes in general, and this one in
particular. -.--
1t was learned at the weather bureau
that a Slight shock had been reported at
about 3:i5 yesterday afternoon. The able
| prophets of the Weather Bureau had not
heard of the earthquake until Informed
| by Times reporter, when the night stan
| of the bureau started out to hunt up some
| registered facts from the earthquake ma
| chimes.
A lantern was procured and a guide Sc
| cured. who. with the aid of a lantern Il
| knowledge of the mass of buildings and
| a big bunch of keys, led the way TO IN
| strument room No. l.
Here were strange punches of machines
| which kept up continued buzz and ciat-
| ter. This room contained everything from
a machine which photographed the clouds
! which will arrive next Tuesday to Dig
| bunch of Weather Bureau kites.
The party wandered from machine 10
| ct
nent in a dazed hunt for the earthquake
| indicator.
| None of the party knew the quake de-
tective by sight, and one of them present
| had never even heard OF an earthquake
instrument. SO the hunt went on
Wind gauges humidity registers. large
double and triple air dinks. boolerloolera-
phones. hydostatriticines, plugarisms, star
indicators. dog star filters. North and
South pole cadoriators-in fact, machines
which could do anything but place tht
blame for the Alger camp horrors.
After half hour of fruitess discoveries
and bewildered searching among nameless
instruments, the guide suddenly remem-
| bered that the earthquake instruments
were in the earthquake room. So the
| party went across to another building, ana
there, away down in the cellar, was the
earthquake room.
Here the instrument was finally discov-
| cred. The indicator was an electric needle
which was built solidly into4 pier OF
granite. which sank into the ground. Tn,
needle was delicately arranged so that
the slightest vibration closed the circuit
for an instant and recorded the presence
of a real live earthquake.
The instrument had recorded a few
| slight vibrations caused by the shock hut
this was not severe enough to stop the
earthquake clock which is arranged Il
hold up on the second any respectabl,
earthquake by refusing to keep pace with
| Father Time after the first vibration.
This IS the first earthquake to visit
| Washington for twelve years The last
disturbance is well remembered by many
people and was so severe as to arouse
the whole city during the night.