Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1902-06-12

49, HE RECENT disasters on the
islands of Martinique and ST.
Vincent recall the great shakeup
of the Mississippi valley in 1911,
and 1t may be interesting now
to glance back at what occurred nearly
century ago in our own country and
in some degree at our own homes. As
the mysterious forces Of the under world
do not seem to be affected by the changes
of governments or of the degree OF CIV
llization or no civilization OF the people
who walk the thin crust of earth, none
can tell when such another disturbance
will occur.
The Mississippi valley was in 1911 a
primitive wilderness with only few
small trading posts scattered at VIDE
intervals along the streams. Today II
teens with a busy population and is dot
ted with thrifty towns and stirring cities.
In the thinly settled wilderness the loss
of life in 1911 was slight, but the same
disturbance today would produce an ap-
palling harvest of death.
The center of the great disturbances
which began on the night of the 18th Of
December and continued for nearly three
months seems to have been in the south
east corner of Missouri. and the vibrat-
ing shocks followed the courses OF the
many streams of the great river system,
passed the Alleghanies and died along
the shores of the Atlantic. North Geor-
| gia, then an Indian country, was shaken
violently, and in Gordon county and 9TH
err parts of the mountainous sections are
still to be seen assures said to have been
made in the earth's surface at that time.
GEORGIA SUFFERED TOO.
Owing to the conditions of the time only
| fragmentary accounts of the disturbance
are obtainable. but these are sufficient to
show that this was one of the most vio-
| lent and extended disturbances Of the
earth's crust Of which we have any
| knowledge. One Of the most interesting
of these accounts is furnished by Captain
Roosevelt, an ancestor of the president.
who was on his way from Pittsburg 10
Natchez with the first steamboat ever
run on the Ohio and Mississippi rivers.
Says Captain Roosevelt:
while we were taking on coal five
miles below Yellow Banks, which is on
the Indiana side, we were accosted by
/ some squatters in great alarm, who ask
/ ed us If we had not heard strange noises
in the woods and along the river, and
noticed that the banks trembled. Next
| day we continued our voyage down
stream The weather was still and hot
The air seemed misty, dull and heavy
/ and the sun, which CLEANED like ball
| of copper, shed but faint twilight on
the surface of the river. 1t was every
where still as death. There was no breath
/ of air moving, but now and then we MOTTO
49,
| afternoon advanced we noticed large por-
tions of the shore being torn off and
falling into the water. Next day the at
mosphere presented the same peculiar
| appearance. Although II was early win
| ter the air was hot and suffocating. Our
pilot found the channel of the river every
where changed and it was with the great
est difficulty that we picked our way
among the numerous trees and new
islands which had just been pushed up
from the rivers bottom. All through the
deep woods we could see the trees dane
ing and nodding about and many being
split in twain from the roots upward.
We saw many fiat boats and other craft
along the shore, from which the owners
had fled, and as the high banks were
constantly sliding into the river many OF
these vessels were overwhelmed. It was
our custom to bring to at night under
shore, but as no safe place could be
found our pilot advised that we proceed
to a large island in midstream. When
we reached the spot we found the island
gone, but further down we found an
other and smaller one, TO which we at
tached our boat and spent the night,
keeping watch on deck. All night the
water of the river would rise and fall
and we could hear the constant crash Of