Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1902-04-03

were oyerflowed with a retrograda
current, rapid DIS a tofrent-the boate
which before had been left on the sand
were nov torn from their mooflnSS
and suddenly driven UP a little creek,
at the mouth Of which they laid, to the
distance in some instances OF neallN
a quarter of mile. The river falling
immediately as rapid as it had risen,
receded within the banks again with
such violence that it took with 1t
whole groves of cottonwood trees,
which lodged its borders. They were
broken off with such regularity. IN
some instances, that persons who had
not witnessed the fact would be dill
ficultlv persuaded that it had not been
the work of art
Boats Were Wrecked.
"A great many fish were left on the
banks, being unable to keep pace with
the water. The river was literally COW
cred with the wrecks of boats, and it's
said that one was wrecked in which
there was a lady and six children, all
of whom were lost In all hard shocks
mentioned, the earth was horribly tori
to pieces-the surface of hundreds OF
acres was. from time to time, covered
over to various depths by the sand'
thrown up by the fissures, which were
made in great numbers all over the
Nf
mediately after they had vomited forth
their sand and water. which it must be
remarked was the matter generally
thrown up.
"In some places. however there was
a substance somewhat resembling coal.
or impure stone coal, thrown up with
the sand. 1t is impossible to say what
the depths of the fissures or Irregular
breaks were; we have reason to be
iieye that some of them are very deep.
The site of this town was evidently
settled down at least fifteen feet and
not more than half mile below the town
there does not appear to be any altefa-
ton on the bank of the river; but back
from the river a small distance the NIL
merOus large ponds or lakes, as they
are called. which covered a great part
of the country. were nearly dried up.
The beds of some of them are elevated
above their former banks several feet.
producing an alteration Of ten fiji
teen to twenty feet from their origin
al state And lately it has been dis
covered that lake was formed on the
opposite side of the Mississippi, in the
Indian country, upward Of one hundred
miles in length. and from one to six
miles in width. of the depth of from
ten to fifty feet. 1t has communica-
ton with the river at both ends. and it
is conjectured that it will not be many
years before the principal part, if not
the whole of the Mississippi. will pass
that way.
Lived In Camps.
I'VE were constrained by the fear Of
our houses falling, to live twelve
or eighteen months, after the first
shocks, in little light camps made of
boards; but we gradually became cal
lous. and returned to our houses again.
Most Of those who fled from the coun-
try in the time of the hard shocks have
since returned home. We have, since
their commencement in 1911, and still
continued to feel light shocks occa-
s1onally. 1t is seldom, indeed. that we
are more than week without feeling
one. and sometimes three or four "a
day. There were two this winter past
much harder than we have felt them
for two years before; but since then
they appear to be lighter than they
have ever been, and we begin to hope
that ere long they will entirely cease.
have now. sir. finished my prom
ised description Of the earthquake
imperfect. 1t is true. but Just aa II oc-
CURED to my memory, many and