Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1902-04-03
THE SUNKEN LANDS
OF ARKANSAS MAY BE UNCEH
LAID WITH OIL.
Nhouoht Great Earthqua OF 1911
May Have Been Due te' Gas ana
Oil.

Jonesboro, Ark, correspondent
x,,r;+ae as follows as to the sunkch
lands of Arkansas and Missouri:
Much discussion is going on mere
relative to the probability Of the 'ouh-
lSen Island of Missouri and Arkansas
!heine underlaid with oil Strange as
it NAV appear, the basis of this belle1
which is held by a great many intelil-
gent persons, is founded On an lnclaeh'
ar the great earthquake OF 1911. Auou-
hon. the great naturalist, and others
who contributed to the accounts OF lhe
earthquake, ali refer to the TACT thaI
the atmosphere after the first shocE
was nermeated with smell something
like sulphur 1t is now believed thls
smell was natural gas escaping
through the fissure in the earth occas
toned by the shock.
Memoirs of Lorenzo Dow.
The Craighead County Sun OF TINS
citv has lust added an interesting chaP-
Fer to incidents connected with th9
carhauake in the shape OF lntormatloh
f,unished by Y. A. Cole Of this city.
MI. Cole is a man OF much opserNa'
tion and good information. IN spean-
! ing of Mr.. Cole and the incident alluo-
ed to, the Sun says:
Regarding the sunk lands ana tiie
: earthqnale which caused them, ne HAS
! a graphic description contained in an
old book, a volume of the personal
memoirs of the Reverend Lorenzo
Dow. noted travelling preacher OF the
time, and whose fame extends to some
extent to the present day. The de-
#scription is in letter written by Eliza
sBryan to the preacher, and is as fol-
lows:
Dear sir: In compliance with your
lrequest l will now give you history
as full in detail as the limits of let
ter will permit of the the late awful
visitation of Providence in this place
and it's vicinity.
81 "On the 10Th of December. 1911 about
2 o'clocEl. m we were visited by VIC
lent shock of an earthquake, accom-
spanied b very awful noise resem-
bling loud but distant thunder, but
more noarse and vibrating. which was
followed in a few minutes by cont
splete saturation of the atmosphere,
with a sulphurous vapor, causing total
darkness. The screams of the alright
ed inhabitants running to and fro, not
knowing where to CO. or what to do
the cries of the fowls and beasts CT
every species-the cracking of trees
falling, and the roaring of the Missis-
sippi-the current of which was retro
,rade for a few minutes, owing, as
IS supposed, to an irruption in it's bed
formed a scene truly horrible. From
that time to about sunrise a number of
Fighter shocks occurred; at which time
Spne still more violent than the first
took place, with the same accompaE.-
ments as the first, and the terror
which had been excited in everyone,
and indeed in all animal nature, was
now, if possible, doubled.
Inhabitants Fled.
THE inhabitants fled in every direc-
tion to the country, supposing Gf it
can be admitted that their minds were
exercised at alb that there was less
danger at distance from ,nan near the
{ river. In one person, female, the al
arm was so great that she tainted. and
could not be recovered. There were
several shocks day, but lighter than
! those already mentioned, until the 23d
Of January 1912, when one occurred as
violent as the severest of the former
ones, accompanied by the same phe-
\ NJ Jena as the former. From this time
NXtil the fourth of February the earth
6is IN continual agitation, visibly wav-
Wsg as gentle sea. On that day there
LAS another shock, nearly as hard as
We preceding ones. Next day four
anch, and on the 7th about o'clock a.
m. concussion took place so much
more violent than those which had pre-
ceded it that it was denominated the
nArd shock, by complete saturation
the atmosphere which as formerly
vas saturated with sulphurous vapor.
aAd the violence of the tempestous
numbering noise that accompanied it,
gether with all the other phenom.
"a mentioned as attending the former
les, formed scene the description of
hlch would require the most sublime
fanciful Imagination.
At first the Mississippi seemed to
cede from it's banks, and it's waters
thering up like mountain. leaving