Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1902-06-12
Earthquake Lasting Many Months
Swept the SOuth IN 1911

the trees as great landslides plunges
into the river"
NEW MADRID WRECKED.
about noon the day following Captain
Roosevelt's boat reached the little town
of New Madrid on the west banks of the
Mississippi. This town. which had been
founded py the Spanish, contained 5000
population. made up of Spanish, French
and Americans. It was a total wreck and
its people were terror stricken. Great ifs
sures ran through the town and into
these many of the log houses had tun-
bled with their occupants. The villages
of New Madrid and Little Prairie were
the only bodies of population near the
center of disturbance, and both were
practically wiped out The grave yard at
New Madrid was plunged into the bed OF
the river Large lakes Of many miles in
extent were made in an hour and other
lake bottoms pushed up into mounds and
ridges. The whole country from the
mouth of the Ohio to the st. Francis
was so convulsed that numerous lakes
and islands were formed and in places
the course Of the mighty Mississippi was
changed"
A man who lived at New Madrid wrote
Of the catastrophe as follows:
1.-THE fluctuations Of the earth were like
terrible waves, increasing in elevation
as they advanced, and when they attain
ed certain fearful height the earth
would burst and vast volumes of water,
sand and pit coal Wpuld be discharged
far above the tops of the trees. The
shocks were clearly distinguished into two
classes-those in which the motion was
horizontal and those in which 1t was per-
pendicular. The latter were attended
with explosions and a terrible mixture
of noises. Then the houses crumbled the
trees moved together, the ground sunk,
while ever and anon vivid flashes Of
IL he Id
clouds OF night, rendered the darkness
doubly horrible. After the severest
shocks a dense black cloud Of vapor over
/ Swallowed the land. The sulphurated
gases that were discharged during the
shocks tainted the air with their noxious
the river for one hundred and fifty miles
as to render 1t unfit for use. Birds lost
all power to fly and sought the compan-
ionship of man, and likewise did the cat
tie and horses. They came believing in
| from the range as If to demand to be
| conducted to safety. Most of the cattle
and many human beings persisted. Some
| sank into the yawning rents in the earth.
some in boats were overwhelmed by the
caving banks of the river and buried in
the bottom of the stream. The rending
of the earth just below town arrested the
great river and caused It TO rise several
| feet in a few moments. Many boats
dry when a few moments later the river
forced itself over the barrier. At another
point the opening Of new lake Of some
eighty miles extent and into which the
waters Of the river were turned caused
the stream to reverse its current and
flow swiftly up stream till the lake was
filled"
LIVED LIKE INDIANS.
After the earthquake subsidized the eddy
I at the mouth Of the bayou below New
Madrid became filled with wreekage from
up the river, and II is said the surviving
people of the town found among this
wreckage an ample supply of stores to
supply them during the winter, having
been brought down from the numerous
wrecks up stream.
The terrified settlers did not dare live
in houses after their towns were destroy
ed, but spent the remainder Of the winter
in bark huts built after the manner OF
the Indians, and which were so light that
no injury could be done IL they were
thrown down. The shocks continued with
lAssening severity for several months, and
in the spring the survivors nearly all
moved away. The land, formerly a rich
alluvium. was. in many places, so com
pletely covered with sand. which was
elected from below the surface as to rem
der large districts uninhabitable.