The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1904-03-24
AN EARTHQUAKE

AN EARTHQUAKE.
Belfast In Common with Most of New Eng
land Gets . Shaking up. We have had
EARTHQUAKES Before, but this Beat them
All.
The earthquake felt here last Monday
morning was without doubt the heaviest
Belfast has ever experienced. Nearly every
body was awakened at minutes past l
O'Clock by violent shaking, accompanied
by rumbling like distant thunder. Dishes,
stove covers, windows, ETC., ratified and the
sound rose and fell with the vibrations of
the earth. People who were awake before
the shock say there was slight tremOr at
just 1 O'Clock which gradually died away
and was followed by the principal shock,
which was sufficient to awaken even the
soundest sleeper. The duration of this is
variously estimated at from 10 to 80 Sec
onds. The third shock was much lighter
but was fully as severe as those felt in 1870
and 1897. 1t ratified dishes, windows, ETC.,
and was accompanied by the rumbling, but
was only of or seconds duration. Two
others followed, each lighter than its prede-
ceSSOr.
Many people thought there was trouble
with the water pipes, and some who were
In steam or hot water heated buildings
thought their boilers had exploded. One
woman, thinking burglars were trying to
get in at window, ran out in her night
clothes and called for help. A man in a
house nearby, hearing her calls, went to
the window and fired his revolver into the
air to scare away the the burglars and call
the police.
The tremor was different from that of the
earthquake Of 1897. In that the walls of
the houses seemed to sway with a slow. I'M
dulating motion, which caused pictures and
suspended lamps to swing, in addition to
rattling dishes and windows. In this shock
the undulations were short and sharp, and
were very pronounced, at least two undula-
tions to one of the former shocks,
There have been nine earthquakes felt in
Belfast in the past, as we learn from Will
liamson's History of Belfast and the files
OF The Journal. They were as follows
1923, June 10. Slight, about noon.
1879, Aug. p. At Top. m. Violent, caus-
ing some alarm, causing no damage, but
rattling windows, etc.
1S47, Feb 10. Slight local shock at few
minutes after p. m. An accompanying
rumbling noise was so distinct as to cause
some persons to go into the street.
1851, Jan. 8. At 11.3O p. m. 1t caused a
noise resembling the roar of fire, and was
about 2 seconds in duration.
1855, Feb. %. At $50 a. m.: the shock
was sufficient to wake people from a sound
sleep. 1t was like heavy coach passing
over paved street.
1860, Oct. II. At 6 a. M, trembling vi
bration, lasting few seconds, accompa-
MED by rumbling sound.
1870, Oct. 90 At 11.3O a. m.. distinct
shock. The present local reporter of The
Journal was feeding cylinder press in a
printing Office, and stopped the press,
thinking something was wrong about the
machinery or engine, as the jar was unusu-
al.
1897, Sept. 26 At LOS p. m. its duration
was estimated not to exceed fifteen seconds
some say not over ten. At first there was
rumble and jar as though heavy team
was passing rapidly over rough road.
This lasted perhaps four seconds. Then
came a pause of two or three seconds, fol-
, lowed by second jar, which began light,
gradually increased and suddenly stopped.
The second shock lasted from five to eight
| second.