The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1908-06-26
The Sinking of Reelfoot Lake
Toldsby an Eye Witnese in the Early Part of the
Nineteenth Century.

The following letter, written in 1925,
to the Rev. Lorenzo Dow, graphically
describing the horrible earthquake OF
1911 and the consequent sinking Of
Reelfoot Lake, known the country
over for its superiority as fishing
and hunting resort,was recently found
among some old letters. As will be
seen, in those days it took weeks and
oftentimes months to receive letter
after being mailed. The article will
be especially interesting now, because
of the recent decision Of the lower
courtsMpf West Tennessee denying
certaf parties, who claimed TO have
purchased t he Lake. the right to
drain Reelfoot Lake and convert the
soil underneath into farms. The let
ter is as follows:
ssS'@'Dear Brother: [ have just received
your Kind letter, written some three
or four weeks ago, requesting me to
give you description Of the late
horrible visitation of providence, and
the sinking of Reelfoot Lake, in this
section.
1.-THE morning of December 10, 1871,
was cloudy and dense fog prevailed,
and towards nightfall the heavens
showed signs of distress. On the fol-
loving morning, the 10th, about 5
O'Clock a, m., we felt the shock of an
earthquake. accompanied by rumb-
ling noise resembling the distant fir
ing of a cannon, which was followed
in a few minutes by the complete
saturation ofu.the atmosphere with
sulphurous The moon was
shining trillia but the sulphur
Gus vapor causedsefle earth to be
wrapped in absolute darkness. The
wailing inhabitants, the stampede of
the fowls and beasts, the noise Of
falling timber, the roaring of the
Mississippi, the current of which was
retrograde for few minutes-formed
scene too appalling to conceive of.
Then until daylight a number Of
lighter shocks occurred, one that was
more violent and severe than the first
one, and the terror which prevailed
after the first shock was now even
worse than before. The people fled
hither and yon, supposing that there
was less danger at distance from the
river, which was boring, foaming and
roaring territfically. Men, women and
children gave up in despair. some
praying and Others fainting, so great
was their fear.
"There were light shocks each day
until January 23, 1872, when one as
hard as the first occurred, followed by
the same phenomena. From this time
until February the earth was in con-
tinual agitation, visibly waving as a
gentle sea. That day shock, almost
as severe as the others, occurred, and
on the Sth, about sunrise, a concuS-'
sion took place which was so much
more violent than the others that it
was called "the hard shock" The
earth was transformed into total
darkness and the chickens went back
to roost, the cows mooed and the
frightened horses pitifully neighed
At first the Mississippi river seemed
to recede from its banks, and its wat
ers, gathering up like mountain,
leaving for short period of time
many boats which were passing down |
the river, on the bottom of the river,
during which time the crews escaped |
to land in safety. The river rose 10
to Is feet perpendIcularly, expanding, |
as it were, at the same time the banks
were overfiowed with aretrograde cur
rent. The river falling Immediately, I
receded within its banks again with
such violence that it took with it
whole groves Of young cottonwood
trees and much cattle and stock.
"a great many fish were left on the