Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1908-11-11
WALHALLA, 8. O.:
WEDNESDAY, NOV. IL, 1908.
FORMATION OF REELFOOT LAKE
Interesting and Startling Events OF
Long Ago-Scene OF Crime.
NASHVILLE Banner.)

(NaShVille Banner.)
The story of the formation Of Reel
foot Lake contains much ttat Is Of
deep and startling interest This
story Is graphically told in letter
that was written M 1926 to Rev. Lo-
renzo Dow describing the horrible
earthquake Of 1911 and the conse-
quent sinking Of Reelfoot Lake, now
the center Of interest because of re-
cent disturbances in the territory ad-
jacent to this famous fishing and
hunting resort. This letter was
found some months ago among some
old papers, and reads as follows:
Dear Brother: have just receiv-
ed your kind letter, written some
three or four weeks ago, requesting
me to give you description Of the
late horrible visitation os Providence,
and the sinking of Rcclfoot Lake in
this section.
"The morning of December 18th,
ISL, was cloudy and dense fog
prevailed, and towards nightfall the
heavens showed signs of distress. On
the following morning, the 10th,
about o'clock a. M, we felt the
shock Of an earthquake, accompanied
by rumbling noise resembling the
distant firing Of cannon, which was
followed in q few minutes by the
complete saturation of the atmos-
phere with sulphurious vapor. The
moon was shining brilliantly, but the
Sulphu riOuS vapor caused the 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
retrograded for a few minutes--form-
ed 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 pre-
vailed after the first shock was now
even worse than before. The people
fled hither and yon, supposing that
there was less danger at q distance
from the river, which was boiling,
fOaming and roaring terrifiically.
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 2, 1912, when one as
hard as the first occurred, followed
by he same phenomena. From this
time until February 4 the earth was
in continual al agitation. visibly waving
as a gentle sea. That day shock al
most as severe as the others occurred,
and on the Sth, about sunrise, q con-
cussion took place which was so
much more violent than the others
that 1t 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 it's banks, and it's
waters, gathering up like a noun
tain leaving for a short period Of
time many boats which were passing
down the river, during which time
the crews escaped to land i'm safety.
The river rose ten to fifteen feet
perpendicu lariy, expanding as it
were; at the same time the banks
were overflowed with a retrograde
current. The river, falling immedi-
ately, 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 banks, being unable to keep up
with tic water, and an old canoe
antique in construction, was washed
ashore The riveI was a mass Of
floating wrecks Of boats, and it is
said that one was wrecked In which
there was lady and six children, all
OF whom were lost.
I'm the hard shocks described the
earth was horribly lacerated-the
surface was from time to time COW
cred over Of uneven depths by the
sand, which issued from assures,
which were made in great numbers
all over this country. some of which
closed up Immediately after they had
Nonited forth their sand and water.
In many places. however, there was
substance resembling coal thrown
up with the sand. 1t Is impossible
to say what the depths Of the assures
or Irregular breaks were. The site
Of New Madrid, Mo-, was settled
dow n at least IL feet, and not more
than half n mile below that town
there does not appear to be any al
teration Of the river. but back from
the river short distance the numer-
Gus large ponds or lakes, which cov-
cred great part of that country,
We're totally dried up. The beds of
some of them bulge above their for
Mcr banks several feet
THE most remarkable feature OF
all the entire disturbances which was
not generally known for some months
afterwards was the discovery of a
huge lake on the Tennessee side Of
inc mississippi, upward Of 25 miles
long and from one-half to eight miles
IN width. This lake was later called
Recifoot Lake. There are places in
1T the bottom Of which has never
bcon found, though many efforts have
been made.
The lake has communication with
the Mississippi river at both ends,
and 1t Is conjectured that it will not
be many years before the principal
part, If not the whole, Of the Misss-