The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1909-01-09
SOME QUAkES OF
FORMER YEARS
Lisbon Experienced the Most
Disastrous One is
1855.

Ou6 OF the most dlSdSbEOuS SdAlA'
quakes in modern history, before the
present one, was that in Lisbon, the
capital of Portugal, on November L,
1755. when, in less than six minutes
sixty thousand persons were killed
II struck the city almost without warn
ing. Terrible sounds came suddenly
from underground and almost instant
ly afterward a violent shock threw
down the greater portion OF the city
The place from which this earth
quake started must have been situat-
ed on the bed of the ocean at some
distance from the coast, for the great
wave thus raised in the Atlantic
ocean did not reach the mouth of the
fagus river until about half an hour
after the most severe shocks were
over. The arrival of this wave at the
mouth 'of the Tagus was announced by
the sea retiring to such an extent as
TO leave the bar dry. Then a huge
wave, sixty feet in height, rolled IN
from the ocean and completed the
work of destruction. So great was
the shock that the mountains In the
neighborhood we're violently shaken
and some of them split or fractured
IN a wonderful manner.
Particularly large was the loss OF
life in the churches, whittier hundreds
of the earth began, for most of these
buildings fell and buried the worship
ers. Another large loss OF life was
caused by the destruction of large
marble quay or wharf that was sud
denly swallowed up by the sea- While
the buildings in the city were being
overthrow by the earthquake muE
titIpde sought the quay as fat place
where they cOdld not be injured by
the falling buildings. Suddenly, how
ever, this structure sank into the wa
ter, and not only were all those upon
it, drowned, but none of the bodies
were ever afterward found.
Vessels Carried Down.
Failure to find any remains OF the
pier or any of those who persisted on
it has been attributed to the forma-
ton of eddieS or whfTls that were
sufficiently strong to carry down yes
sells by suction, similar to that of the
famous maelstrom of the coast o.
Norway. Assertions have been made
in many books that the water left in
the harbor after the sinking OF the
quay was unfathonable. II is pos
sible, as has been suggested by seien-
| lists, that a deep assure or chasm
opened Immediately in the ground on
! which the quay stood, so that il, to-
gether with all upon il, was dropped
into the chasm. which, closing, buried
them deep in the eaSth-
The Lisbon earthquake was especial
~ noted for the extent of the coun-
, try affected by IL. Humboldt estiD1at-
ed this area as more than four times
the size of Europe. In parts of this
: area immense mountain ranges, such
as the Pyrenees, the Alps, etc, were
violently shaken. a deep fissure was
opened in the ground in France, The
solid earth was shaken as far as the
shores of the Baltic and Norway and
Sweden generally. This included the
| fiat country OF northern Germany. The
hot springs of Tophtz disappeared for
a time, but, breaking out afterwaTd;
discharged such quantities of muddy
water that the surrounding country
was inundated.
Spread Across Atlantic.
Moreover, the waves crossed the At
laDtic, causing high tides on the is-
lands of Antigua, Barbados and Mar
Unique, of the Lesser Antilles, while
further north they reached the east
ern shores of North America and
shook the continent as far west as the
Great Lakes, and spread in the North
Atlantic as far IS Iceland. Toward
| the south the waves affected parts Of
| Northwestern Africa, where much loss
of life occurred in the villages some
eight leagues distant from Morocco
Here from eight to ten thousand per
sons were killed, being swallowed up
! by deep assures in the earth. which
closed on their bodies.
Severe shocks were in many cases
| felt on vessels at sea. In one In
stance, although the vessels were al
considerable distance from where the
! 81 I'D he r2tF ff1-f
/ that the shocks we're 50 great than on
several occasions it was believed the
vessel had struck a rock, till, on heay-
I ing the lead, it was found that they
were in very deep water. In another
case such was the shock to the YES
| sci that the pIanks on the deck had
their seams opened. In still another.
| several of the sailors were thrown
! into the air for distance Of about
one and a half feet.
Clutch, one of the provinces Of In
dia lying on the western coast OF
HindOstaD, was visited by a great
| earthquake on June 18th, 1919 1t was
apparently central al the town Of
/ Rhooj, where the destruction was eX'
/ treme, hardly a house being left stand
\ ing. The shock extended over a radius
of about one thousand miles from
| Rhooj, reaching to KhatmandoO, Cal
cutta and PondicheTry. At Anjar the
/ fort, together with its tower and guns,
/ was completely ruined.
Great changes we're produced in the
| eastern channel Of the Indus, which
! forms the western boundary of the
/ inlet had become so low that il was
readily fordable at low tide at Luck
put, and was only covered with six
! feet OF water at high tide After the