The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1913-02-07
SCARES INLOnyUN
When Cranks Predicted the De-
struction OF the City.
TERROR RULED THE PEOPLE.

0OUs q Su0oSoc. VSo Vne entsre V0po'
Iation N . Frsnzy OF rssr Awaiting
the End BY earthquake IN u.s. rhs
River Thames Panic OF 1924.
Men, Il ua> r%'t'D welt >uid. think IN
herds. 1t Wi! tx seen ttAt the! ~
mad ~ nerus. tor IuuunnpraOie ~
stances w given OF n whole people
suddenly shaking "a the tramme,s OF
reason ana running wild under the de-
Insiou Of some impending calamity.
A mic terror OF tue end of the
world spread over London IN 1886 D.
the prophecy OF the famous Whiston.
wbo predicted that the world womb
be destroyed gu Oct II IN that year
Crowds Of people went out On the ap
pointed day to lslington. aighgate.
Hampstead and the intervening 6eids
to witness the destruction Of London
which was to be the beginning OF thu
end.
Again In the year 1851 the citizens Ut
London were plunged into excitement
BY two earthquake shocks. and the
prophecy of q third. which was to DE-
stroy them altogether The 0rst ot
these shocks was on Feb y and threw
down several chimneys: the secOnd
was On March y Public notice was
directed tO the fact that there was ex
actly u months interval between the
two shocks. and a crack Drained fe'
low named Bell was 90 impressed with
the idea that there would be 4 third ~
the forthcoming month that be com
pletely lost his senses and ran about
the streets predicting the destruction
Of London on April 8.
Al the awful day approached the ex.
element became intense. and great
numbers Of creduious people resorted
to all the villages within q circuit OF
twenty miles. there to await the doom
:ot London. BIackheath. islington.
Highgate. Hampstead and Harrow
were crowded With panic stricken
fugitives who paid e%xorbitant prices
for accommodations In these secure ~
treats. Such as could not afford to pay
for lodgings at these places encamped
In the surrounding fields.
As Ia usual IN panics, the fear be-
game contagious. and hundreds who
had laughed at the prediction q week
before packed up their goods and chat
tells when they saw others doing 5"
q FASTENED away. The river was
thought to be a place of great security.
n accordingly all the available mer.
chant vessels and barges were packed
With people. who passed the night BE-
tween the 4th and 9Th on board. ex.
pecting every moment to see st. Paul's
tOtter and the towers OF Westminster
abbey rock and fall amid a cloud OF
dust. But Oh the following day the
greater part Of the rugitives returned.
convinced that the prophecy was "a
false one A few months afterward
Bell was confined in a lunatic asylum.
where he died.
Great CONSERVATION was caused in
London in 1924 by a prediction that on
the LIST day Of February the waters OF
the Thames would overflow the whole
city OF London and wash away 10000
houses. The PROPHECY was implicitly
believed. and many families packed up
their goods and removed into Kent and
Essex. As the time drew near the
numbers of these emigrants increased
ln January drOves OF wOrkmen might
BE- seen followed by their wives and
children. tr,ldging on foot % the vii
lagos within fifteen or twenty miles tU
await the catastrophe. People Ut q
higher class were also to be seen In
vehicles bound Oh q similar errand.
By the middle of January ut least
2O.UOO persons had Quilted the doomed
city. leaving nothing but the bare walls
OF their hOHres to be swept away by
the impending floods Many of the
Weather class took up their abode on
the heights Of Hampstead. Highgate
and B~iackheath, and some erected tents
as far away as WaItham abbey on the
north and Croydon on the south OF the
Ihu tues.
On the fateful morning the wonder
ing crowds were astir ut an early hour
to watch the rising of the waters. 1t
was predicted that the inundatfon
would he gradual. not sudden. so that
they expected to have plenty of time
to escape as soon as they saw the WI
ters rise beyond the usual mark.
The day grew older, and the Thames
flowed on quietly as OF yore. The tide
ebbed at Its usual hour. flowed to its
usual height and then ebbed again, just
As if twenty astrologers had not pledg-
I'd their WORD to the contrary.
Blank were their faces as evening
approached. and as blank grew the
faces Of the citizens to think that they
had made such fools OF themselves
Night set in. and the obstinate river
would not lift its waters to sweep
away ever one home OF the TO-
900 Still. however. the people were
afraid to go to sleep Many hun
dreds remained up til! dawn Of the
next day. lest the deluge should come
upon them like a thief In the night
On the morrow It was seriously dis.
cussed whether It would not be advis
able to duck the false prophets In the
river. Luckily tor them they thought