The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1915-05-14
THE HAsKIN LETTE B
The Earthquake Menace.
By Frederic J. Haskin.

Boston, New Haven, New York, VII
mincton. Trenton, Philadelphia. Bal
timore and Washington are all built
directly upon this fail line. A shock
OF the FIRST intensity in this earth
ouate area would undoubtedly be a
catastrophe OF the first magnitude
In New England there is a
somewhat similar line. from which
minor shocks have been reported It
extends across southern New Engl-
and. intersecting the lower Connect
cut river at East Haddam. This
little New England town, situated
where the gorge of the Connecticut
crosses this fall line, has been an
earthquake center ever sine its set
tlement. great NUMBER of light
shocks having been reported; while
ried back still further by the name
which the Indians gave the spot,
and which means the place OF
noises"
The most famous and spectacular
American earthquake next TO the
san Francisco disaster, occurred in
the Mississippi Valley in ISL, and
Is generally kpoSgI as the New Mad
rid earthquake. This earthquake
different from any other in the
United States. if not in the world.
in that there are 70 mountains, no
pronounced fall line, no broken sea
coast. or any of the other surface
marks which usually indicate dyna-
mic activity within the earth.
The New Madrid disaster like
wise differs from all other earth
auakes in the peculiar phenomena
which accompanied it. The shock.
which occurred at o'clock at
n;ebt was accompanied by a terri
fc subterranean rumbling and fol-
lowed by the filing OF the air with
a sulphurous vapor. The shocks
continued steadily from December
16. 1911. until March is. 1917.
There were 1,S74 distinct shocks,
and eight of them were of the first
intensity. The sulphurous rapor be-
came so intense that the air had a
blush tinge and it was dark as t"i-
light. @AS
The Mississippi river actually re-
yersed its current for several min
utes during one Of the shocks. At
another time 1t is described as reced-
ing from it's banks and gathering
into mountains of water. leaving the
boats high and dry The surface OF
the earth was raised into great
undulation which cracked at
the top and spcuted sand and
water forty and fifty feet into the
air; while at other places q thin,
black mud bubbled out of the earth
and covered it 10 4 depth OF several
feet The sunk country and the
sand slew district of lower Mis-
sissippi were coated by this earth
quake.
Another historic American earth
quake is the Charleston shock OF
1885. 1t occurred about 10 o'clock
at night. Just as most of the inhabi-
tants of that peaceful city were
about 10 retire II was preceded by
the usual rumbliag and consisted
in a series OF severe shocks l@e Ing
half a minute. The most peculiar
thing about this quake was that it
had just enough force TO snake cow
chinreys. but not enough TO gener-
alIy affect the walls or roofs OF
houses.
some fourteen thousand OF Char
ieston's chimneys went down with
a crash in half minute. filing the
air with powdered mortar and BRICK
The Charleston quake is strik-
ing example of the fact that re-
sion where no shocks have oeen re
corded for centuries may, neVerthe-
less. be subject TO them, for there
was absolutely no record of shock
in the Charleston region at an
IN addition 20 the areas mention
ed the great basin country Of the
United states just east of he ROCKY
Mountains. is known to be an earth
quake province. but owing 70 ITS
Inn nerfactly reported and the danger
area is no: accurately mapped. In
this. and in all of the other earth
Quake areas of the United States. a
shock OF destructive violence may
occur at any time.