The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1915-05-14
e HAS KIN TER
The Earthquake Menace.
By Frederic ]. Haskin.

Boston, New Haven, New York, VIII
mingron- Trenton. Philadelphia. Ball
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 4
somewhat similar line. from which
minor shocks have been reported II
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
Element. a great number of light
shocks having been reported: while
the legend or its instability is car
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 1871, ana
Is generally know as the New Mad
rid earthquake. This earthquake
province OF the lower Mississippi -
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
quakes in the peculiar phenomena
which accompanied it. The shock.
which occurred at o'clock at
night, was accompanied by a terri
nc subterranean rumbling and fol-
lowed by the filing OF the air with
a sulphurous vapor. The shocks
continued steadily from December
I6. 1911. until March IS. 1872.
There were 1871 distinct shocks,
and eight of them We're OF the nrst
intensity The sulphurous rapor be-
came so intense that the air had
blush tinge and It was dark as tHI-
light. sSS
The Missi ssippf river actually re-
yersed its current for several min
utes during one Of the shocks At
another time it is described as reced-
ing from its banks and gathering
into mountains of water. leaving the
boats high and dry. The surface of
the earth was raised into great
undulations which cracked at
the top and spouted sand and
water forty and fifty feet into the
air; while at other places thin,
black mud bubblec out of the earth
and covered it 10 depth OF several
feet. The sunk country" and the
sand slew district" OF lower Mis-
sissippi were coated by this earth
Another historic American earth
quake is the Charleston shock Of
1856. It occurred about 10 O'CLOCK
at night. just as most of the lnhabi-
tants of that peaceful city We're
about TO retire. 1t was preceded by
the usual rumbiiag and consisted
in a series or severe shocks l@S mi.
half a minute. The most peculiar
thing about this quake was that it
had lust enough force to shake down
chimreys. but not enough TO gener-
alIy affect the walls or roofs OF
houses.
Some fourteen thousand OF Char
leston's chimneys went down with
a crash IN half minute, filing the
air with powdered mortar and brick
dust.
The Charleston quake is a strik-
ing example OF the fact that re-
gion where no shocks have been 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
earlier date.
IN addition 20 the areas mention
ed. the great basin country OF the
United states just east OF he Rocky
Mountains. is known 10 be an earth
quake province, but owing TO its
small population shocks have been
| imperfectly reported and the danger
area is not accurately mapped In
! this. and in al of the other earth
quake areas of the United States. a
/, shock of destructive violence may
occur at any time.