Year: 1874

Immediately after they had vomited
forth their sand and water, which, it
must be remarked, was the matter
generally thrown up. In some
places, however, there was q sub
stance somewhat resembling coal,
or impure stone-coal, thrown up with
the sand. 1t is impossible to say
what the depth of the assures or ir-
regular breaks were we have reason
TO believe that some of them were
very deep. The site of this town
was evidently settled down at least
fifteen feet, and not more than half
q mile below the town there does
not appear to be any alteration on
the bank of the river but back from
the river small distance, the nu-
merous large ponds or lakes, as they
are called, which covered a great
part of the country, were nearly
dried up. The beds of some of them
are elevated above their former
banks several feet. producing an al
teration of ten, fifteen to twenty
feet, from their original state, and
lately it has been discovered that a
lake was formed on the opposite side
of the Mississippi, in the Indian
country, upwards of one hundred
miles in length, and from one to six
miles in width, of the depth of. from
ten to fifty feet. 1t has communi-
cation with the river at both ends.
and it is conjectured that it will not
be many years before the principal
part, if not the whole of the Missis-
sippi will pass that way.


1--WE were constrained, by the
fear of our houses falling, TO live
| twelve or eighteen months, after
the first shocks, i'm little light camps
made of boards; but we gradually
became callous and returned to our
houses again. Most of those who
fed from the country in the time of
the hard shocks have since returned
home. We have felt since their
commencement in 1911, and still
continue to feel slight shocks occa-
sionally- 1t is seldom indeed that
we are more than q week without
| feeling one, and some time three or
four in day. There were two this
winter past much harder than we
have felt them for two years before !;
but since then they seem to be light
er than they have ever been, and we
begin to hope that ere long they will
entirely cease.


Il have now, sir, finished my
promised description of the earth
quake : imperfect, it is true, but just
as it occurred to my memory; many
Of and most of the truly awful
scenes having occurred three or four
years ago. They of course are not
related with that precision which
would entitle it to the character OF
a full and correct picture. But such
as it is it is given with pleasure-in
the full confidence that it is given to
a friend. and now sir, wishing you
all good. must bid you adieu.


Your humble friend,


ELIZA BRYAN.


THE REV. LORENZO Dow


"There is one circumstance which
[ think worthy of remark. This
country was formerly subject to very
hard thunder; but for more than 9
twelve month before the commence
ment of the earthquake, there was
none at all, and but very little since,
a great part of which resembles sub
terranean thunder. The shocks still
continue, but are growing more light
and less frequent. Z. b.
|. The great interest which our peo
pie are feeling in The subject of vol
canic disturbances, now that they
have come to our own doors, as il
were. is a sufficient apology for the
space we surrender to this letter to
day. Perhaps the duration of the
disturbances of the earth, by these
volcanic forces at New Madrid, (noW
Indianal and under the bed of the
Father of Waters" would suggest
to our neighbors across the North
Carolina border, to be prepared fol
a long continuance of the terrible
subterranean noises and quaking OF
the earth that they have been exper,
fencing since February last.


Another suggestion before we dis.
miss the subject for the present: AS
the same disturbances which are de.
scribed in the letter to Lorenzo Dow,
had their counterpart at that time in
the Bald mountain region of North
Carolina las see statement of Hon
Mr.. Clingman, M. c., of that State,
just published by New York inter.
viewer) may we not anticipate an
extension of the present subterra
mean disturbances Westward? The
scientific enquirer might also con.
slider the phenomenon referred TO in
Mrs. Bryan's letter to Dow as to the
cessation of ordinary electric phe.
nomena in the region of the volcanic
disturbances on the Mississippi in
1811-16, in connection with the
present volcanic disturbances in the
Bald mountain, and perhaps be en-,
abled TO discover another clue to the
origin of earthquakes, or at least one
of the premonitory symptoms in vol
eanic regions of country.





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