Year: 1874




A correspondent Of the Milwaukee


SeRttEet gives, under date Of April "A,
the following account of earthquake
shocks, which, he says, had been felt


for some days previous in the vieini-
" Of Wrightsville, Jackson county.


Wisconsin, q town on the West Wis.
consin Railroad, about eight miles
above Black River Falls: ttThe re-


ported shock was felt on Friday last;
again with greater force on Sunday


last; and several times since then


with greater or less force. Your cor


respondent on yesterday, in company


with Hon. c. &. Pope, DR.. Fl. B Cole
and four other gentlemen, took the


afternoon train and repaired to the
place to see for ourselves the truth


tulness or falsity of the statements


made. We arrived on the ground At
2 O'Clock, and repaired to the large
grist mill Of Messrs. J. w. Cole & Co.,
the place where the greatest shock


was felt on Friday and Sunday, and


more or less each day since. We
found intense excitement among the
people, and during our stay of three
hours we had several demonstrations
Of what they had before experienced
the past five days, but of q lighter
character. The mill Is . large four
Story building, built on q solid rock
foundation. On Friday and Sunday
this large structure shook and trem-
bled, and the water I'm the pond went
into commissions as though the very
foundation was giving out and COM
ing TO the surface. At-the same time
3 sound was heard IS the rumbling Of
thunder in the distance; only it ap-
peared to be under their feet. Had
this been confined to the mill and the
pond alone it might have been ac-
counted for by some action of the wa
ter underneath; but the same shock
was felt four miles from there by
Seth Putnam, q merchant of Merrill
lon, who also heard the sound-jump-
ing out of bed in the night In great
alarm, thinking the world was surely
coming to an end. But the greatest
demonstration was around or near
the mill, on the west side Of the
creek. In this direction the shock
was felt half mile from the mill, ut
the hotel. The rattllng of the win
dows and doors was plainly percepti-
ble, and the peculiar sound referred
to. No wind was stirring. 1 ques-
TONED several men in relation TO
these commOtiOns-hrst, George
Wright, an old citizen Of the place
and y very candid man. He inform
ed me that on Sunday night he felt 1t
first at his house. The fore part Of
Of the night the house seemed to
shake from its foundations; windows
and doors ratified, and continued to
do so at intervals during the night,
and on several occasions since. The
family OF Mr.. Wright are in nOVise
superstitious, but they were all fear
fully alarmed. The same demOnstra-
ton was felt at the residence OF Mr..
Martin, the miller, whose residence Is
a short distance from the mill. Your
correspondent then, in company with
g. g. Pope and two Others, visited the
house, q short distance from the mill
west on a higher shelf of land. This
house had been vacated. The demon
stration was so strong that the fAmi-
ly left 1t, declaring the house was
haunted. And here your correspond
ent and those with him experienced
q shock similar to the one that had
driven the family out Of the house.
The building trembled; windows and
doors ratified as though the whole
with the ground under
meath, was being lifted up by some
mysterious and unseen power.
While 1 stood there l remembered
many things / had read in relation to
spiritual manifestations and spirit
rapping. OF one thing we are all
convinced. There Is some mysteri-
Gus power at work in that house not
to be accounted for by any Of the
laws of nature; but what, we could
not say. We spent over an hour in
the mill and carefully watched to see
If we could account for the wonderful
phenomena. For q short time all was
perfectly still; then you would feel the
building begin to shake; the windows
rattle; one window would cease, and
in instant those in another part Of the
building would commence shaking,
and even the machinery. Doors
would fly open, no one being near
them, demonstrating to those present
that they were in the presence OF
some mysterious power. We return
ed home unable to account for the
presence Of the power manifested.
We saw and felt, but cannot in any
way account for what we saw and felt.
Quite a number Of our people have
gone up to-day to Investigate further.
The Postmaster of Wrightsville Is Of
the Advent persuasion, and declares
it to be a real earthquake, and q
warning to the people to prepare to
ascend in July next"