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THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



A few descriptions of the earthquake by eye-witnesses are 

 still extant. "We take the two following, which may be of inter- 

 est, from the Philosophical Transactions, vols, xvii, xviii, 1694: 



1. " This part of Port Royal which is now standing, is said to 

 stand upon a rock. ... It seems strange that the force of the 

 earthquake did not dissipate and dissolve the very foundation of 

 it, and that it did not fall to pieces and scatter under the water, 

 as the rest of the place did ; for the shock was so violent that it 

 threw people down on their knees, and sometimes on their face, 

 as they run along the street to provide for their safety ; and it 

 was a very difficult matter to keep one's legs. The ground heaved 

 and swelled like a rolling, swelling sea ('tis a strange comparison, 

 but everybody here using it, I venture to do so likewise), by which 

 means several houses now standing were shuffled and moved some 



Ak Exact Plan of the Towk of Pobt Eoyal before the Earthquake in 1692 ; the past 

 within the dotted line being all that was left after the shock. 



A, Fort James ; B, Fort Carlisle ; C, Fort Eupert ; D, Fort Charles : E, Walker's Lines ; F, 

 Morgan's Lines ; G, White's Lines ; H, Church Lines ; I, King's House ; K, School ; L, 

 New Dockyard ; M. Storehouse. 1, Thames Street ; 2, Queen's Street; 3, High Street ; 

 4, Broad Street ; 5, New Street ; 6, Cannon Street ; 7, York Street ; 8, Tower Street ; 9, 

 Church Street ; 10, Parade ; 11, Lime Street ; 12, Fisher's Street, 



yards from their places. One whole street (a great many houses 

 whereof are now standing) is said to be twice as broad now as be- 

 fore the earthquake ; and in many places the ground would crackle 

 and open, and shut quick and fast : of which small openings I 

 have heard Major Kelly and. others say they have seen two or 

 three hundred at one time, in some whereof many people were 

 swallowed up ; some the earth caught by the middle and squeezed 

 to death ; the heads of others only appeared above ground ; some 

 were swallowed quite down, and cast up again by great quan- 

 tities of water; others went down and were never more seen. 

 These were the smallest openings ; others that were more large, 

 swallowed up great houses ; and out of some gapings would issue 

 whole rivers of water, spouted up a great height into the air. 



