jg WILLIAM T. BRIGHAM 



gave the following account of them." " The awful noises of which Mr. Hosmer gave an 

 account in his historical minutes, continue to the present time. The effects they produce 

 are various as the intermediate degrees between the roar of a cannon and the noise of a 

 pistol. The concussions of the earth, made at the same time, are as much diversified as 

 the sounds in the air. The shock they give to a dwelling house, is the same as the falling 

 of loo's on the floor. The smaller shocks produced no emotions of terror or fear in the 

 minds of the inhabitants. They are spoken of as usual occurrences, and are called 

 ' Moodus noises.' But when they are so violent as to be heard in the adjacent towns, 

 they are called earthquakes. During my residence here, which has been almost thirty-six 

 years, I have invariably oltserved, after some of the most violent of these shocks, that an 

 account has been publislied in the newspapers of a small shock of an earthquake at New 

 London and Hartford. Nor do I believe, in all that period, there has been an account pub- 

 lished of an earthquake in Connecticut, which was not far more violent here than in any 

 other place." Although these noises still continue, as will be seen by the list, yet they are 

 now infrequent. No explanation of their usually local character has been given, and the 

 Moodus Hill, or Mount Tom, seems never to have been accurately described by any one 

 acquainted with volcanic formations. It will be noticed, however, that the geological 

 structure of this region is much disturbed. 



November 9, 1810, at 9'^ 15' P.M., at Exeter, New Hampshire, an earthquake 

 was felt whicli was accompanied by a very unusual noise. The account given by 

 Judge Samuel Tenney^ is quite clear and distinct. He was sitting by the fireside when 

 he heard a " very heavy and singular noise " directly under his feet ; this was immedi- 

 ately followed by a tremendous report in the atmosphere, which did not, however, shake 

 the house. " It was instantly succeeded by the sound usually attending an earthquake," 

 whatever this may be, " continuing with some little variation of intensity for some forty or 

 fifty seconds," and the vibrations which were felt at the same time were steady and not 

 violent. No damage was done, although animals were frightened. The explosion was 

 heard at Conway, seventy or eighty miles north of Exeter. The shock was most violent 

 between Haverhill and Portsmouth, and its course was northwest and southeast. It was 

 felt on the water, and a vessel running into Portsmouth harbor seemed to those on board 

 to strike bottom. Several persons in different towns who were awake, felt a second shock 

 towards morning. 



The Moniteur newspaper contains^ a letter from Boston, dated November 14, which 

 states the time at 9" 3' P.M. The shock at Portsmouth lasted one or two minutes; win- 

 dows were broken. At Kennebunk there were several shocks during twenty seconds. At 

 Portland the vibration was very slight ; the air was very calm until a moment before the 

 shock, wdien a violent wind arose suddenly. 



The earthquakes which shook the Valley of the Mississippi from December 10, 1811. to 



1813, were slightly felt to the east of the Alleghanies, and not at all in New Eugland ; but 



during the continuance of this series another of the local disturbances was felt at East 



Haddam, Connecticut. On February 9, 1812, at 9'' A.M., two slight rumblings 



were felt. The weather was clear. Jul;/ 5, at 8" A.M., another of the Haddam 



shocks. Atmosphere filled with mist and rain. 



'Memoirs Ainei-ican Academy, vol. iii, p. 346. ^Janvier 18, 1811. 



