256 EARTHQUAKES IN NORTH CAROLINA, 



ain. We arrived about sunset at Mr. Elliott's, whose house is situated 

 in a dei)ression between Round and Stone Peaks, about a half mile from 

 the top of the latter. From Elliott's house, Eound Mountain bears north 

 37^ west, Stone Mountain south 73"^ west, and are about a half or three- 

 quarters of a mile distant from each other. This house being about the 

 center of the greatest agitation, and whence most of the exaggerated 

 rumors had their origin, we determined to remain all night, and I 

 kept watch until about two o'clock. ******* 

 The next morning I gathered from Mr. and Mrs. Elliott, in answer to 

 many inquiries, the following statement : " The first noise and shakes (as 

 the shocks are very expressively denominated by the mountain people) 

 were heard and felt on Tuesday, 10th February— some of them were 

 felt as far as White House, on Cove Creek, eight miles distant. Sunday 

 morning these sounds and shakes were repeated with increased severity, 

 one a little after sunrise, another at 10, and another at 2 o'clock in the 

 night ; noises continued, some with shakes, and some without, until 

 Thursday following, with intervals of about an hour or two. The 

 house — a stout log building — shook so violently that the children be- 

 came very much alarmed, all thinking it would fall. A ladder resting 

 upon a support in the yard rattled frequently, and the ground seemed 

 to tremble under their feet. The noise began like explosions of a quarry- 

 blast, in the northwest, and west off to the southeast, with a rumbling 

 sound under ground. The weather was quite variable, sometimes cloudy 

 and rainy, at other times clear and cool. The people about the mount- 

 ain were very much alarmed ; had preaching and prayer-meetings 

 daily for a week or more, and forty-five new members were added to 

 the Baptist church." 



About 9 o'clock in the morning of the 20th we began the exploration 

 of Stone Mountain. From the base to the summit it is covered with a 

 dark rich soil, about a foot deep, partly cleared and cultivated, but 

 mostly clothed with a growth of heavy timber, consisting of chestnut and 

 oak. The granite slates, about the thickness of flag-stones, scattered 

 over the surface, indicate that the formation does not differ from most 

 of the surrounding peaks. Near its highest point several large blocks 

 of coarse granite protrude through the soil to the height of about 10 feet 

 above the surface. Owing to the depth of the soil and the slight ex- 

 posure of the rocky formations, I could not ascertain the direction or 

 angle of the dip. Xo specimens were found which resembled what are 

 usually called volcanic rocks. The mountain appeared as calm and 

 peaceful as if it had never been disturbed since the morning of its up- 

 heaval. It presented no cavernous depths or rugged prominences to ex- 

 cite the fears of the dwellers, upon its slopes. A dozen or more of the 

 mountaineers had followed us everywhere in the exploration, and, 

 although much alarmed at the frequent agitations of this hitherto stable 

 mountain, yet they unanimously contradicted the many rumors of gap- 

 ing rocks, smoking peaks, sinking caverns, melting snows, &c., with 



