300 



EARTHQUAKES. 



he felt in November, 1812, and shortly after 

 that date. It is interesting to speculate what 

 would have been the result had there been, in 

 the regions most affected by these earthquakes, 

 houses of stone or brick. The log-houses 

 were well calculated to withstand injury, and 

 it may be said that the principal relic of the 

 earthquake exists to-day in that vast tract of 

 country south of New Madrid, known as ' k The 

 sunk country." 



No special record was kept of the earth- 

 quakes that followed the disturbances of 

 1811-'12 until Mr. Kockwood, in 1872, pub- 

 lished his notes in the *' American Journal of 

 Science and Arts." A list of the earthquake- 

 shocks in the interim has, however, been col- 

 lected from the newspapers. 



On Feb. 15, 1815, two smart shocks were 

 felt at Weston, Mass. Many of the inhabitants 

 were greatly alarmed, for the shocks came at 

 night, and the next day fissures or cracks were 

 discovered in the earth, extending to a great 

 distance and branching in various directions. 



On Sept. 14, 1816, two considerable shocks 

 were felt at New Madrid, Mo. On Nov. 9 

 of the same year two shocks 'were experienced 

 at Pittsfield, Mass. Smart shocks were felt in 

 all the towns in the upper part of South Car- 

 olina and Georgia about 11 P. M., Dec. 10, 

 1817. Shocks were felt in Alabama on Aug. 

 22. 1824; in the Mississippi Valley, May 7, 

 1836, Jan. 30, 1840, and June 2, 1840; in 

 Connecticut, Aug. 9, 1840; in New Jersey, 

 Aug. 12, 1843 ; in Washington and Baltimore, 

 Feb. 8, 1843 ; in South Carolina and the val- 

 leys of the Mississippi and Ohio, Jan. 4, 1843 ; 

 in Massachusetts, Nov. 24, 1843 ; in the Missis- 

 sippi valley, Aug. 18, 1843 ; in New Jersey, 

 Jan. 28, 1844; in New York, Oct. 22, 1844; 

 in Tennessee, Dec. 25, 1845 ; in New York, 

 Oct. 26, 1845, and Feb. 4, 1846; in New Eng- 

 land, Aug. 25, 1846, and June 8, 1847; and in 

 New York and New England, Sept. 8, 1848. 

 None of these were so violent as to do serious 

 damage ; but the list shows that the crust of 

 the earth has seldom been quiet for any con- 

 siderable length of time. 



The Pacitic coast, ever since its settlement, 

 has been subject to violent seismic disturb- 

 ances. Three recent earthquakes in 1865, 

 1868, and 1872 were specially destructive of 

 property and life. 



The Charleston Earthquake. On the night of 

 Aug. 31, 1886, an earthquake-shock was felt 

 over a wide extent of country, was especially 

 severe in South Carolina, and wrought such 

 havoc in the city of Charleston that it is 

 known as the Charleston earthquake. The 

 following are the times (in hours, minutes, 

 and seconds) at which it was felt in various lo- 

 calities: Charleston, S. C., 9.51: Washington, 

 D. 0., 9.53.30; Baltimore, Md., 9.54; New 

 York, 9.54 ; New Haven, Conn., 9.55.30 ; To- 

 ronto, Can., 9.55; Newport, Ky., 9.54.15; 

 Portsmouth, Ohio, 9.55.57; Dubuque, Iowa, 

 9.58 ; Jacksonville, Fla., 9.54. It is impossible 



to give an exact account of the damage done 

 by this earthquake in Charleston. It has been 

 estimated that the loss in buildings that were 

 shaken down or rendered unsafe will amount 



RUINED GABLE, IN CHARLESTON. 



to more than $5,000,000. Appeals for aid 

 were made, and every large city responded. 

 Many persons were killed by objects thrown 

 down by the shock; but many more died from 

 the exposure that followed, for the people 



CHIMNEY DISPLACED BY TORSION, IN CHARLESTON. 



were so frightened, and in many instances the 

 buildings were so unsafe, that the inhabitants 

 camped out in the public porks and other open 

 spaces for several days. The alarm was per- 

 petuated by the continuance of the shocks, 



