I02 STEPHEN TABER 



Port de Paix, Fort Liberte and Santiago de los Caballeros, all of 

 which were destroyed with the loss of several thousands of lives. 

 At Cap Haitien waves dashed against buildings along the quay; 

 at Port de Paix the sea withdrew 60 m. and, upon returning, buried 

 the city under 4 or 5 m. of water. The bed of the Yaqui River is 

 said to have been suddenly elevated, driving its waters both up 

 and down stream. The shock was severe at Santiago de Cuba and 

 was felt throughout the length of the Sierra Maestra, The dis- 

 tribution of intensities and the phenomena of the sea-wave indicate 

 that the earthquake was caused by a vertical displacement along a 

 fault passing between Tortuga Island and St. Nicholas Peninsula. 



The earthquake of December 29, 1897, seems to have originated 

 in the central part of the Yaqui Valley, the intensity being greatest 

 between Guyaubin and Santiago and at Altamira. At Guyaubin 

 and Santiago great cracks were formed and subsidence of the ground 

 was reported. 



Scherer correlates the disastrous earthquake of September 23, 

 1887, with the great northern valley, but the writer thinks that it 

 was caused by a vertical displacement along a fault near the east 

 end of the Bartlett Trough, a short distance south or southwest 

 of Mole St. Nicolas. The destruction was greatest at Mole St. 

 Nicolas, nearly all of the houses being thrown down. Buildings 

 were also damaged or destroyed at Cap Haitien, Port de Paix, 

 Gonaives, and other places. A sea-wave followed the earthquake 

 and was reported from points along the shores of Gonaive Gulf 

 as far as Anse d'Hainault on the end of the Tiburon Peninsula; 

 at Jeremie on the north coast of the Tiburon Peninsula the sea 

 withdrew 20 m. and returned with a rush. Along the north coast 

 of the St. Nicholas Peninsula, however, the wave seems to have 

 been of no importance. The shape of the St. Nicholas Peninsula 

 suggests that both its north and its south coasts may have been 

 determined by faulting. 



Three other Haitian earthquakes of moderately high intensity 

 cannot be correlated with either of the great fault valleys. One 

 originated in the eastern part of the island in 1882 and damaged 

 the churches at Seybo and Higuey; another, which occurred 

 October 6, 191 1, was of highest intensity in the central part of the 



