Earthquake in Connecticut^ 6fc. 339 



"March 9th, 1794, at 2 o'clock, P. M. there were two, and a 

 third at 11 o'clock, P. M. The atmosphere was clear in the 

 morning, hazy and damp in the afternoon. 



"Two others were observed on the 11th of August, 1805, at 

 7 o'clock, P. M. Wind southwest in the forenoon, and a thunder 

 storm about 4 o'clock, P. M. 



"Another occurred on the 30th December, at 6 o'clock, A. M. 

 The atmosphere was moist. 



"There were two others on the 9th of February, 1812, at 9 

 o'clock in the forenoon. Weather was clear, and the wind south- 

 erly. 



" Another was observed on the 5th of July, at 8 o'clock in the 

 forenoon. The atmosphere was filled with rain and mist. 



" The last was on December 2Sth, 1813, at 4 o'clock in the 

 afternoon. The weather was damp, and thawed the snow fast. 



" This account has been several times interrupted by the ill 

 health of the gentleman who kept it. These periods have been 

 frequently of considerable length, and in all probability in these 

 intervals many of these occurrences were omitted. 



" The particular place where these explosions originate, has not 

 been ascertained. It appears to be near the northwest corner of 

 the town. It was near this place that Steele found his fossil. 

 The place where the ground was broken when the first one oc- 

 curred which I mentioned above, was about three and a half miles 

 from this place. There was no appearance of a deposit near 

 where the ground was broken, but it has been observed that this 

 place has been repeatedly struck with lightning. 



" The above is the amount of the information which I collected 

 on this subject. I am conscious of the insignificance of some of 

 it ; but these stories were blended with all the virtual information 

 which I could find. For this reason I have written them." 



The Haddam earthquakes were described more than a century 

 ago by the Rev. Mr. Hosmer, of Haddam, in a letter to Mr. 

 Prince, of Boston, dated Aug. 13, 1729, and recorded in Trum- 

 bull's History of Connecticut, (Vol. ii, p. 92,) from which the 

 following passages are extracted : they have the tinge of the 

 times, which only adds to their credibility. 



" As to the earthquakes," he observes, " I have something con- 

 siderable and awful to tell you. Earthquakes have been here, 

 (and no where but in this precinct, as can be discerned ; that is, 



