“Earthquakes”

Date

2-12-1812

Newspaper

Virginia Herald

Page and Column

Page 3, Column 4

Newspaper Location

Fredricksburg, Virginia

Serial Number

1101

Abstract

Felt report for Louisville , Kentucky for the December 16, 1811 and the January 23, 1812 earthquake. Details bells ringing, chimney damage. Notes slight quakes every day between December 16, 1811 and January 23, 1812. Very detailed felt report. Time of the December 16, 1811 earthquake was 2:30 am (local time and the January 23, 1812 one was 9:30 am(local time) duration of the January 23, 1812 earthquake was 2:30 minutes.

Transcript

EARTHQUAKES-Extract of a letter from a respectable gentleman at Louisville, Kentucky, to his friend in Baltimore, dated Jan. 25, 1812. "In your letter of the 7th instant, you requested information relative to the Earthquake at this place. The first shock came on about half past 2 o'clock Monday morning the 16th Dec. which was very severe indeed, it shook off 3 or 4 strong brick chimnies. About 7, sunrise (same morning) another very considerable one was felt, but less severe than the first-Since then we have had frequent slight shocks, every day or two, until Thursday the 23d inst. when we had another very severe shock, it came on in the morning about nine o'clock. we do not think it as severe as the first, though several think it fully as severe; it shook off several very strong brick chimneys, stopped all the clocks in town it lasted about 2 1-2 minutes, it set several bells to ringing. We are confident the earth has not been still for twenty hours together since the first shock of the 16th December. A person of considerable observation here says there has been a constant trembling or motion of the earth since the first shock; last night two chocks were felt very perceptible. As this has been the first Earthquake ever felt in this place it has caused a very considerable alarm among the ladies, and when there will be an end to it God only knows."

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