“Earthquake”

Date

4-17-1812

Newspaper

Western Intelligencer

Page and Column

Page 4, Column 1

Newspaper Location

Worthington, Ohio

Serial Number

1210

Abstract

William L. Pierce article with commentary from the Cincinnati Liberty Hall in which the editor describes him as a gentleman of respectability.

Transcript

EARTHQUAKE. A late New-York Evening Post contains a letter from William L. Pirce, a gentleman of respectability, who was on a tour from the eastward to New-Orleans, which gives a more particular and satisfactory account of the Earthquake and the effects on the Mississippi, than any yet published. The letter being very long we can only insert such parts as are most interesting. At the time of the first shocks (Dec. 16) the boat in which he was a passenger had landed on the left bank of the Mississippi about 126 miles from the mouth of Ohio. After stating the alarm, occasioned by the violence of the shocks which occurred in the night, he says--Edit. Lib. Hall. At the dawn of day I went on shore to examine the effects of the shocks; the earth about 20 feet from the water's edge was deeply cracked, but no visible injury of moment had been sustained; fearing, however, to remain longer where we were, it was thought most advisible to leave our landings as expeditiously as possible; this was immediately done-at a few rods distance from the shore, we experienced a fifth shock more severe than either of the preceding. I had expected this from the lowering appearances of weather; it was indeed most providential that we had started, for such was strength of the last shock that the bank to which we were (but a few moments since) attached, was rent and fell into the river, whilst the trees rushed from the forests, precipitating themselves into the water with force sufficient to have dashed us into a thousand atoms. It was not light and we had an opportunity of beholding in full extent all the horrors of our situation. During the four first shocks, tremendous and uninterrupted explosions, resembling a discharge of artilery, was heard from the opposite shore, at that time I imputed them to the falling of the river banks.-This fifth shock explained the real cause. Wherever the earthquake ran, there was a volcanic discharge of combustible matter to great heights, an incessant rumbling was heard below, and the bed of the river was excessively agitated, whilst the water assumed a turbid and boiling appearance-near our boat a spout of confined air breaking its way through the waters, burst forth, and with a loud report discharged mudsticks, &c. from the river's bed, at least 30 feet above the surface. These spoutings were frequent, and in many places appeared to rise to the very heavens. Large trees which had lain for ages at the bottom of the river were shot up in thousands of instances, some with their roots upper-most and their tops planted, others were hurled into the air; many again were only loosened, and floated upon the surface. Never was a scene more replete with terrific threatenings of death; with the most lively sense of this awful crisis, we contemplated in mute astonishment a scene which completely beggars description , and of which the most glowing imagination is inadequate to form a picture. Here the earth, river, &c. torn with furious convulsions, opened in huge trenches, whose deep jaws were instaneously closed; there through a thousand vents sulphureous streams gushed from its very bowels, leaving vast and almost unfathomable caverns. Every where nature itself seemed tottering on the verge of dissolution. Encompassed with the most alarming dangers the manly presence of mind and heroic fortitude of the men were all that saved them. It was a struggle for existence itself, and the need to be purchased was our lives. During the day there was with very little intermission, continued series of shocks, attended with innumerable explosions, like the rolling of thunder; the bed of the river was incessantly disturbed, and the water boiled severely in every part. I consider ourselves as having been in the greatest danger from the numerous instances of boiling directly under our boat; fortunately for us, however, they were not attended with eruptions-One of the sprouts which we had seen rising under the boat would inevitable have sunk it, and probably have blown it into a thousand fragments; our ears were constantly assailed with crushing of timber, the banks were instantaneously crushed down, and fell with all their growth into the water. It was no less astonishing than alarming to behold the oldest trees of the forest, whose firm roots had withstood a thousand storms, and weathered the sternest tempests, quivering and shaking with the violence of the shocks, whilst their heads were shipped together with a quick & rapid motion; many were torn from their native soil, and hurled with tremendous force into the river; one of those whose huge trunk (at least three feet in diameter) had been much shattered, was thrown better than a hundred yards from the bank, where it is planted in the bed of the river, there to stand a terror to future navigators. Anxious to obtain landing, and dreading the high banks, we made for an island which evidenced sensible marks of the earthquake; here we listened to some willows, at the extremity of the sunken piece of land, and continued two days, hoping that this scene of horrors was now over-still, however, the shocks continued, though not with the like frequency as before. On Wednesday in the afternoon I visited very part of the island where we lay, it was extensive and partially covered with willow. The earthquake had rent the ground in large and numerous gaps, vast quantities of burnt wood in every stage of alteration, from its primitive nature to stove coal had been spread over the ground to very considerable distances; frightful and hideous caverns yawned on every side, and the earth's bowels appeared to have felt the tremendous force of the shocks which had thus risen the surface. I was gratified with seeing several places where those spouts which had so much attracted our wonder and admiration had arisen, they were generally on the beach, and have left large circular holes in the sand formed much like a funnel. For a great distance around the orifice vast quantities of coal have been scattered, many pieces weighing from 15 to 20 lbs. were discharged 160 measured paces. There holes were of various dimensions, one of them I observed most particularly, it was 16 feet in perpendicular depth and 63 feet in circumference at the mouth. On Thursday morning the 19 h, we loosed our cables, with hearts filled with fervent gratitude to Providence, whose protection had supported us through the perils to which we had been exposed. As we descended the river every thing was a scene of ruin and devastation, where, a short time since, the Mississippi rolled its waters in calm and placid current, now, subterranean forests have been ushered into existence and raise their heads hard and black as ebony, above the surface of the water, whose power has been so wonderfully increased, that strength and skill are equally baffled. Our boat was borne down by an irresistable impulse, and fortunately escaped uninjured. We passed thousands of acres of land which had been cleft from the main shore and tumbled into the water, leaving their growth, waving above the surface. In many places, single trees and whole brakes of cane had slipped into the river. A single instance of this kind peculiarly attracted my observation; a large sycamore had slipped from its station on the bank and had so admirably preserved its equilibrium that it has been left standing erect in the water, immersed about ten feet, and has every appearance of having originally grown there. The obstructions in the river, which have always been quite numerous, are now so considerably encreased as to demand the utmost prudence and caution from subsequent navigators, indeed I am very apprehensive that it will be almost impassable in flood water, for until such time, it will be impossible to say where the currents will hereafter run, what portion (if any) of the present embarrassments will be destroyed, and what new sand bars, &c. may yet be caused by this portentous phenomenon. Many poor fellows are undoubtedly wrecked, or buried under the ruin of the banks. Of the loss of four boats I am certain. It is almost impossible to trace at present the exact course of this earthquake or where the greatest injuries have happened. From numerous inquiries, however, which I have made of persons above and below us at the time of the first shock, I am induced to believe, that we were very nearly in the height of it; the ruin immediately in the vicinity of the river, is most extensive on the right side in descending. For the first two days the veins appeared to run a due course from W. to E. afterwards they became more variable, and generally took a N. W. direction. A little below Bayou River, 150 miles from the mouth of Ohio, & 13 miles from the spot where we lay, the ruin begins extensive and general. At Long Reach, 146 miles, there is one continued forest of roots and trees which have been ejected from the bed of the river. At and near Flour Island, 174 miles, the destruction has been very great, and the impediments in the river much increased. At the Devil's Race Ground, 193 miles, an immense number of very large trees have been thrown up, and the river is nearly impassible. The Devil's Elbow, 214 miles, is in the same predicament, below this, the ruin is much less, and, indeed, no material traces of the earthquake are discoverable. It is a circumstance well worthy of remark, that during the late convulsions the current of the river was almost instantaneously and rapidly increased. In times of the highest floods it rates at from 4 to 5 knots per hour. The water is now, low, and when we stopped on the 16th inst. at half after 4 P. M. we had then run from that morning 52 miles rating at 6 knots generally. This current was increased for two day, and then fell to its usual force. It is also singular that the water has fallen with astonishing rapidity. The most probable and easy solution of this fact; which presented itself to my mind was, that the strength of the Mississippi current was greater than the tributary streams could support. It is a singular, but well authenticated fact, that in several places on the Mississippi, where the shocks were most severe, the earth was rent (as it were) by two distinct processes. By one it was burst asunder, and instantaneously closed leaving no traces whatever of the shocks by the other it was rent, and an electric flash ran along the surface, tearing the earth to pieces in its progress. These last were generally attended with an explosion, and streams of matter, in a liquid state, gushed from the gaps which were left open when the shocks subsided, and were in many instances, of an immense depth.

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