“EARTHQUAKE OF THE 7TH ULT.”

Creator

Vertner.

Date

1-29-1812

Newspaper

Reporter

Page and Column

Page 3, Column 2

Newspaper Location

Lexington, Kentucky

Serial Number

277

Abstract

Eyewitness account of the February 7, 1812 earthquake at New Madrid. From a Mr. Vertner who was on a boat at the time near New Madrid.

Transcript

EARTHQUAKE OF THE SEVENTH ULT. Several persons passed through Lexington on the 27th inst. who were near New Madrid on the 7th ult.-One of the gentlemen (Mr. Vertner) states, that the Earthquake which occurred during the night of the 7th; occasioned his barge, with 600 barrels of flour, besides other articles, to sink, and the whole was lost; another gentleman whose name is not recollected, stated, that during the convulsion the bank of the river just below New Madrid caved in, and let loose his boat; about the same time there was a back current in the river which drove the boat several miles up a small bayou, and during the convulsion, the motion of the boat was so violent as to stave many of the barrels of flour in the boat.-The quaking continued three days, when this gentleman thinking it prudent not to go further, left his property and returned. Both the gentlemen state that some obstruction had presented itself in the river something like a rapids or falls, which greatly endanger the navigation-Also, that the buildings in New Madrid are greatly damaged-Much of the land round about was under water, and the few remaining inhabitants were encamped out-That the land in innumerable places is opened in large fissures-and the inhabitants of the town of New Madrid entertain the opinion that the ground on which the town stood had sunk about fifteen feet-a few moments after the the first violent shock, it rose about ten feet. They heard of many boats being lost; and that the land where the town of Little Prairie stands, is sixteen feet under water. In addition to the above we have been favoured with the perusal of several letters from near New Madrid, of the date of Feb. 21, which confirms the whole of the above particulars. Those letters can be depended on-they state the number of boats lost of which accounts are already received, to amount to 50-together with a number of lives. There is a certainty that a bar composed of stone coal, burnt-substance, &c. has been thrown up, directly under the bed of the river-Island No. 8, from the junction of the Ohio to the Mississippi is entirely sunk-indeed the effect already ascertained are terrible-the inundations are progressing through the low lands, and it would appear that there had not been yet any volcanic eruption sufficient to draw off the cause-The shocks are now running up the river and through what is called the American bottom

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