“Destruction by Earthquakes”

Date

2-13-1812

Newspaper

Louisiana Gazette

Page and Column

Page 3, Column 1

Newspaper Location

St. Louis, Missouri

Serial Number

290

Abstract

List of worldwide earthquakes and their casualties from ancient times until the New Madrid quakes. Also a brief mention of ancient volcanic activity in the Louisiana area from the as seen in the local rock formations.

Transcript

Destruction by Earthquakes. A. D. 1658. In Calabria, an Italian island, several towns and villages were destroyed. 1693. Cicily, another island of Italy had several towns &c injured. 1692 Port Royal, in Jamaica was destroyed with several neighboring plantations. 1700. Peru, in S. America, to the extent of 300 leagues long and 30 wide, was laid in ruins. 1725. Palermo in Sicily, nearly destroyed with 600 of the inhabitants. 1732. Four provinces in China were swallowed up. 1739. Nearly the whole kingdom of Chili, together with its capital, St. Jargo, was swallowed up. 1745. The city of Constantinople, in Turkey was nearly destroyed, with 5000 of its inhabitants. 1746. Calso, in Peru, was destroyed, when all the inhabitants perished except one man, who was within reach of a boat. Same year the city of Lima, in South America was entirely destroyed with 5000 of its inhabitants. 1754. Grand Cairo, in Egypt was visited by an earthquake which destroyed two thirds of the city; and 40,000 of its inhabitants were swallowed up. 1755. Lisbon the capital of Portugal was nearly destroyed with 30,000 of its inhabitants, the shake lasted nearly eight minutes. This terrible earthquake extended no less than 500 miles; and at the Asores islands, 10,000 people were buried by it. 1757. Marunico, in the West Indies, 1600 people were destroyed. 1757. Damas, in Barbary, was nearly destroyed, when 60,600 inhabitants perished. Same year Truxillo in South America was swallowed by an earthquake. 1773. Guatimala, in South America, was entirely swallowed up and many thousand people perished. About the same time, [unreadable] in Persia. Had 15,000 houses thrown down and a great part of the inhabitants perished. 1780. Missini in Italy was much injured by an earthquake. 1783. Calabria, in Italy, was destroyed, and 30,000 people lost their lives. 1785. Ardschinschain, in Turkey was destroyed and 12,000 of the inhabitants buried in its ruins. 1790. Comet in Perthshire, Scotland, was slightly agitated. 1791. Cuba was visited by an earthquake this year, by which part of the island and 600 persons were destroyed. 1797. On the 4th of February, Peru, in South America, lost five towns by the shock of a neighboring mountain which was thrown to pieces, several other towns and villages were thrown down and upwards of 16,000 of the inhabitants destroyed. As we are on this subject, we may embrace the opportunity of noticing the number of Volcanoes which has been mentioned by travelers. In Europe there are four of considerable magnitude, viz. Vesuvios. Etna, Hecla & Stromboli, with a number of [unreadable]. In Asia, there are twenty, viz. Mount Tauris, Kamptschaika has five, the isles of Japan ten, island of Cerion one, Sumatra four, with several others in the Asiatic continent or islands. Africa and its islands have, it is said upwards of twenty. America has a number on that many of mountains called the Andes or Cordilleras. In the Chilian provinces there are thirteen now backing, and the appearances of perhaps one hundred more that have once existed and are now extinguished. The hills which approach the Missouri have in many places the appearance of volcanic matter, lumps of pumice of a dull red colour, are frequently picked up as low down as Camp Belle Fontaine; it is light, but in consequence of attrition in the sandy and rapid course of the river, it is [unreadable] combed as the Italian pumice.

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