“The Earthquakes”

Date

2-22-1812

Newspaper

The Supporter

Page and Column

Page 2, Column 1 and 2

Newspaper Location

Chillicothe, Ohio

Serial Number

569

Abstract

Long synopsis report on the effect of the New Madrid earthquakes from all sources. Good thoughtful analysis.

Transcript

THE EARTHQUAKES. These phenomenons have been so generally felt, & the accounts given in the different papers are so numerous, that it is impossible for us to publish them at length, unless to the total exclusion of other matter; but as the public anxiety is considerably awakened, we have endeavored to collect, for the satisfaction of our readers, the most important observations of its effects. It appears to have been felt no farther to the N. E. than the state of New York, and thee slightly, causing a fairness and giddiness in the head.-Sensations of this kind are represented to have been felt in Maryland and Virginia, where the concussions were less violent than here. The shocks appear to have been felt an hour earlier in this state, than at Washington city or Charleston, (S. C.) and still earlier westward. At Pittsburg, the inhabitants are said to have been much terrified, and flashes of light were seen to the south west. The shock on the 24th of January was very severe at Charleston-considerable damage was done to the houses, pavement, &c.-But as we proceed westward the effects have been truly alarming. A Natchez paper states, that great injury has been done to the settlements on the Ohio and Mississippi by throwing down houses, chimnies, &c. and that in one or two instances, islands in the Mississippi, of considerable magnitude, have been sunk or destroyed; that the banks of the river on both sides have fell in to a prodigious extent; and at one place about 300 acres are said to have caved in of a solid body. The western side of the Mississippi seems to have been most affected. A number of flat bottomed boats have been destroyed; but the crews generally saved themselves.-Several letters confirm the account of the rising of the trees that were imbedded in the mud in the bottom of the river, which has rendered the navigation extremely difficult. It is stated by some hunters near the Bayou river, that the ground was cracked into innumerable fissures, and large quantities of water issuing out of them. The lakes which lie in the valley of the Mississippi are said to be discharging large quantities of water into the river.-At New Orleans the shock was slightly felt; but at New Madrid it was awful, the motion of The earth being represented at 12 inches to and fro. The shocks were frequent, and at the commencement the atmosphere was clear an serene, but soon became dark, with a vapour of a disagreeable smell which produced a difficulty of respiration. Several lives were lost, and others became so terrified that they run off and have never been heard of since. The following is an extract from an account published in a Nashville paper, given by a Mr. James Fletcher who was at the Little Prairie at the time of the first shocks:--'Previous to my leaving the country, I heard that many parts of the Mississippi river had caved in; but the most extraordinary effect I saw, was a small lake below the river St. Francis, the bottom of which is blown up higher than any of the adjoining country, and instead of water is filled with a beautiful white sand. The same effect is produced on many other lakes as I am informed by those who saw them; and it is supposed they are generally filled up. A little river called Pemisco, that empties into the St. Francis, and runs parallel with the Mississippi, at the distance of 12 miles from it, is filled also with sand. I only saw it near its head, where I found it to be so, and was informed by respectable gentlemen who had seen it lower down, that it positively was filled with sand. On the sand that was thrown out of the lakes and river lie numerous quantities of fish of all kinds common to the country. The damage to the stock, &c. was unknown. I heard of only two dwelling houses, a granary, and smoke house being sunk. One of the dwelling houses was sunk twelve feet below the surface of the earth; the other the top was even with the surface. The granary and smoke house were entirely out of sight; we suppose sunk and the earth closed over them.' The following is an extract of a letter from a gentleman in New Madrid to his friend in Lexington:--'At the Little Prairie the scene has been dreadful indeed-the face of the country is entirely changed. Large lakes have been raised and become dry land, and many fields have been converted into pools of water.-Capt. George Raddell, a worthy and respectable old gentleman, and who has been the father of that neighborhood, made good his retreat to this place with about 200 souls. He informs me that no material injury was sustained from the first shocks-when the 10th shock occurred, he was standing in his own door situated on the banks of the Bayou of the Big Lake; the bank gave way and sunk down about 80 yards from the water's edge, and as far as he could see up and down the stream. It upset his mill and one end of his dwelling house sunk considerably; the surface on the opposite side of the bayou, which before was swamp became dry land; the side he was on became lower. His family at this time were running away from the house towards the woods; a large crack in the ground prevented their retreat to the open field.-They had just assembled together when the eleventh shock came on, after which there was not perhaps a square acre of ground unbroken in the neighborhood, & in about 15 minutes after this shock, the water rose round them waist deep. The old gentleman in leading his family, endeavouring to find higher land, would sometimes be precipitated headlong into one of those cracks in the earth, which were concealed from the eye by the muddy water through which they were wading. As they proceeded, the earth continued to burst open, and mud, water, sand & stone coal were thrown up to the distance of 30 yards. Frequently trees of a large size were split open 15 or 20 feet up. After wading eight miles he came to dry land. Several Indians were swallowed up. One who escaped says he was taken into the ground the depth of two trees length; that the water came under him and threw him out again-he had to wade and swim 4 miles before he reached dry land.' Several gentlemen who arrived at Natchez, from the Chickasaw Bluffs, on the Mississippi, inform that the damage sustained at that place is immense. Previous to their leaving it, seven Indians came in who had been out as far as the Rocky mountains in the Northwest, in the pursuit of game. Those Indians who are known and can be relied on, are said to have stated, that when they left their camps, the mountains appeared to be tumbling to pieces-large trees were snapped off at their roots, and dashed together in the greatest disorder-rocks as large as houses were thrown into the vallies from the tops of the mountains-in many places the earth seemed to be much heated, and in every direction were to be seen evident signs of volcanic eruptions. The Indians rode day and night; believing from the convulsive shocks which they felt, that a general destruction was about to ensue, and determined to parish with their relatives amidst the material wreck. An extract of a letter from Z. Cramer. to a gentleman in Pittsburg, dated Natchez, Dec. 31, 1811, says-'The Steam Boat arrived yesterday, all well, but much alarmed at the effects of the earthquake felt some days ago, by which an island was sunk below Little Prairie on the Mississippi river.'

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