“Extract from a letter to a gentleman in Lexington...”

Date

3-25-1812

Newspaper

The Georgia Journal

Newspaper Location

Milledgeville, Georgia

Serial Number

604

Abstract

Article from the Kentucky Reporter of Lexington, Kentucky. Also known as the U. L. (Upper Louisiana) letter, detailed eyewitness account and one of the primary sources on the earthquake.

Transcript

From the Kentucky Reporter. Extract of a letter to a gentleman in Lexington from his friend at New Madrid, (U.L.) dated 16th, Dec. 1811. "About two o'clock this morning we were awakened by a most tremendous noise, while the house danced about and seemed as if it would fall on our heads. I soon conjectured the cause of our trouble, and cried out it was an earthquake, and for the family to leave the house; which we found very difficult to do, owing to its rolling and jostling about; the shock was soon over, and no injury was sustained except the loss of the chimney, and the exposure of my family to the cold of the night. At the time of this shock the heavens were very clear and serene, not a breath of air stirring, but in five minutes it became very dark, and a vapour which seemed to impregnate the atmosphere, had a disagreeable smell, and produced a difficulty of respiration. I knew not how to account for this at the time, but when I saw in the morning the situation of my neighbors' houses all of them more or less injured, I attributed it to the dust and soot, &c. which arose from their fall. The darkness continued till day break; during this time we had eight more shocks, but none of them so violent as the first. Fifteen minutes after seven o'clock, we had another shock. This was the most severe one we have yet had-the darkness returned and the noise was remarkably loud. The first motions of the earth were similar to the preceding shocks, but before it ceased we rebounded up and down, and it was with difficulty we kept our seats. At this instant I expected a dreadful catastrophe-the uproar of the people heightened the colouring of the picture-the screams and yells were heard at a great distance. Tuesday Dec. 24.--The shocks continue; we have had eight since Saturday-some of them very severe, but not sufficiently so to do much additional injury; I have heard of no lives being lost-several persons are wounded. This day I have heard from the Little Prairie, a settlement on the bank of the river Mississippi, about 30 miles below this place.-There the scene has been dreadful indeed-the face of the country has been entirely changed-Large lakes have been raised and become dry land and many fields have been converted into pools of water. Capt. George Ruddell, a worthy & respectable old gentleman, and who has been the father of that neighborhood, made good his retreat to this place with about 200 souls, informs me that no material injury was received from the first shocks; when the 10th shock occurred he was standing in his own yard, situated on the bank of the Bayou of the Big Lake; the bank gave way and sunk down about 30 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 down 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 into the open field. They had just assembled together, when the 11th shock came on, after which there was not perhaps a square acre of ground unbroken in the neighborhood, and in about 15 minutes after this shock the water rose round them waist deep. The old gentleman 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, & muddy water, and stone coal were thrown up the distance of thirty yards; frequently trees of a large size were split open 15 or 20 feet up. After wading eight miles he came up to dry land. "I have heard of no white person being lost as yet. Seven Indians, were swallowed up;--one of them escaped; he says, he was taken into the ground the depth of two trees in length; that the water came under him and threw him out again-he had to wade and swim 2 miles before he reached dry land-The Indian says the Shawanoe Prophet has caused the Earthquake, to destroy the whites."

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