“Extract of a Letter from a gentleman in Springfield, (TN)...”

Date

1-10-1812

Newspaper

Raleigh Register

Page and Column

Page 3, Column 4 and 5

Newspaper Location

Raleigh, North Carolina

Serial Number

645

Abstract

Felt report for the December 16, 1811 earthquake from Springfield, Tennessee, Detailed felt report. Springfield is located approximately 30 miles north of Nashville.

Transcript

Extract of a letter from a gentleman in Springfield (Ten,) to his brother in Washington City, dated Dec. 16, 1811. "We have since yesterday morning about 2 o'clock experienced one of the most sublime, grand and awful scenes perhaps on record: The night of the 15th being remarkably dark and cloudy, accompanied by a stillness of the air equal to the silence of the tombs; a little past 2 o'clock, Mrs. ------ and myself being awake, there appeared to be a rustling of something similar to wind at a distance; we were however soon undeceived by a rattling of things in the house, and then a sensible rocking of the same, to a very great degree-I made up a light as soon as possible and opened the door, more effectually to discover the cause, when, to my utter amazement, there was a perfect calm, and nothing but an agitated rolling of the earth from south-west to north-east; this continued I think from seven to ten minutes; after which the convulsions of nature appeared to cease for about forty or fifty minutes, when a second shock, though much lighter than the former, alarmed us if possible, more than the first. An interval then took place till about sun-rise, when another shock equal I believe to the first, gave us fresh alarm; I walked out into my yard, with difficulty could stand steady; saw the earth under my feet, oscillate, as plainly as I ever saw the pendulum of a clock, for some minutes; it then stopped, and was followed by three or four more in succession, for the space of thirty or forty minues, since then we have had six light shocks."

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