“Four shocks of Earthquake”

Date

12-17-1812

Newspaper

Savannah Republican

Page and Column

Page 3, Column 2

Newspaper Location

Savannah, Georgia

Serial Number

696

Abstract

Felt report for December 16, 1811 earthquake at Savannah Georgia. Very detailed. Also felt report for White Bluff eight miles south of Savannah.

Transcript

Four shocks of an Earthquake have been sustained by our town, and its neighborhood, within the last two days. The first commenced yesterday morning, between two and three, preceded by a meteoric flash of light and accompanied with a rattling noise, resembling that of a carriage passing over a paved pathway, and lasted about a minute. A second succeeded, almost immediately after, but its continuance was of much shorter duration. A third shock was experienced about eight o'clock in the the morning, and another to-day about one. Persons from White Bluff, (about eight miles from time, southwardly) felt it very sensibly; and several who were up at the time, state that the movement of the earth made them totter as though they were on ship board in a heavy swell of the sea. Those who were up at the time, conceive its direction to have been from southwest to northwest. We have received several communications on the subject, apparently hastily drawn up. Having been promised a very particular account by a scientific gentleman, we have laid by all except the following, which had been previously in type:-- "At three minutes past three, yesterday morning, the shock of an earthquake was sensibly felt in Savannah. The undulating motion of the earth continued upwards of two minutes to the belief of the writer, and appeared to be from north to south. Was this occasioned by the retiring of the comet from our sphere? The mercury, in Fahrenheit's Thermometer, trembled excessively. At a quarter before nine, the tremulous motion of the earth continues.

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