Newspapers / The Wilmington Messenger (Wilmington, … / Sept. 6, 1886, edition 1 / Page 1
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1 -r"". ff -"3 Established 1367 For us, Principle is Principle Right is Right Yesterday, To-day, To-morrow, Forever." Published Semi-Weekly $3.00 a Year VOL. XXII. GOLDSBORO, N. C, MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 1886. NO. 92. THE STORY OF THE EARTH QUAKE. - : U A Graphic Description ! of the Catastrophe That Visited Charleston. j Charleston, September 1. The following article was prepared for publication in the Charleston News and Courier and is telegraphed in the writer's own words. The paper can not be issed to-morrow, as the printers refuse to work because they expect fresh shocks to-night. The author Sa While engaged in his usual duties in the second-story room of the News and Courier office at the time of the shock the writer's attention was vaguely attracted by a sound which seemed to come from the office below, and which was supposed for a moment to be caused by the rapid rolling of a heavy bodjT, as an iron safe or a heavily-laden truck, over the floor. Ac companying thejsound there was a per ceptible tremor of the building, not more marked, however, than would be caused by the passage of a street car or dray along the street. For perhaps two or three seconds the oc pnrrfinofs excited no surDrise or com ment. Then by swift degrees, or per haps all at once, it is difficult to say which, the sound deepened in volume, the tremor became more decided, the ear caught the rattle of windw-sashes, pas fixtures and other loose objects. The men. in the office, with perhaps a simultaneous flash of recollection of the disturbance of the Friday be fore, glanced hurriedly at each other and sprang to their feet with startling questions and answers. "What is that?" "Earthquake!" And then all was bewilderment and confusion. A JIIGKTY QUAKINO. Then the long roll deepened and spread into an awful roar that seemed to pervade at once the trembling earth and the still air above and around. The tremor was now a rude, rapid quiver that agitated the whole lofty, strong-waAled building as though it rrere being shaken by the hand of an immeasurable power, with intent to tear its joints asunder and scatter its stones and brick around, as a tree casts its over ripened fruit before the breath of the gale. There was no in termission in the vibration of the mighty subterranean engine. From . the first to the last it was a continuous jar, only adding force at -every mo ment, and as it approached and reached the climax of its manifesta tion it seemed for a few terrible seconds that no work of human bands could possibly survive the shock. The floors were heaving under the foot the sur rounding walls and partitions visibly swayed to and fro, the crash of falling masses of stone and briek and mortar was heard overhead, and without the terrible roar fulled the ears and seemed to fill the mind and heart, dazirig perception, bewildering thought andfor a few . panting breaths, or .vhiJeyou held your breath in dread ful anticipation of immediate and crul xleath, you felt that life was already past and waited for the end "as tlfe victim with his head on the block awaits the fall of the uplifted axe. THE RUSH FOR THE STREETS. It as not given to 'many men to look in the face of the destroyer and yet live, but it is little to say that the group of strong men who shared the experience above faintly described will carry with them the recollection of that supreme moment to their dying (lav. None expected to escape. A sudden rush was simultaneously made to endeavor to attain tu-e open air and flee to a place of safety, but before the door was reached ail reeled to prettier to the tottering wall and stop- ped, feeling that hope was vain, that it was only a question of death within the building or without, to be buried bv the sinking roof or crushed by the toppling walls. The uproar slowly died away in seeming distance. As we dashed down the stairway out into the street already on every side arose the shrieks, the cries of pain and fear, the prayers, wailings of terrified women and children, mingled with the hoarse shouts of excited men Out m the street the air was filled to the heierht of the houses with a whitish cloud of dry, stifling dust from the lime and mortar and shattered ma sonry, which, falling upon the pave ment and stone roadway, !hs.d been re duced to powder. Through this cloud, dense as a fog, the gaslights flickered dimly, shedding but little light, so that you stumbled at every step over the piles of briek or toecame-entangled m the lines ot telegraph wire that de pended in every direction faom their broken supports. On every ide were mirrvint? forms of mem and women, bareheaded, partially dressed, some . almost nude and many -of whom were crazed with fear or excitement. Here a woman is supported half fainting: in the arms of her husband, who vainly Ttries to soothe her, while he .carries her mto the open space at the street corner, where present safety seems assured; there a woman lies on the pavement with upturned face and outstretehed limbs and the crowd passes her by for the time, not pausing io see whether she be alive or dead. THE FEARFUL ALARM OP SIRE. A sudden, light flares through a indow overlooking the street it becomes momentarily brighter and the cry of fire resounds from the multi tude. A rush is made toward the spot. A man is seen doubled up and .helpless against the wall ; but at this moment somewhere out at sea, over head, deep in the ground is heard again the low, ominous roll, .which is already too well known to be mis taken. It grows louder and nearer, "ke the growl of a wild beast swiftly approaching his prey, and all is for gotton again in the frenzied rush for the open space, where Alone there is bope ot : security, faint thought it be. ne tall buildings on either hand blot out the skies and the tarind seem to overhang every footf ground he- tween them. Their shattered cornices" and copings, the tops of their frow ning walls, seem piled from both sides to the centre of the street. It seems that a touch would now send the shat tered masses left standing down upon those below, who look up to them and shrink together as the tremor of the earthquake again passes under them and the ' mysterious reverberations swell and roll along like some infernal drum beat summoning them to die. It passes away and again is experi enced the blessed feeling of deliverance from impending calamity, which it may well be believed will povoke a mute but earnest offering of mingled prayer and thanksgiving from every heart in the throng. Again, far along the street and up from the alleys that lead into it on either side, is heard that chorus of wailing and lamentation which, though it had not ceased, was scarcely noticed a moment before. It is a dreadful sound, the sound of helpless, horror-stricken humanity, old and young, the strong and the feeble alike, where all are so feeble, calling for help from their fellow-creatures and raising their anguished voices, in peti tion to heaven for mercy where no Human aid could avail, it is not a scene to-be described by any mortal tongue or pen ; it is not a scene to be forgotten when the witness has shared all its dangers and felt all its agony. AMIDST THE CRASH OF BUILDINGS. The first shock occurred at seven minutes of ten, as was indicated this morning by the public clocks, the hands on all of which had stopped at that fateful hour,as though to mark the end of time for so many who had heard the preceding hour pealed forth by St. Michael's chimes without a thought but of long and happy life. The second shock, which was but a faint and crisp echo of the first, was felt eight min utes later. As it passed away the writer started homeward, to find the scenes enacted on Broad street, around the News and Courier office repeated at every step of the way. St. Michael's steeple towered high and white above the gloom, seemingly uninjured. The station house, a massive brick build ing across the street, had apparently lost its roof j which had fallen around it. A little further on the roof of a portion of the Hibernian Hall, a hand some building, in the Grecian style, had crashed to the ground, carrying down part of the massive granite pil lars with it. All the way up Meeting street, which in respect of its general direction and importance raaf be call ed the "Broadway of Charleston," the roadway was piled with debris from the tops of the walls. In passing the Charleston Hotel, which, to carry out the comparison above indicated, occu pies the position of Stewart's uptown store in New York, the third shock was felt about ten minutes after the second and, of course, -caused the greatest alarm in that neighborhood as elsewhere. At Marion Square, corresponding exactly with Union Square, New York, a great crowd had collected, as even the edges of the wide spaces embraced in it could not be reached by the near est buildings in the event of their fall. From this crowd, composed of men, women and children of both raees, arose incessant calls -and cries of la mentations, while over the motley, half-dressed throng was shed the lurid light of the conflagration which had broken -out just beyond the square immediately after the first shock and had nearly enveloped -several buildings in flames. In three other quarters of the town at the kme time similar large fires were observed under fell headway, and the -awful significance of the earthquake nay most fully be appreciated, perhaps, when it is said that with these tremendous fires blaz ing u.p all at once around them and threatening the city with total destruc tion, the people whom you met on the streets or saw gathered together in groups in the open places evidently did not give them a thought. No one watched the ruddy flames or the piKars of cloud rising high into the still niht air. All were too intent on listening with strained senses for the dreaded recurrence of that horrible growl or groan -of the power-under the seas nd under the land to -give thought to the new terror, though it had threatened his own home and many homes .ln the doomed city. A CHARMED CIRCLE OF SAFETY. The crowds poured in from every direction to the square just described, as though it had betn indeed a charm ed circle and life depended on passing within its grassy beunds. Street ears, carriages and other vehicles were ranged in lines on the streets surround ing the square, while the horses stood as though sniffing the ground in anx ious inquiry. The colored people everywhere were 4oud and unceasing in their declamations of alarm, in the singing of hymns and in fervent ap peals for God s mercy, in whieh ap peals, God knows, .many a proud heart who heard them arising in the night, and in the hour of His wondrous might, devoutly and humbly and sincerely joined. Banger brings all of us to the level of the lowliest. Arrived at his home, the writer found the same scenes of distraction and wreck which marked nearly every other home in the city. All the houses m the neighborhood had suffered se riously, and streets, yards and gardens vere filled with the fallen chimneys and fragments of walls, while the walls that were left standing were reft sun der in many cases from top to bottom and were badly shattered in every instance. Women and children, roused from sleep or interrupted in their evening pursuits by the sonnd of the ruin being effected above and around them, rushed out into the streets and huddled together awaiting the end, whatever it might be. Invalids were brought oat on mattresses and deposi ted on the roadway. No thought was given to treasures left behind in tne effort to save the peculiar treasure of life itself, suddenly become so precious in the eyes of all; the invalid .woman an$ the rpbnst watt alike. .Until Jong. after, midnight he streets were filled with fugitives in sight of their homes. Through the long hours that followed few were the eyes even of childhood that were closed in sleep. Charleston was full of those who watched for the morning, and never in any city in any land did , the nrst eray shades that mark the approach of dawn appear so beautiful and so welcome to eyes as they appeared to the thousands of people who hailed them this morniner from the midst of the countless wreck ed homes and our thrice scourged but still patient, still brave, still hopeful, still beautiful city by the sea. A DELUGE FROM THE EARTH. A Great Spouting Geyser Flood ing the Town of Belleplain, Iowa. ' Chicago, Aug. 31. A dispatch was received at the City Hall this aiter noon from the Mayor of Belleplaine, Iowa, which states than an artesian well four inches in diameter burst when the depth of 180 feet had been reached in boring and instantly a volume of water was forced into the air to the distance of several hundred feet. This gradually increased in size and yolume until a stream ful ly eighteen inches in diameter was formed. The water in huge volumes is spouting high in the air and the supply seems inexhaustable. Two rivers have been formed by this phe nomenal water burst, which are run ning through the town at the rate of twelve miles an hour and carrying everything before them. Houses and lives are threatened and the citizens are appalled at their danger. An attempt was made to insert sixteen inch boiler-iron tubes into the well, but these were instantly blown out and forced high into the air. The terrified people then attempted to fill up the aperture through which this terrible geyser was spouting its deluge. Fifteen car loads of stone were emptied into the well, but they were thrown upward as though pro pelled by the force of gilant powder. Bags of sand were then hastily con structed and thrown into the well, but these, too, were hurried into the air. The Chicago and Northwestern Rail road was called upon for assistance and instantly sent a large gang of men to the rescue. The bridge gang of the county was also called upon, but up to this evening no abatement in the flow of water was perceptible and the rushing: rivers formed by it were washing the channel it had made deeper and wider, while the basin formed by this immense volume of water was spreading over the lowlands in the vicinity. The Mayor of Belleplaine telegraph ed to Chicago tor the oest engineers that could be secured to come 1m mediately. City Engineer Artingstal started out to trad an engineer who would supply the demand, and suc ceeded in inducing Engineer Morgan to undertake "the mission. Messrs. Artingstall and Morgan are, however, of the opinion that but little can a (1 rvn o trv cf An 4-Vi a fl n tit rvF motor Vmt b that it may be possible to direct the rivers into ie3 dangerous directions and confine them to their channels Morgan left for Belleplain to-night and it more assistance is necessary Mr. Artinerstall will send all that is needed. AN ANARCHIST DEN. Chicago, .August 30. Louis Juhl, a tailor, Henry Batzel, a stonemason, and Wm. Kloth a cooper, were ar rested yesterday on the charge of con spiring to do an unlawful act. The men were arrested in Kloth's cooper shop, on west Seventeenth street, where they had been holding meet ings for some time. The men are ai avowed anarchists. Batzel came from Germany recently: The men had been seen to carry suspicious packages into the cooper shop, and the neighbors in formed on them. Two full stands of Australian pieces, swords and heavy Colt's revolvers were found stowed away in an ingenious devised com partment in the ceiling. No dyna mite was found. Kloth admitted that he had to fly from Berlin on account of his anarchist principles. The po lice say he was implicated in the Hay- market massacre. NEW BERNE DISTRICT. Fourth Quarterly Meetings. Goldsboro etYelverton, Wayne et, Thompson, Aug. Sept. a 28-29 4- 5 Goldsboro ttauon, La Grange, ct, La Grange, LenoirMis., Byrds, S. H., Jones ct., Trenton, Carteret ct., Hcrlowe, Neuse Mis. South River, Craven ct., Asburg, Snow Hill et.,Ormond, . 11-12 18-19 20 25-26 il it it Oct. 2 4 9-10 16-17 23-24 26-27 28 Morehead Station, Straits circuit, Tabernach, Core Sound, Springfield, Beaufort station- a 30-31 Mt. Olive ct., Smith's Chapel Nov. 6- 7 Kinston station, Pamlico ct., Bayboro, Hew Berne station. a 13-14 it 20-21 27-28 J. T. Harris, P . E. LEMON ELIXIR. Editorial. Office Sewtday Telegram, ? ATXAWTA, OA., Oct. 9, 1885. f Dr. Mozley: Allow me to thank you most kindly for the bottle of 1emon Elixir. I am not much of a believer in medioine, but being overtaxed by excessive offiee work, I conclu ded to try yourXeoaon Elixir. It proved all and mom than you claimed for it. It acts like a charm on the liver, stomach and bowels, gives a heck to nervousness and produces what I eraved most, namely, pleasant and re freshing rest at night. I cordially recommend your remedy as a delightful tonic in all cases of indigestion, biliousness and nervous pros tration? . CHAS. T. LOGAN, Rriitnr and Proprietor Sunday Telegram. Sold by druggists.- 50 cents aad $1.00 per bottle. Prepared by H. Mozley, M. D At lanta, Go. . , . . epl-lm - "We ask your attention to the ij.ew as sortment of Clothing Samples of Fall and Winter wear, whieh we have Just received from thOrderDepahment of John Wac amaker, Philadelphia. u , ; ; EARTHQUAKES. A Summary of the most Noted on Record. (Compiled by the Raleigh News-Observer.) Earthquakes have occurred from time immemorial and in all parts of the world, but violent and destructive movement of the earth's crust have been confined, duriner the historical period, to certain belts or regions, while' other regions have been visited only by moderate vibrations of the earth's surface. The regions where volcanoes are still active are liable to the former. Those countries, like the eastern parts of the United States, where are no vol canoes, have not been known before this to have been involved in any but slight disturbances. In California they have been frequent, but usually not destructive. In Mexico frequent and destructive. In Spain, Greece, the is lands of the Mediterranean, they have been terrible in their effects, and the same in regard to parts of- South America: and there is reason to be lieve that parts of the Pacific ocean are likewise to be embraced in the earthquake zone. Before the year A. D, 1G00, we have only occasionally lecords of devastat ing earthquakes, but from A. D. 160G to A. D. 1842, between 0,000 and 7,000 have been recorded. In 1876 there were recorded 104. Be fore the opening of this century, they were not closely studied; but during the past forty years there has grown up a regular branch of scientific study pertaining to these convulsions, called by the scientists Seismology. But a3 yet no definite results have been at tained in tracing their cause or origin.. In general it is broadly stated that an earth quake is a vibratory motion propagated through the solid mass of the earth, much in the same way that sound is propagated by yibrations in the atmosphere. But the origin of the force remains undetermined. Prob ably several distinct causes should be recognized. Volcanic action does not always accompany them. One hypo thesis is that the interior of the earth is a liquid nueleus and the surface is but a thin crust covering it. Waves generated in the liquid inte rior might produce the vibrator v mo tion of the earth's crust. The tneory, however, is not held by some of the most intelligent physicists. Some again suggest that the vibrat ing motion is imparted by the jar oc casion by a violent rupture of solid rock masses, the rupture beingjdue to the expansion of deeply-seated masses of mineral substances, consequent upon either increased or diminished temperature. Steam has always figur ed largely in such theories, it being supposed that water, finding its way through the earth's crust, might reach highly heated rocks and remain in a super-heated condition until a local decline of temperature causes it to flash into steam, producing the power ful disturbance. We agree to the notion that all such convulsions may not be referred to the same origin, and we have fancied that one of the prime causes is to be fouud in the gradual cooling of this planet, by which contraction sets in, squeez ing the interior and forcing a displace ment of particular portions of the earth's surface. Attendant on such a fearful force as contraction, with its crushing and friction, is the develop ment of local heat, sufficient to pro duce chemical action and to set in operation chemical and mechanical forces capable of producing the most violent convulsions of nature. And if to this be added the notion that the bowels of the earth are still a molten massjof elementary substances, which, on being squeezed by the contraction of the earth's surface, has a tendency to escape through the weakest point near at hand we have a reasonable hypothesis consistent with many known facts. But yet the whole matter of earthquakes is involved in doubt, which science has not yet fath omed, and - which, while opening a broad field of conjecture, still remains enwrapped in'obscurity. But whatever may be the real origin of these disturbances, it is conven ient to regard the effect as proceeding from a sudden blow delivered under ground at some definite centre. This centre is termed the focus of the seis mie force although, indeed it may, embrace so large an extent as to be more properly called the area of the seismic force rather than the focal point. From this seismic centre vi brations radiate. Investigations made in regard to this focal area have led to different results. The point of disturb ance producing the great earthquake at Naples in 1857 was found tobe at adepth of five miles and three quarters j while similar investigations concerning the earthquake at Cachar, in India, in 18(59, indicated the depth of the focal force :to have been no less than thirty miles. The velocities of the shocks also vary. That of the great Lisbon earth quake, in 1725, was about twenty miles a minute, or 1,760 feeta second. That at Naples, in 1857, was only half so great. The transmission of a shock caused by gunpowder m granite is 1,- 965 feet a second; and in sand is only 825 feet a second. The re salt of earthquakes is some times to elevate extensive traets and at other times to depress; sometimes too huge fissures are made in the sur face andjat other times great holets ap pear. Indeed, the . variations . are as 1 Mm a numerous as tne dinerent circum stances that eon cur to effect the re sult." One of the most destructive earth quakes on record was that at Caracas, in the noithern part of South Amer- a, where twelve thousand persons perished in an instant, that beautiful city falling instantaneously in a mass of ruins. - -, In 1857, the earthquakes in the re gion around .Naples f reduced, eight towns to ruins and destroyed between twenty and forty .thousand lives. " Another memorable ons happened At QnitoV in: Bouth AmexieA, : in 1859; involving vast " loss of life. But the most terrific was in 1775, at Lisbon, Portugal, when sixty thou sand people were engulphed in a com mon grave. The sea retired, leaving the bar dry, but returned in a huge wave fifty feet high. The mountains around were shaken with great violence, were rent in twain and thrown bodily into the valleys below. Great crowds rushed to the immense marble pier built out into the harbor, but in an instant the pier sank into the abyss of the sea like a ship foundering, and when the waters closed over the spot no frag ments remained; no particle of the wreck was observed, and not a single body rose from the whirlpool that rushed with terrific force into the bowels of the earth. When the com motion subsided,3 over the spot was 600 feet of water, and far down in the f.urrows of rocks and in chasms of un known depth were held the remains of the mass of humanity that had perish ed in the catastrophe. KINSTON ITEMS. The community sympathizes deeply with Mr. James Hicks, who, on Thurs day, the 20th ult., lost his wife, Mrs. Willie Anna Hicks, and an infant about 6 weeks old, by death. Mrs. Hicks was the daughter of John Ennis of this place, and was about 30 years of aere. The mother and child were buried Friday in the same casket. We commend the bereaved ones to Him, who doeth all things well, for grace and strength, to enable them to bear thissore dispensation of divine wis dom. The charades given at the opera house, last Thursday and Friday nights, for the benefit of the Episco pal church, by the young ladies, was quite a success; a handsome sum was realized. The selections were good, and all parties performed their parts well. We dislike to particularlize, but cannot refain from mentioning Misses Carrie Harding, Sarah Einstein, and Liena Fields, as deserving special mention. Judge Geo. V. Strong, of Raleigh, Judge Thomas and F. M. Simmons, of Newbern, are here looking after the interest of their clients. "All jurors, witnesses, suitors, and attorneys, are expected to be in court when called; this court will have none called at the window." When the court bell rings, there is a general move in the direction of the court house The result is, more business done in the same length of time than any court previous. Logan Walsh, of Danville, Va., son of the late Dr. Walsh, has been visit iner relatives and friends. He returned to Danville Tuesday. Miss Hennie Patrick has gone to Cobton, Craven county, to take charge of a school at that place. Miss Johnie Kornegay is visiting her sister, Mrs. A. D. Parrott. Mr. D. Oettinger and family, have returned after 2 months absence in Ohio and Western cities. Rev. H. C. Bown, the popular pas tor of the Disciple church in Kinston. we reerret to learn, has tendered his resignation as such, and ac cepted the position of State Evan grehst fr that denomination. Mr. Brown was assistant superintendent of our graded school last tern, which position he filled with credit to him self, and satisfaction to the patrons of the school. The community can ill afford to lose such a man, who has, by a faithful and fearless discharge ot duties, endeared himself to the people of all denominations. We wish him great success wherever he goes. MissLillie Rouse, of LaGrange, and Miss Mary Taylor, of Lenoir county, are visiting mends in town. Miss Lula Pitman has returned to Bell's Ferry, her home, after a month's stay with her sister, Mrs. George B. Webb. The children of the late Dr. Walsh, have decided to break up house keep ing. Miss Ella and Joe go to Tar boro, and John to Durham. On the night of Aug. 21st, Mr. John A. Sutton's smokehouse was entered, and about 300 pounds of meat stolen therefrom, in Buckleberry neighbor hood. Suspicion pointed to Simon Dawson, Jerry Foss, and Ale xSpencer, (all white). They were arrested, lodged in jail, and the grand jury found a true bill. The case , coming in for trial Friday, all three confessed their guilt and were sentenced. Simon Dawson, to 6 years, Jerry Foss 3, and Alex bpencer 1 years in the peniten tiary. Lenoir will be well represented in Kaleigh for a year two. A great ueai or interest was mani fested in the case, State vs Chas H. Brown, for embracery. Mr. Brown was one of Job S. Stroud's atty's in case State vs Stroud and Howard, for larceny and receiving, tried last Tues day. His Honor, Saturday morniner, after opening court, stated that it had come to the knowledge of the court, that an attempt, had been made to in fluence the verdict of the jury in the above named case, and it was his duty to investigate the matter that it was a very grave offence, and insult to the court, ana jury, ana deserved severe punishment. The jury and officers were called and after heariner testi mony, the Solicitor was ordered to draw a bill of indictment vs Chas. H. Brown for embracery His Honor stated, while he had power to dispose of the matter as for contempt, he would prefer that 18 good and true men pass upon it, and 12 find the facts. A true bill was found the case was set for trial Monday morning at 9 o'clock. The trial coming on, Judge Strong and J. F. Wooten conducted the defence. Allen for the State. The matter was thoroughly sifted, and ably argued before the iury. They re turned a verdict of guilty. A motion for arrest of judgment . on account of defects in bill of indictment was made. Motion1 v denied.' ; Judgment, "The defendant C. H.' Brown, be confined in thjs common jail of Lenoir county, for the spa-ee of six months, and pay a fine of one hundred dollars and eost of thUidtiok?' defendant notice 1 of appeal, notice accepted, appeal bond fixed at twenty-five dollars, and appearance bond, three hundred dol lars, justihed. We are sorry Mr. Brown is in tuch trouble and hope, he may work out of it all right. Fall term of Kinston College begins i next Monday. Dr. Lewis is on hand. Prof's. Mears and Alderman are ex pected to be at their posts at roll call. Kinston can boast of as 'good educa tional facilities as any town in the State. B. L. Taylor has an eye on Mexico a boy. An old darkey was heard to say, "Di&is the dev'lishest.place I eber seed, can't get a drink." Most of our merchants are busy re ceiving, opening and arranging their fall stock. "Dull times will soon take his leave, the prospect for a good crop in some sections are good, ere long, the gentle top will be felt on the shoulder, and the low words, "can't you settle that little amount," whis pered in the ear of delinquents or more appalling still, on the bulletin board at the court house, the familiar "Notice! By virture of power of sale, &c. &c. Rey. N. M. Jurney, the popular and efficient pastor of the Metnodist E. church, is enjoying the sea breeze at Beaufort this week. He will return in time to fill his pulpit Sunday. Miss Sudie Patrick, of Green coun ty, is visiting Mrs. A. Mc F. Cam eron. We are glad the old pump m Queen St., near B. W. Canady's hardware store, has been removed and a force pump placed in its stead. It has been an eye sore for some time to the peo ple in that part of the town. A severe earthquake skock was ex perienced here last night about 10 o'clock Mug. 31st, accompanied by a low roaring sound trom a Southern direction. There were 3 or 4 shocks, the first and one most severe, lasted about one and a half minutes. Houses trembled and cracked like they were coming to pieces in some the plaster ing fell. Men, women and chidren, rushed out in their night clothes in the yard and streets in great excite ment. Many thought the great and notable day had come. The sky was perfectly clear, and not a breath of wind stirring. We expect to hear more about it in the near future. The earthquake this morning is all the talk. MOUNT VEKNON. Annual Meeting ot the Associa tion Financial Report for 1885. Dan Valley Echo The annual meeting of the Council of the Mount Vernon Association took place in May. Representatives from the following States were present: Pennsylvania, Maine, Vermont, Mas sachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, South Caro lina, Georgia, Louisiana. District of Columbia, Kentucky, Illinois and Michigan. The Council continued in session six days reviewing the work of the past year, during which the sum of five thousand dollars was expended in repairs and restorations and planning improvements for the coming year. Mr. E. Francis Riggs, of Wasing ton, is the treasurer of the Association and makes a yearly report to the Council. The superintendent of the place is .Mr. Harrison Dodge. He is eminent ly fitted for the position he holds, and worthy the confidence reposed in him by the ladies. His report furnishes the financial exhibit for the year 1885. Number of visitors during the year, about 10, 000. Gross receipts $ 8,035 18 Regular expenses 5,335 67 The $5,000 was expended as fol lows, on improvements, etc.: Mansion $ 1,192 08 Grounds 1,113 08 Greenhouse 463 47 Wharf. 1,976 35 Repairs of tomb 410 00 Insurance 1C0 00 The followinpr details from the ac count of the superintendent may be of interest: FROM THE SALE OF FLOWERS. Flowers and plants $ 480 40 Photographs 560 63 Milk 375 40 Butter 20 11 Eggs 17 85 Chickens 12 75 Canes 52 25 Calves 39 15 Fares from boat wagons 148 70 Land visitors 76 75 Easels, wilis, fruit, etc 49 OS This will erive an idea of the minor sources of revenue. The interest money received during the year from investment of the en dowment fund amounts to $1,54650. There is a slow but steady growth in the endowment fund, by which the Association hopes to ultimately secure a permanent income sufficient for the necessary expenses of the place, and thus be able to open its gates without charge to the public, this being the purpose for which this fund has al ways been designed. The additions to it are invested exclusively in cov ernment securities and kept sacred from infringement. A beautiful antique dressing table was presented to the "North Carolina room" by Mrs. Julian S. Carr, of Dur ham. ' A grateful acknowledgement ihould be made to the pupils of the various schools in the State for their contribution of $55 for placing a brick pavement in front or the tomb. I have numbers of the "Reports of the council" for lbtij, and will be most happy to furnish a copy to anv one wno may aesire u reaa u. i r j - - " MRS. L. MOREHEAD WALKER, Vice-Regent for North Carolina. Xtea.&svwe, i&ocxingnam uo., ob printing done in crood stvle and at lowest Jrates at the Me$3XGKR Pcesfi Eooms. EX- PLAINED. An Interesting Statement from the Director of the Geolog ical Survey; : The Washington Star contains an interyiew with Major Powell, the Di rector of the United States Geological Survey, trom which we copy the fol lowing: The explanation of earthquakes us- ' ually accepted by geologists is some thing like this: The earth is believed to be inclosed by a solid crust of rock, of variable thickness in different re gions. This crust rests upon material in a more or less fluid condition, so that it readily yields to agencies of de formation, like water or molten iron. The reasons for believmcr that the interior is in a somewhat fluid condi tion are various. The most important are: 1. From very many- observations made in mines, artesian wells, etc., it is discovered that there is an increase of temperature from the surface down ward, and that this increase is so great that a degree of heat sufficient to melt all known rocks is soon reached. 2. By certain geological agencies certain rocks from below are brought to the surface in mountain building, and these rocks show evidence of hav ing been greatly heated, and even of haviner been melted. 3. Molten matter in very large quan tities comes up from the interior of the earth through crevices and volca nic vents. Besides these lines of evidence there are many accessory acts which tell the same story. The interior of the earth is constantly losing heat in a variety of ways. A small amount is probably conducted to the surface and radiated, into space. A large 'amount of heat is conveyed from the interior through the agency of hot springs. . Such springs are found in many por tions of the earth, and in a few dis tricts are' very abundant, and through them much heat is conveyed from the interior to the surface, which is there radiated into space. The lavas that are brought up yield vast stores of heat, all of which is lost to the earth through radiation. The secular cool- ing which results irom tne above causes must necessarily diminish the magnitude of the earth, and as it shrinks, the solid exterior crust must in some manner yield so as to con form to the lesser magnitude thus pro duced. The stresses produced in the crust of the earth by the shrinking of the interior are modified by another class of agencies. The landrface of the earth is washed by rains and rivers, and in the aggrcgato large bodies of material are carried away and deposi ted in lake bottoms which are gradu ally filled up and especially deposited along the shores of seas The unload ing of land areas and the overloading of certain water areas to a large ex tent localizes it. Again, the fluid or plastic material of the interior changes its position beneath the crust of the earth, and portions of it flow out as lavas; thus an additional set of stresses is established. Thus, stresses are es tablished through the agency of a con tracting interior through loading and unloading at the surface and through the flow of interior matter to lava-bed where such matter is poured out upon the siirface. The stresses produced by the various agencies thus described gradually become so great that at last the crust of the earth must yield and earthquakes are produced. GEOLOGICAL FACTS. The occurrence of earthquakes in the eastern part of the United States seems to be related in a very interest ing way to certain geologic facts ob served in the region. At least a con siderable share of tho Atlantic slopo earthquakes are supposed to have a sequential connection with a line of displacement passing the Carolinas, -Virginia, Maryland, Delaware and New Jersey. This line of displace ment has for some time past been a subject of investigation by the geolog ical survey. In Georgia and the Car olinas it is represented by a general seaward tilting of the surface, un questionably connected with subter ranean movements, and in Virginia this widespread tilting begins to con centrate in a definite line of displace ment which in the latitude of Freder icksburg is a gentle monoclinical; i. e.; the rock strata are thero locally bent downward, and here, as well as else where along the displacement, the land toward the sea is depressed and that toward the mountains is elevated. In the latitude of Washington the dis placement becomes either a close flex ure or fracture, and lies in the East ern Branch. Its amount here is feet. At the head of Chesapeake Ro?y the displacement is 100 feet, and iitapr: pears to increase northward, reaching 200 or 300 feet in the lowe I&idson valley. The whole of this. moyenjenC has probably occurred in past quarter nary times, and is still in. progress'. Indeed, it may be questioned, whether any general orographic, movement on any part of the earth's-surface during any period of geologic time has been much more energetic and rapid tharjo. that now taking place along the At lantic slope; and our comparative. im munity from serious earthquakes here is to be attributed not so much to ab sence of these great earth movements. resulting in the formation of moun tain chains and even the upheaval of continents, as to the probably less pro found depth of thisgreat displace- ment than those of most mountainous, regions and especially to the fact that . no volcanic vents have been estab- lLshed." ' ' Our iob offiee fflvii,. v, i greatly increased and .improved In quality of work andXr S prices, we propose to compete with any office south f tha TvT,2E!Le- Vth - any office south of th 7 receipt receipts. Cirir. tji"C . License and ll Ki.nu ,lJia?e- trates and IlCSnM: THE EARTHQUAKE notice. "-wBnort .- V.
The Wilmington Messenger (Wilmington, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Sept. 6, 1886, edition 1
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