References by Specific Effects

Specific Effects – contents

I. (p. 2) Quotes

"face of the country"

"greatest" earthquake

other quotes

II. (p. 4) The Weather

III. (p. 6) Chronology of Floods & Droughts

IV. (p. 8) The Moon

V. (p. 9) Earthquake Lights

Far-Field

Near-Field

VI. (p. 11) Earthquake Haze/Sulphur smell

VII. (p.11) River Foam, Discoloration

VIII. (p. 12) Ringing Church Bells

— rang church bells in Boston

IX. (p. 13) Stopped Clocks

X. (p. 13) Chimney/Masonry down or damaged

XI. (p. 14) Earthquake Sounds or Noise

Near-Field

Far-Field

XII. (p. 19) Far-Field Liquefaction/Fissuring/Subsidence

XIII. (p. 18) Far-Field changes in springs

XIV. (p. 18) Duration of Shaking

Far-Field

Near-Field

XV. (p. 21) Mention of falls, rapids or retrograde current, Mississippi River

XVI. (p. 26) Mention of Landslides

XVII. (p.27) Mention of Waves on the Land

XVIII. (p. 28) New Madrid Sinking

New Madrid—references by specific effect

I. Quotes

"face of the country’

1. Beck, Lewis Caleb (1823). "Gazetteer of the States of Illinois and Missouri"

Face of the Country — Section heading, p. 170

1. Carter, Clarence Edwin, ed. (1949). "Territorial Papers of the United States", v. XIV, XV

"The face of the country in the lower districts of New Madrid and Arcansas has been considerably changed by the Earth Quakes last winter..." p. 591 Bent to Mansfield

4. Eckert, Allan W. (1967). "The Frontiersmen" mostly Tecumseh’s story

"The Mississippi itself turned and flowed backwards for a time. It swirled and eddied, hissed and gurgled, and at length, when it settled down, the face of the land had changed."

6. Extract (The) (1 Feb 1812). Anonymous New Madrid letter (D1); Lexington Reporter

D1 "the face of the country has been entirely changed—large lakes have been raised, & become dry land; & many fields have been converted into pools of water."

1. Flint, Timothy (1826). "Recollections of the Last Ten Years..." p. 227

"New Madrid again dwindled to insignificance and decay; the people trembling in their miserable hovels ….this district, formerly so level, rich and beautiful, had the most melancholy of all aspects of decay, the tokens of former cultivation and habitancy, which were now mementos of desolation and desertion. Large and beautiful orchards, left uninclosed, houses uninhabited, deep chasms in the earth, obvious at frequent intervals,—such was the face of the country...."

3. Dean, Gilbert (1936). "Stories of the Great Quake" —Nashville Banner, 1936—

D1(?) "the face of the country has become entirely changed—large lakes were raised and became dry land, while many many large fields have been covered with water."

22. Ritchie, James (1859). informant to T. Dudley, Annual Rpt, Smithonian, 1858

D1 "It was dangerous to travel after dark, for no one knew the changes which an hour might effect in the face of the country, and yet so general was the terror that men, women, and children fled to the highlands to avoid being engulphed in one common grave."

"The face of the country had been so much changed by the terrific explosions and commotions of these earthquakes...."

6. Ross, James (1882). "The Life and Times of Elder Reuben Ross" Clarksville, D1

"The most considerable change effected in the face of the country was the formation of what is called Reelfoot Lake..."

20. Smith, James (1812). letter to Zadok Crammer, 18 February 1812

"...the face of the river is wholly changed..."

20. Van Tramp, John C. (1866). "Prairie and Rocky Mountain Adventures..."

"...occurred a series of earthquakes which...caused the earth to open, and entirely changed the face of the country, swallowing up hills and forming new lakes...."

18. Van Every, Dale (1964). "The Final Challenge..." (how not to say it)

"The extreme dislocation of the land’s conformation..."

"greatest" earthquake

Halstead, Murat (1902). "The World on Fire...."

p. 120 "…there can be no doubt that many of the events of that convulsion were without parallel in the history of earthquake shocks."

p. 127 "The scientists rank the New Madrid quakes with the Lisbon shock, and those convulsions stood alone as the greatest of which there was on record…[until Krakatoa and Mont Pelee]"

4. Krinitzsky, Ellis L. (1950). "Geological Investigation of Faulting in Lower Miss. Valley"

p. A1 "…one of the 20 great earthquakes of known history…reputedly the

severest known disturbance experienced on the North American

continent and had the greatest known effect on topography."

2. Platt, Carolyn V. (1993, Sep-Oct). "Nightmare on the Mississippi...." Timeline

p. 20 "These were the strongest tremors ever to jolt North America in historic

times, even more violent than the disastrous 1906 San Francisco quake"

2. Shaler, Nathaniel Southgate (1869). "Earthquakes of the Western United States"

p. 551 "…shook a larger area than any known shock except the Lisbon

convulsion of 1755…. there can be no doubt that many of the events of that convulsion were without parallel in the history of earthquake shocks"

2. Shaler, Nathaniel Southgate (1889). "Aspects of the Earth"

p. 32 "The shocks…are, by their violence and continuity, to be ranked among the first score of recorded earthquakes."

"…the Mississippi earthquake of 1811 directly produced more extensive and permanent local geographical changes than any other of which we have an account."

Other Quotes

2. Bolles, Gen. John A. (1871). "Earthquake Law," Harper's New Monthly Magazine

"...’An act for the relief of the inhabitants of the late county of New Madrid’ etc.—a somewhat startling title, sounding as though the county had been utterly devoured by the earthquake."

7. Bradbury, John (1817). "Travels in the Interior of America..." Univ. Microfilms, Inc.

p. 204, the D5 or D6 event, below the Devil’s Elbow: "...the crash of [the trees & banks] falling into the river, mixed with the terrible sound attending the shock, and the screaming of the geese, and other water fowl, produced an idea that all nature was in a state of dissolution."

4. Bringier, Louis (1821). "Notices of the Geology, Mineralogy, Topography...."

p. 21: "....struck with a panic of terror." (his horse during J1)

10. Crist, George Heinrich (1738– ). Crist Family Diary [D1,J1,F1, near Louisville KY]

"If we do not get away from here the ground is going to eat us alive." [J1]

7. Davis, John (Capt.) (1812). Jan.5, 1812 letter. In Cramer, Z. (1814), p. 305-306.

"....it appeared as if the order of nature had been reversed."

3. Dow, Lorenzo (1848). "The History of a Cosmopolite...." [Dec. 1815]

p. 346: "New Madrid had been designed as the metropolis of the New World, but God sees not as man sees—it is deserted by most of its inhabitants."

1. Dupré, Louis J. (1881). "Fagots from the Campfire"

p. 179: "But the town [New Madrid] prospered till the country...’tuk the ager’..."

4. Eades, Harvey l. (1870). "History of South Union Shaker Colony from 1804-1836"

p. 161: Dec.31, 1811 "-2 shocks last night- so earthquakes off the year 1811"

9. Fisher, Alfred J. (1935). "When A Great River Flowed Upstream" Missouri Mag.

"What is safe if the solid earth itself cannot be relied upon?" –Seneca

9. Haywood, John (1823). "The Natural and Aboriginal History of Tennessee...."

p. 29: "The motions of the earth were undulating. The parts agitated quivered like the flesh of a beef just killed."

p. 31: "A dead calm brooded over futurity."

2. Kirkpatrick, J. E. (1911). page 57, quoting Timothy Flint in his 1^st missionary letter

"...the boatmen – perhaps the most abandoned race of men in any country"

11. Latrobe, Charles Joseph (1835). "The Rambler in North America"

p. 102: "....the year 1811, the Annus Mirabilis of the West"

[Tippicanoe/spring floods/great comet/1^st steamboat/earthquakes]

8. McBride, James (1910). "Brief Accounts of Journies in the Western Country..."

"All nature appeared in ruins, and seemed to mourn in solitude over her melancholy fate."

8. New Madrid County Record Book No. 5 (1812).

"Louisiana territory, District of New Madrid [Sect?]. this Book of Records containing fifty four written pages including this page hath been closed this day, the twenty eight day of february 1812. By me M. Amoureux [signature] recorder Dct of New Madrid"

21. Pierce, William Leigh (1812). "An Account of the Great Earthquakes..."

"Every where Nature itself seemed tottering on the verge of dissolution."

Pittman, Capt. Philip (1770) [J. McDermott, ed. (1977)]. "The Present State of the European Settlements on the Mississippi River..."[p. 13]

"Whenever by hurricanes, earthquakes, or bad seasons, the planters suffer, a stop is put to the rigor of exacting creditors. The few taxes which are levied are remitted, and even advances are made to repair their losses and set them forward."

7. Purcell, Martha G. (1969). "Great Convulsions of Mother Earth….Formed Reelfoot Lake"

"…the most severe seismical experience recorded in the annals of America."

10. Reps, John W. (1994). "Cities of the Mississippi" (portfilio of 19^th century paintings)

"New Madrid...suffered first from continual erosion of its platted land & then was devastated by the great earthquake of 1811 to which the scruffy little town gave its name, even though it had little else to offer the world."

Schuman, Marguerite (1985). "The First State University, A Walking Tour"

"…during this time an earthquake called "Old Shaker" covered 15,000 of Smith’s acres with water."

1. Shoemaker, Floyd C. (1955). "New Madrid, Mother of Southeast Missouri" p. 326

"In 1862, James Morris Morgan, a midshipman in the Confederate navy, was ordered by Commodore George Hollins to go ashore and burn the town established by his great-grandfather"

20. Smith, James (1812). letter to Zadok Crammer, 18 February 1812

"...the wonderful changes for the worse...occasioned by the dreadful earthquake..."

Walker, John Hardeman (1847). At Reelfoot(?) in D4(?), in The Western Pilot

"Now the scene became awful in the extreme."

18. Willey, Susan (1984). "Mississippi Reversed" account of Looe Baker (Natchez)

"The earthquake, the comet and the low prices of cotton are all together considered very portentous here"

II. The Weather

1. Beck, Lewis Caleb (1823). "Gazetteer of the States of Illinois and Missouri"

pp. 197-203; general climate description; discusses severity of winters

2. Bedinger, Daniel (1812). "Earthquake on the Mississippi" National Intelligencer

14 Dec. Island #8 29°F at sunrise, 46°F at 3 pm. Wx "very dark & foggy"

15 Dec. New Madrid 40°F & 49°F "weather was very dark all day

& had the appearance of what is sometimes called

Indian Summer."

16 Dec. Island #13 45°F after D1, 45° at sunrise, 52° at 3 pm.

17 Dec. Island #23 53°F & 49°F, Winds W & NW; am is "very dark & cloudy"

18 Dec. Canadian Reach 30°F & 45°F, strong NW wind. "wind bound" all day

19 Dec. 1^st C. bluff? 24°F & 36°F, wind variable, clear day

20 Dec. 2^nd & 3^rd C. bluffs 31°F & 37°F, wx "cloudy with some rain this day."

21 Dec. Fort Pickering 47°F & 51°F

22 Dec. near Council Isl. 49°F & 50°F, wind NW

3. Brooks, Jared, Appendix to H. McMurtrie (1819) "Sketches of Louisville and its Environs"

B11 Bryan, Eliza (1826). Letter to Lorenzo Dow in 1826

D1 New Madrid a.m., cloudy, dense fog; even., heavens ‘signs of distress’

1. Clark, Blake (1969). "America’s Greatest Earthquake" Reader’s Digest

D1 New Madrid "...air was sultry"

10. Dillard, A. N. (1869). D1, in Foster, J.W., "The Miss. Valley, Its Physical Geography"

D1 New Madrid. wx ‘warm and pleasant’; peculiar haze–Indian summer

3. Drake, Daniel (1815). "Natural and Statistical View or Picture of Cincinnati"

D1 Cincinnati 2 days prior, atmosphere smoky, hazy & cloudy w/mist

J1 Cincinnati 2 nights before, atmosphere hazy, ring around moon

a.m. of 22d, temp. -5°; on 23d, 16°; on 24^th, 38°

F1 Cincinnati a.m. of 7^th, calm; p.m. of 6^th, smoky & hazy

7. Eastwood, Martha (n.d.). verbal account of the earthquakes (G), in "Early History..."

G Big Prairie (n, NM) "...atmosphere was [so] warm, damp and dense..."

6. Extract (The) (1 Feb 1812). Anonymous New Madrid letter (D1); Lexington Reporter

D1 New Madrid "..heavens..very clear & serene, not a breath of air stirring

9. Foster, __ (Dr.) (1812). 16 Jan 1812 letter, Farmer’s Reposit. -companion of Bedinger

14 Dec. Island #8 29°F at sunrise; 46°F at 3 pm; wx cloudy & dull

15 Dec. New Madrid vic. 41°F at sunrise; 49°F at 3 pm; wx misty, night calm

16 Dec Island #13 during D1 — temp. 45°F. ‘Day, cloudy, hazy, cleared by 3

47°F at sunrise; 52°F at 3 pm

17 Dec Island #24 53°F at sunrise; 49°F at 3 pm, clear evening, NW wind

18 Dec ———— 30°F, sunrise; 45°F, 3 pm.

19 Dec 1^st C. bluff 25°F, sunrise; 36°F, 3 pm.

20 Dec ~2^nd C. bluffs 21°F, sunrise; 37°F, 3 pm; after noon, dull and rainy

21 Dec Ft. Pickering wind S.; 47°F, sunrise; 57°F, 3 pm.

9. Haywood, John (1823). "The Natural and Aboriginal History of Tennessee...."

G New Madrid vic. "For 6 months before the eqs. at least...the weather was unusually warm, little or no motion of the air was perceptible, and no lightning was seen or thunder heard. A dead calm brooded over futurity."

16. La Roche, Fermin (1928). "A Sailor’s Record of the New Madrid Earthquake"

D1 New Madrid vic. not bad wx; chilly, some wind

11. Latrobe, Charles Joseph (1835). "The Rambler in North America"

D1 Yellow Bank O.R. wx ‘oppressively hot’; air misty, still & dull; air ‘thick’

20. Nolte, Vincent (1854). "Fifty Years in Both Hemispheres" [F1 eyewitness]

F1 New Madrid "It was a clear moonlit night"

21. Pierce, William Leigh (1812). "An Account of the Great Earthquakes..."

D1 Isl.#20, below LP "The night was extremely dark and cloudy; not a star appeared in the heavens, & there was every indication of a severe rain. For the 3 last days, indeed, the sky had been continually overcast, and the weather unusually thick and hazy."

22. Ritchie, James (1859). informant to T. Dudley, Annual Rpt, Smithonian, 1858

D1 New Madrid vic. "warm & smoky", thick, "balmy Indian summer"

6. Ross, James (1882). "The Life and Times of Elder Reuben Ross" Clarksville, D1

D1 Clarksville TN "The weather was quite cold & large fires were necessary"

25. Sargent, Winthrop (1815). "Account of Several Shocks of an Earthquake...."

15 Dec Natchez MS (Sunday) 50°/69/52° @ s-rise/2 pm/s-set. Baro~30.0 in.

sunshine till noon, then cldy, lt. winds

16 Dec " (Monday) 52°/69°/54° @ s-rise/2 pm/s-set. Baro~30.2 in.

foggy morn; sunshine all day

17 Dec " (Tuesdy) 60°/69°/60° @ s-rise/2 pm/s-set. Baro~30.25 in.

9. Sellers, Samuel (1886). "History of Union County Kentucky" (D1?) report

D1? Webster Cty, KY "The atmosphere, during the earthquakes, resembled Indian Summer"

III. Chronology of Floods & Droughts

1. Ambler, Charles Henry (1932). "A History of Transportation in the Ohio Valley"

p. 371 "…two ‘pumpkin floods,’ one of which occurred in 1811, the other

in 1861, when large portions of the Ohio were completely covered with

floating pumpkins, squashes, and gourds."

[ref. Wheeling Intelligencer, Oct. 1, 1861]

p. 373 1786 great flood (Ohio River)

1792 great flood (Ohio River)

1806 great flood (Ohio River)

1810 great flood (Ohio River)

1832 greatest flood, next to 1884 (Ohio River)

1847 great flood

p. 371 1884 greatest Ohio R. flood since records have been kept

1907 great flood (Ohio River)

1913 great flood (Ohio River)

3. Brown, S. (1906). "Old Kaskaskia Days and Ways" — Kaskaskia, IL

p.137 1772 Kaskaskia IL "In the freshet of 1772 one wass and bastion of Fort Chartres was undermined by the Miss. R. and fell…"

p.138 1785 "…the greatest overflow of the 18^th century and the water rose to the floor of the old tavern."

p.143 1844 "In 1844 came the greatest flood of all and Kaskaskia was almost destroyed. Water stood five feet deep in the old hotel building where the high water of 1785 had only reached the floor. The [American] bottom was covered many feet deep. Steamboats sailed from bluff to bluff."

1. Douglas, Robert Sidney (1912). "History of Southeast Missouri"–reprint, 1961

1785 St. Genevieve (Spanish owned but still French controlled) p. 51: unprecedented. Overflowed the entire town. Ever afterward known as the year of the great flood. Town abandoned, rebuilt on high ground ~3 mi. north.

p. 59. The Mississippi at this time swelled 30 ft above the highest water mark before known; Kaskaskia and the whole American bottom was inundated.

3. Drake, Daniel (1815). "Natural and Statistical View or Picture of Cincinnati"

1811 Miss. R. valley summer; greater than had occurred for 15 years before

3. Federal Writer’s Project (1939). "Tennessee: A Guide to the State"

1882-84 Reelfoot L. "Miss. floods...swept over the lake and formed the washout west of Blue Bank"

1912 Reelfoot L. great flood broke the Hickman levee; innundated lake

1937 Ridgely TN Ridgely completely covered with water; hugh, successful effort kept Hickman levee intact

3. Flint, Timothy (1828). "The History and Geography of the Mississippi Valley" p.78

1811 Miss. R. valley aver. rainfall, ~18 in/yr; in 1811, ~40 in. fell; the two great rivers filled their bottoms, in some places, to the bluffs

8. Goodspeed Publishing Co. (1888). "History of Southeast Missouri" Chicago

1785 "...a sudden and remarkable rise"...losses in St. Louis, Cahokia and Kaskaskia; caused Ste. Genevieve to relocate 3 miles south or SE of its original site; "L’annee des Grandes Eaux"

1844 "other remarkable flood"

1851 "other remarkable flood"

1875 "other remarkable flood"

1881 "other remarkable flood"

1. Houck, Louis (1908). "A History of Missouri ...." Vol. II, Chpt 12, p. 51

1785 "...memorable on account of a great flood of the Mississippi." river rose 20 feet above the highest dnown water-mark (vicinity of ‘American bottom’-Ohio R. mouth). "Among the ofd French inhabitants this year was known as ‘L’année des Grandes Eaux’ and subsequent events were dated from it."

7. Humphreys & Abbot (1861). "...Physics & Hydraulics of the Miss. River" pp. 167-183

1718 "extraordinary rise of the MR" Bienville/New Oreleans

1735 New Orleans inundated; levees broken; Dec 1734 - Jun 1735

1770 ‘great flood’ Gov. Sargent, Natchez. Approx. equal to 1811 (±1 ft)

1782 greatest height ever remembered. "l’annee des eaux"-Brackenridge

1785 great flood at St. Louis (April). Equal to 1844. Crevasses in N. Orl.

(1791) — same remarks at New Orleans as for flood of 1785 —

(1796) extreme high water, Teche R. & Grand L. Lower MR only??

(1799) — same remarks at New Orleans as for flood of 1785 —

1809 disastrous flood. highest on 4 May. Natchez: -1.6 ft, 1815; -2.1 ft, 1859

1811 great flood, highest on 4 June. Natchez: -1.5 ft, 1815; -2.0, 1859

1813 6-8" higher than 1811; max, 3 June. Natchez: -.3 ft, 1815; -.8 ft, 1859

1815 very great flood; highest ever recorded, mouth of Ohio. max, 9 April.

Natchez: max on 22 June, 2" above any previously known

(1816) — same remarks at New Orleans as for flood of 1785 —

1823 great flood. Caused by Arkansas R. Natchez, max, 23 May; -.7 ft, 1859

1824 Natchez: max, 6 May; -0.7 ft, 1815; -1.2 ft, 1859.

1828 ?contradictory info? Low (-4 ft, 1815) at mouth of Ohio, but "universally claimed to have been the greatest flood of the present century in every one of the great swamp regions below the Ohio". Perhaps Red River?

1844 Great floods from Arkansas R. in Apr & May, then upper MR/Missouri in June; +4 ft over all previous at St. Louis. St. Francis/Yazoo basins badly innundated. Red River low; Atchafalaya took most surplus water.

1849 highest stand, mid-Feb; much water bypassed Memphis through St. Francis basin. Arkansas/Red R. high. South of the Red, among most destructive ever–tremendous crevasses in levees.

1850 max discharge at Memphis (Mar-May), 1,050,000 cf/sec. St. Francis & Yazoo basins deeply flooded. Lower, crevasses open 4-6 months.

1851 mainly Ohio R. At Memphis, max on 11 Mar., -1 ft, 1858. Much water into St. Francis. More great flooding in May from upper MR & Missouri.

1858 4 great rises (Dec 1857, late Mar, late Apr, greatest in June). 3^rd had discharge of 1,260,000 cf/sec to alluvial region below Ohio R.; 4^th had 1,475,000 cf/sec. Destroyed all St Francis levees; deepest ever there.

1859 2 principal rises, Dec. 1858 and Feb-Mar. At head of alluvial region, -2.1 ft, 1858. At Memphis, MR remained within 1 ft of 1858 level for 80 consecutive days. Many crevasses on lower MR.

11. Johnston, Jill (1998). From Charles Crawford’s history class

1917 Mississippi River froze entirely across at Memphis (-32.7°F)

11. Latrobe, Charles Joseph (1835). "The Rambler in North America" pp. 101-102

1772 Ohio River greatest known since settlement

11. Latrobe, Charles Joseph (1835). "The Rambler in North America" pp. 101-102

1811 Miss. R. valley spring; many parts of valley covered ‘bluff to bluff’

10. LeSieur, F. V. (Col.) ["A Creole"] (1893). "Early History...." from the NM Archive, MHS

1766 "the account of the earliest and greatest high water on the Mississippi river having been written by Captain Phillip Pittman of his majesty’s royal engineers who had ascended the river as far as St. Louis, and describes a flood that occurred in 1766 that surpassed anything recorded in our more modern era."

1785 great floods. "l’anne des grands eaux" to the French St. Genevieve became refuge for many river settlers; NM not inundated.

1811 as disasterous as 1785. "...the water came in June and rose with rapidity unil the 14^th of the month"

1815 one of greatest "flood tides" known since settlement

1823 equally as disasterous as 1811 and 1815 (or 1785?)

1826 equally as disasterous as 1811 and 1815 (or 1785?)

1844 "excelled them all". 4 ft. higher (Kaskaskia, St. Gen.) than 1785 because at 1785 waters could disperse in the SE MO lowlands. Did not overflow NM.

1848 disasters came; a "l’anne des grande eaux"

1849 disasters came; a "l’anne des grande eaux"

1853 drought. waterlevel sunk 3-4 ft

1862 disasters came; a "l’anne des grande eaux"

1867 disasters came; a "l’anne des grande eaux"

1874 year of the great western drought; fires spread over forest; ground water level throughout upper Miss. valley lowered 5-6 ft; lakes dried.

1882 like 1815; due to Missouri, upper Miss. R., Ohio all being high

1884 disasters came; a "l’anne des grande eaux"

1886 disasters came; a "l’anne des grande eaux"

12. Matthes, G. H. (1951). "Paradoxes of the Mississippi" Scientific American

1936-37 winter flood. Matthes calls it "...the greates to flow all the way to the Gulf within its levees (without a single break)..."

7. Roper, James E. (1971). "The Earliest Pictures of Memphis: Charles Lesueur..."

1828 Memphis April. "Lesueur happened to arrive at the time of highest water on record up to that year (and perhaps even to the present day), when the river was only twenty feet from the bluff crest."

1. Shoemaker, Floyd C. (1955). "New Madrid, Mother of Southeast Missouri"

1875 New Madrid severe flood nearly destroyed the town

IV. The Moon

B11 Bryan, Eliza (1826). Letter to Lorenzo Dow in 1826 **not the 1816 letter**

D1 New Madrid "moon was shining brilliantly"

1. Clark, Blake (1969). "America’s Greatest Earthquake" Reader’s Digest

D1 New Madrid "....bright new moon"; all big eqs except 1 at new or full m.

20. Nolte, Vincent (1854). "Fifty Years in Both Hemispheres" [F1 eyewitness]

F1 New Madrid "It was a clear moonlit night"

V. Earthquake Lights

Far-Field

3. Dean, Gilbert (1936). "Stories of the Great Quake" —Nashville Banner, 1936—

D1 Knoxville 2 light flashes, resembling distant lightning

8. McLoughlin, William G. ( n. d. ) "The Cherokee Ghost Dance..." Springplace GA

D1 Springplace GA "...some saw a streak of lightning having its beginning from the same direction as the noise"

6. Shaler, Nathaniel Southgate (1869). "Earthquakes of the Western United States"

G Knoxville "At Knoxville…the shocks were violent, and attended, as

at many other points, with flashes like lightning."

Near-Field

2. Bedinger, Daniel (1812). "Earthquake on the Mississippi" National Intelligencer

D1 ~Island #13 "Nothing was seen like lightning, fire, smoke or anything

of a volcanic nature."

10. Dillard, A. N. (1869). D1, in Foster, J.W., "The Miss. Valley, Its Physical Geography"

G New Madrid. "There issued no burning flames, but flashes such as result from the explosion of gas or the passage of the electrical fluid from one cloud to another."

9. Foster, __ (Dr.) (1812). 16 Jan 1812 letter, Farmer’s Reposit. -companion of Bedinger

D1 ~Island #13 "It was excessively dark, and no emission of light was observed in any part of the horizon..."

9. Haywood, John (1823). "The Natural and Aboriginal History of Tennessee...."

G p. 30 "at night, flashes of lightning seemed....to break from the earth."

G p. 31 "...lights were seen in the night, sometimes westwardly...but shooting much further toward the east..."

16. La Roche, Fermin (1928). "A Sailor’s Record of the New Madrid Earthquake"

D1 New Madrid vic. "There was much lightning."

4. Linn, Lewis F. (1837). letter in Wetmore, A. "Gazetteer of the State of Missouri"

G New Madrid vic. "....flashes of electricity gleamed through the troubled clouds of night, rendering the darkness doubly horrible"

20. Nolte, Vincent (1854). "Fifty Years in Both Hemispheres" [F1 eyewitness]

F1 New Madrid "...instantly followed by countless flashes of lightning"; and again "...fierce flashes of lightning"

6. Shaler, Nathaniel Southgate (1869). "Earthquakes of the Western United States"

G New Madrid vic. "There seems no doubt that there were sudden flashes of fire at the moment of each shock. This...does not rest upon the authority of one observer, but is supported by so many independent observations that it cannot be considered doubtful."....– goes on to attribute the "electric flashes" to friction in the soil & says most nocturnal shocks of extreme violence have them.

9. Shaler, William (1814). Letter to Mitchill, Samuel L. (1814). ‘Patron’s F1 account

F1 near New Madrid "many sparks of fire emitted from the earth"

1. Speed, Mathias (1812). "From the Bairdstown (Kentucky) Repository"

F1 near New Madrid "He [the boatman stranded on the island] states that frequent lights appeared..."

Steele, Rev. John M. (1892). In Jewell, Horace, "History of Methodism in Arkansas"

G near New Madrid "An eye-witness who was on one of the boats, says that about 10 or 11 o’clock at night a sheet of flame and burning coals seemed to come from the bed of the river, shooting up to the height of several hundred feet into the air."

VI. Earthquake Haze/Sulphur smell

B8 Braunm, Michael (1896). in Smyth-Davis, M., "History of Dunklin County, Missouri"

D1 Pemiscot Cty. (LP) "...great quantities of sand, water & a black sulphurous vapor, was thrown out to nearly the height of an ordinary tree, completely darkening the atmosphere...."

B11 Bryan, Eliza (1816 & 1826). Letter to Lorenzo Dow in 1816 and 1826

D1 New Madrid compl. saturation of atmos, sulphurous vapor, total darkn.

J1 New Madrid same as D1

F1 New Madrid awful darkness of atmos. saturated w/sulphurous vapor

7. Eastwood, Martha (n.d.). verbal account of the earthquakes (G), in "Early History..."

G Big Prairie "...the gas that was escaping and darkening the (above N. Madrid) atmosphere blew these substances (sand & charcoal) up several feet."

1. Extract (The) (1 Feb 1812). Anonymous New Madrid letter (D1); Lexington Reporter

D1 New Madrid "...in 5 minutes it became very dark, and a vapor which seemed to impregnate the atmosphere, had a disagree- able smell, & produced a difficulty of respiration."

12. Fletcher, James (1812). 21 Jan 1812 letter in 14 Feb 1812 Pittsburg Gazette

D1 Little Prairie "The air was strongly impregnated with a sulphurous smell."

9. Foster, __ (Dr.) (1812). 16 Jan 1812 letter, Farmer’s Reposit. -companion of Bedinger

D1 Island #13 "...nor could we discover the slightest impregnation of the (FR 28 Feb 1812) atmosphere with smoke...although some of the men (by hard snuffing) thought they smelt some thing like sulphur."

(FR 31 Jan 1812) "Immediately after the first shock and those which took place after daylight, the whole atmosphere was impregnated with a sulphurous smell."

9. Fowler, Judge Wiley P. (eyewitness) in, Purcell, Martha G. (1969). Mayfield Messenger

G Western KY "He [Fowler] said that the darkness was so dense during many days that the chickens went to roost…"

9. Griswold, Stanley (1813). letters in "The Medical Repository, New Series, I"

G New Madrid vic. "...credible persons at and near New Madrid...not only saw fissures open in the earth but something like smoke, or steam issue out of them."

"They [lawyers from Kaskaskia]...distinctly heard wind (or steam) issue from the old fissures....and strongly scented with sulphureous smell."

9. Haywood, John (1823). "The Natural and Aboriginal History of Tennessee...."

G New Madrid vic. "The effluvia which caused the dimness of the day seemed to be neither cloud nor smoke, yet resembling both....It seldom terminated in condensation, as Tennessee vapours usually do.

13. Hildreth’s eyewitness [Hildreth, Samuel Prescott, 1842]. "American Pioneer"

D3 Isl. 18, ~40 mi "The atmosphere was filled with a thick vapor or gas, to which the light imparted a purple tinge, altogether different in appearance from the autumnal haze of Indian summer, or that of smoke."

14. Hudson’s eyewitness [Hudson, Arthur Palmer, 1947]. "Ballad of the New Madrid Eq."

D3 Isl. 18, ~40 mi "As soon as daylight did appear, The elements were darken’d I walked out about the yard, And saw the earth was cracking."

16. La Roche, Fermin (1928). "A Sailor’s Record of the New Madrid Earthquake"

D1 New Madrid vic. "....the air was thick with something like smoke."

4. Linn, Lewis F. (1837). letter in Wetmore, A. "Gazetteer of the State of Missouri"

G New Madrid vic. "a dense black cloud of vapour overshadowed the land.."

20. Lloyd, James T. (1856). "Lloyd’s Steamboat Directory & Disasters on the Western..."

G New Madrid vic. "a dense fog or mist pervaded the atmosphere. The air was impregnated with a sulphurous effluvium..."

1. Moore, Edith Wyatt (1958). "Natchez Under-the-Hill"

G Natchez "…every disturbance was marked with odorous fumes

that nauseated the inhabitants."

6. Shaler, Nathaniel Southgate (1869). "Earthquakes of the Western United States"

D1 New Madrid vic. "within 5 min. after the first movement, the heavens, which had been peculiarly clear & serene, became overcast, & the air was filled with a dense vapor, which had a disagreeable smell & produced a difficulty of breathing."

8. Spears, Raymond (1910). "The New Madrid Earthquake Country" Americana

D1 near Nmad "The air was filled with suphur fumes…"

18. Willey, Susan (1984). "Mississippi Reversed" account of Looe Baker (Natchez)

D1 New Madrid vic. "The river is...covered with smoke rising instantaneously 11 feet and belching up from its bed immense quantities of coal strongly impregnated with sulphur..."

29. Wiseman, John (n.d.) account of the earthquakes. In "Early History", NM archive

F1? below N. Madrid "..gas coming up from these fissures smelling like sulphur"

VII. River Foam, discoloration

2. Bedinger, Daniel (1812). "Earthquake on the Mississippi" National Intelligencer

D1 ~Island #13 "The river...was suddenly covered with a thick froth. It rose about 18 inches in a few minutes time and became very rapid...about two hours after, it subsided, and the current again became gentle. The froth, too, had passed down the stream and entirely disappeared before the day*." *"It was afterwards

concluded, that, as this froth was evidently produced by the ebullitions or bubbling of water, formed, during the concussion from the bottom and sides of the river, through innumerable ducts and openings—as it floated off, down the stream in so short a space of time, the most violent effects of the earthquake could not have extended on the river, to any great distance above this place."

B7. Bradbury, John (1817). "Travels in the Interior of America..." Univ. Microfilms, Inc.

D1 ~Island #34 "The river was covered with foam and drift timber and had risen considerably"

B11 Bryan, Eliza (1826). Letter to Lorenzo Dow in 1826

D1 New Madrid river was "...boiling, foaming & roaring terrifically."

9. Foster, __ (Dr.) (1812). 16 Jan 1812 letter, Farmer’s Reposit. -companion of Bedinger

D1 ~Island #13 "The river had risen about 18 inches...now hurried by us at the rate of 5 or 6 miles an hour, carrying upon its surface a thick froth; but in about 3 hours it returned to its former stage and tranquility."

D4 ~Island #13 "...the water was very muddy and frothy."

13. Judge Humphreys (1812). "Big Earthquake of 1811-12..." Nashville American (1900)

G New Madrid vic. "...the waters of the Mississippi were so strongly impregnated with the effluvia of matter...as to be unfit for use..."

F1 New Madrid vic. "...the water was so warm...and so strongly tinctured with combustible matter as to resemble water impregnated with pulverized gunpowder."

13. Hildreth’s eyewitness [Hildreth, Samuel Prescott, 1842]. "American Pioneer"

D3 Isl. 18, ~40 mi water changed to a reddish hue & was thick with mud and was "covered with foam, which gathering into masses the size of a barrel, floated along on the trembling surface."

22. Ritchie, James (1859). informant to T. Dudley, Annual Rpt, Smithonian, 1858

D1 New Madrid vic. black substance on river, as soot from immense chimney

1. Speed, Mathias (1812). "From the Bairdstown (Kentucky) Repository"

F1 near New Madrid "The water of the river....appeared to be almost black, with something like the dust of stone coal..."

18. Willey, Susan (1984). "Mississippi Reversed" account of Looe Baker (Natchez)

D1 New Madrid vic. "The river is...covered with smoke rising instantaneously 11 feet and belching up from its bed immense quantities of coal strongly impregnated with sulphur....the water was so black, muddy & sulphurous that he could not swallow it for 24 hours."

VIII. Ringing Church Bells

1. Brown, S. (1906). "Old Kaskaskia Days and Ways"

G Kaskaskia S. Il "…the steeple of the church bent like a reed; the old bell rang with tremulous strokes like some unseen demon pulling on the bell cord…"

2. Dean, Gilbert (1936). "Stories of the Great Quake" —Nashville Banner, 1936—

F1 Charleston SC St Phillip’s church— ~10 sec.

9. Mitchill, Samuel L. (1814). "A Detailed Narrative of the Earthquakes..." p. 291

D1 Herculaneum MO "...cradles rocked and church bells rang"

11. Reynolds, John (1855). "My Own Times" D1 report near East St. Louis

D1 Cahokia Il "…the church bell sounded by the agitation of the building"

25. Sargent, Winthrop (1815). "Account of Several Shocks of an Earthquake...."

D1 Natchitoches "In Charleston, South Carolina, and at Natchitoches or Nagadoches the bells in their church steeples were rung by the motion of the buildings"

6. Shaler, Nathaniel Southgate (1869). "Earthquakes of the Western United States"

G Charleston SC "…the church-steeples rocked so that the bells rang

continuously"

Stewart, David & Ray Knox (1995). "The Earthquake America Forgot" page 198

F1 ~~Boston~~ "Church bells rang in Boston, 1,000 miles from New Madrid. The ground motion lasted several minutes."

Rang Church Bells in Boston

1. Platt, Carolyn V. (1993, Sep-Oct). "Nightmare on the Mississippi...." Timeline

IX. Stopped clocks

16. The (Kentucky) Reporter (Lexington). February 1, 1812 issue, p. 4, col. 1

J1 Lexington KY "...clocks stopped and glassware thrown off tables..."

X. Chimney/Masonry down or damaged

2. Bedinger, Daniel (1812). "Earthquake on the Mississippi" National Intelligencer

D1 Little Prairie "only brick chimney in the place was entirely demolished"

3. Brooks, Jared, Appendix to H. McMurtrie (1819) "Sketches of Louisville and its Environs"

D1 Louisville KY gables, parapets, chimnies of many houses thrown down

J1 Louisville KY much damage to houses in addition to that from 16^th

F1 Louisville KY ‘most tremendous eq yet’ but no specific damage stated

1. Brown, S. (1906). "Old Kaskaskia Days and Ways" — S. Illinois, general descript.

G Kaskaskia S. Il "stone & brick chimneys fell down; houses cracked as if it were doomsday."

10. Crist, George Heinrich (1738– ). Crist Family Diary [D1,J1,F1, near Louisville KY]

J1 Louisville vic. "We lost our Amandy Jane in this one - a log fell on her."

3. Dean, Gilbert (1936). "Stories of the Great Quake" —Nashville Banner, 1936—

F1 Frankfort KY penitentiary considerably damaged

3. Drake, Daniel (1815). "Natural and Statistical View or Picture of Cincinnati"

D1 Cincinnati "throw off the tops of a few chimnies in vicinity of town"

J1 Cincinnati —none reported—

F1 Cincinnati "threw down the tops of more chimnies...wider fissures in brick walls" (than any other shock)

1. Extract (The) (1 Feb 1812). Anonymous New Madrid letter (D1); Lexington Reporter

D1 New Madrid no injury sustained except loss of the chimney

D3 New Madrid "chimnies falling in every direction"

9. Griswold, Stanley (1813). letters in "The Medical Repository, New Series, I"

G Kaskaskia, Il "...every building of brick or stone....Even here (150 miles above) all such were dreadfully wrecked. The strong, new stone house, where I live and now write, is cracked in every direction."

16. Land, Yearby (1908). eyewitness in Berry, Daniel, Transact. Illinois St. Hist. Soc.

G Shawneetown IL "Some of them (pretentious buildings) had stone

Chimneys. These were tumbled down….Mrs. Eddy…heard ‘how the chimneys fell down’."

15. Lloyd, J. T. (? author uncert.) (1812). Letter from Cape Girardeau, Louisiana Gazette

F1 Cape Girardeau "...demolishing chimnies, & cracking cellar walls"

7. Louisiana Gazette, St. Louis (21 Dec. 1811). "Earthquake" (St. Louis effects)

D1 St. Louis a few chimneys thrown down; a few stone houses split

8. McDermott, J. F. (1949). "Old Cahokia" —liquefaction report, also in Street (1984)

G Cahokia Il (E. St. Louis) some stone & brick houses abandoned. "...I was nearly crushed by a falling chimney."

10. McRaven, H. (1949). "Nashville ‘Athens of the South" –also in McRaven (1967)

D1 Williamson Cty. TN 2-story stone chimney split 8-10 feet ‘in the breast’

4. Pearce, Helen Baker (1958). "Early History of Hopkins County"

G Mortons Gap KY crack formed in a brick wall

10. Rankin, John (1837). "Letters on American Slavery" D1 far-field report

D1 Birdsville Ky overturned heavy rock and clay wall; also chimney

16. Reynolds, John (1852). "The Pioneer History of Illinois" p. 335

D1 Kaskaskia, IL "The violence of the earthquake was so great that it throwed down chimneys, and injured houses."

11. Reynolds, John (1855). "My Own Times" D1 report near East St. Louis

D1 "American Bottoms" "...many chimneys were thrown down..."

16. The (Kentucky) Reporter (Lexington). February 1, 1812 issue, p. 4, col. 1

J1 Louisville "several chimnies were broken off..."

22. Ritchie, James (1859). informant to T. Dudley, Annual Rpt, Smithonian, 1858

F1 New Madrid threw down brick chimnies & 2 brick dwellings in NM

10. Shaw, John (1912). "NM Eq.: Account of Colonel John Shaw" Missouri Hist. Review

D1 ~30 mi N.of NM "The house, where I was stopping...brick portion all fell..."

7. Williams, S. C. (1930). "Beginnings of West Tenn." report of Andrew Jackson

F1 Nashville "severity was such as ‘to throw down chimneys & crack walls’"

XI. Earthquake sounds or noise

Far-Field

1. Audubon, John James (1897). "Audubon and His Journals"

J1? western KY "...heard what I imagined to be the distant rumbling of a violent tornado..."

1. Brown, William (1930). in Pusey, William Allen, Science, vol. 71, p. 285-286.

J4 Hodgenville KY "....and a rumbling noise was heard"

F1 Hodgenville KY "....rumbling noise..distant thunder", 3 reports like cannon

10. Crist, George Heinrich (1738– ). Crist Family Diary [D1,J1,F1, near Louisville KY]

D1 Hodgenville KY "The roar I thught [sic] would leave us deaf if we lived.""

7. Louisiana Gazette, St. Louis (21 Dec. 1811). "Earthquake" (St. Louis effects)

D1 St. Louis "subterraneous thunder; carriages on pavement

D2 St. Louis "no noise"

D4 St. Louis "usual noise"

8. McLoughlin, William G. ( n. d. ) "The Cherokee Ghost Dance..." Springplace GA

D1 Springplace GA "Just before that [strong shaking] there was a strong violent noise heard from the W. N. W. ..."

10. McRaven, H. (1949). "Nashville ‘Athens of the South" –also in McRaven (1967)

D3 Williamson Cty. TN "...a distant heavy murmur, like low-down thunder, was heard. All eyes turned to the south-west."

16. The (Kentucky) Reporter (Lexington). February 1, 1812 issue, p. 4, col. 1

J1 Frankfort KY "A noise was very distinctly heard, previous to1st shock"

J1 Washington KY "terminated in rumbling noise, similar to distant thunder"

6. Ross, James (1882). "The Life and Times of Elder Reuben Ross" Clarksville, D1

D3 Clarksville TN "...a noise like distant subterranean thunder", far to SW

25. Sargent, Winthrop (1815). "Account of Several Shocks of an Earthquake...."

D1 Natchez MS "An old servant....observes that this earthquake was immediately preceded by a noise like near & very low thunder."

8. White, Edgar (1925). "Missouri History Not Found in Textbooks" [Duck River Gibson]

D1 SW Illinois "A weird rumbling preceded the disturbance"

Near-Field

2. Bedinger, Daniel (1812). "Earthquake on the Mississippi" National Intelligencer

D1 ~Island #13 "About 2 o’clock...alarmed by an unusual noise seemingly under the bottom of the barge...Frequent rumbling sounds were heard, resembling distant thunder, and numerous heavy reports, indicative of explosions..."

B7. Bradbury, John (1817). "Travels in the Interior of America..." Univ. Microfilms, Inc.

D1 ~Island #34 ‘awakened by a most tremendous noise...inconceivably loud and terrific

4. Bringier, Louis (1821). "Notices of the Geology, Mineralogy, Topography...."

J1 near New Madrid ‘roaring & whistling’ (air/water venting)

B8 Braunm, Michael (1896). in Smyth-Davis, M., "History of Dunklin County, Missouri"

D1 Pemiscot Cty (LP) ‘terrible rumbling noise’ (perhaps the sand/water venting)

B11 Bryan, Eliza (1816). Letter to Lorenzo Dow in 1816

D1 New Madrid very awful noise; loud but distant thunder, hoarse, vibrat.

J1 New Madrid same as D1

F1 New Madrid a concussion; tempestuous thundering noise

7. Davis, John (Capt.) (1812). Jan.5, 1812 letter. In Cramer, Z. (1814), p. 305-306.

D1 Island #25 "...compare to...a team of horses running away with a wagon over the most rocky road..."

D3/D4 " "At 12 min. after 7, we heard a tremendous distant noise.."

7. Eastwood, Martha (n.d.). verbal account of the earthquakes (G), in "Early History..."

G Big Prairie (n, NM) "...terrific roaring like distant, or like surpressed thunder."

1. Extract (The) (1 Feb 1812). Anonymous New Madrid letter (D1); Lexington Reporter

D1 New Madrid awakened by a most tremendous noise...

12. Fletcher, James (1812). 21 Jan 1812 letter in 14 Feb 1812 Pittsburg Gazette

D1 Little Prairie "Previous to the shocks coming on, we heard a rumbling noise like that of thunder."

9. Foster, __ (Dr.) (1812). 16 Jan 1812 letter, Farmer’s Reposit. -companion of Bedinger

D1 ~Island #13 "...dreadful clattering...confused rumbling noise...reports like those of a musket in the woods...sometimes heavy sounds like distant explosions...there was no wind but we heard a roaring upon the water at a distance"

D4 ~Island #13 "We heard loud reports far in the swamp, and a noise like wind passing furiously through the woods."

9. Griswold, Stanley (1813). letters in "The Medical Repository, New Series, I"

G New Madrid vic. "...many affirm, that the ‘subterraneous thunder’ has now gotten considerably farther up the river than where it first was heard."

"An almost continual motion has been felt there [New Madrid] to the present time [Sept. 1812], together with a rumbling noise under ground, which is now by the people called ‘subterraneous thunder.’"

9. Haywood, John (1823). "The Natural and Aboriginal History of Tennessee...."

G New Madrid vic. "Explosions like the discharge of a cannon at a few miles distance were heard...made a noise similar to that of the wheels of a wagon in a pebbly road...A distant rumbling was heard almost without intermission and sometimes seemed to be in the air."

13. Hildreth’s eyewitness [Hildreth, Samuel Prescott, 1842]. "American Pioneer"

D3 Isl. 18, ~40 mi loud roaring & hissing, "escape of steam from a boiler"

14. Holliday, Major Benjamin [D1(?) eyewitness D1 account in Korn, A. L. B. (1919)]

D1 near New Madrid "the discharge of heavy artillery"

14. Hudson’s eyewitness [Hudson, Arthur Palmer, 1947]. "Ballad of the New Madrid Eq."

D3 Isl. 18, ~40 mi "As for myself, I must confess I could but stand and wonder Expecting ev’ry moment to hear Some louder claps of thunder."

16. La Roche, Fermin (1928). "A Sailor’s Record of the New Madrid Earthquake"

D1 New Madrid vic. "crash like thunder". "Sound was in the ground, sometimes muffled, sometimes groaning; sometimes it cracked and crashed, not like thunder but as though a great sheet of ice had broken."

17. Lesieur, Godfrey (1871). "Letter to Mr. Hager" in the New Madrid Archive’s ‘Early History’

D3 Little Prairie "rumbling noise...in west...not unlike distant thunder"

4. Linn, Lewis F. (1837). letter in Wetmore, A. "Gazetteer of the State of Missouri"

G New Madrid vic. commenced with distant rumbling, then "discharges as if a 1000 pieces of artillery were suddenly exploded"

20. Nolte, Vincent (1854). "Fifty Years in Both Hemispheres" [F1 eyewitness]

F1 New Madrid "...a frightful crash, like a sudden explosion of artillery"

21. Pierce, William Leigh (1812). "An Account of the Great Earthquakes..."

D1 Isl.#20, below LP noise similar to that produced by running over a sand bar

...."during the first 4 shocks, tremendous & uninterruped explosions, resembling a discharge of artillery, were heard from the opposite shore...an incessant rumbling was heard below..."

22. Ritchie, James (1859). informant to T. Dudley, Annual Rpt, Smithonian, 1858

D1 New Madrid ‘deep rumbling noise’ like many thunders in the distance

9. Shaler, William (1814). Letter to Mitchill, Samuel L. (1814). ‘Patron’s F1 account

F1 near New Madrid "awakened by a tremendous roaring noise"

8. Spears, Raymond (1910). "The New Madrid Earthquake Country" Americana

D1 near Nmad "A low hoarse thunder rolled up out of the southwest. It grew louder and louder."

1. Speed, Mathias (1812). "From the Bairdstown (Kentucky) Repository"

F1 near New Madrid "...attended with a noise more tremendous and terrific than I can describe...the constant discharge of heavy cannon might give some idea of the noise for loudness, but this was infinitely more terrible, on account of its appearing to be subterraneous."

29. Wiseman, John (n.d.) account of the earthquakes. In "Early History", NM archive

D1 below N. Madrid "...awakened by a roaring noise..."

XII. Far-Field Liquefaction/Fissuring/Subsidence

1. Brown, S. (1906). "Old Kaskaskia Days and Ways" — S. Illinois, general descript.

G Kaskaskia S. Il "…the soil cracked so deeply in the very streets that they could not sound the bottom of the crevice, and the water drawn from it exhaled a most disagreeable odor…"

3. Dean, Gilbert (1936). "Stories of the Great Quake" —Nashville Banner, 1936—

F1 Ft. Blount (Ky?) fissures; 4 sq mi sink 4 ft

G Piney River TN 20 acres sink to tops of trees

13. Judge Humphreys (1812). "Big Earthquake of 1811-12..." Nashville American (1900)

G Natchez Trace "...near the post road between Natchez and Nashville several hillocks of fine white sand have been protruded upward to the surface of the ground, through a deep black soil covered with canebrake"

15. Land, Yearby (1908). eyewitness in Berry, Daniel, Transact. Illinois St. Hist. Soc.

G White County IL "In the prairie…a big crack was made in the ground and

you could not see to the bottom of it. The ground on the south of the creek sunk down about two feet….It could be traced about two miles."

"There were many square miles of this level plain, and over it…piles and piles of pure snow white sand were heaved up…from the size of a bee-gum to three or four wagon loads."

8. McDermott, J. F. (1949). "Old Cahokia" —liquefaction report, also in Street (1984)

G Cahokia Il (E. St. Louis) many earth openings; water, sand emitted

8. McLoughlin, William G. ( n. d. ) "The Cherokee Ghost Dance..." Springplace GA

D1 Springplace GA "...in a field 13 sink holes appeared as a result of the earthquake, the largest of which is 20 feet deep and 120 feet in circumference and is supposed to be full of greenish water."

1. Moore, Edith Wyatt (1958). "Natchez Under-the-Hill"

G Natchez "Six miles out of Natchez, at the village of Washington,

A chasm suddenly opened up and swallowed at least one

House and barn."

16. The (Kentucky) Reporter (Lexington). February 1, 1812 issue, p. 4, col. 1

J1 Louisville KY "...it is said by some, that fissures in the ground several yards long and an inch and a half wide, were discovered in the street near the Market house. (For the truth of the latter we will not vouch.)

16. Reynolds, John (1852). "The Pioneer History of Illinois" p. 335

D1 Athens, IL "On the Kaskaskia River, below Athens, the water and white sand were thrown up through a fissure of the earth."

15. Stewart, David & Ray Knox (1995). "The Earthquake America Forgot" page 198

F1 Cincinnati "Fissures formed and split open the ground. Sand deposits liquefied, and grounwater flowed onto the surface."

XIII. Far-Field changes in springs

3. Dean, Gilbert (1936). "Stories of the Great Quake" —Nashville Banner, 1936—

G E. of Nashville (Hermitage) new spring (mineral or sulphur water)

9. Haywood, John (1823). "The Natural and Aboriginal History of Tennessee...."

G W. Tennessee streams ever since more copious than before...old sulphur springs have commenced running again...in some places new sulphur springs have broken out of the earth and still continue to run

20. Lloyd, James T. (1856). "Lloyd’s Steamboat Directory & Disasters on the Western..."

G New Madrid vic. "...a taste of sulphur was observed in the water of the river and the neighboring springs."

8. Purcell, Martha G. (1969). "Great Convulsions of Mother Earth….Formed Reelfoot Lake"

G Harrodsburg KY "…it was discovered that water ceased to flow after that [the earthquake], from the Old Fort Harrod Spring…"

G Trigg Cty KY "When the pioneers first found this Spa, the water was a blue-black, but it is said when the great convulsion of Mother Earth occurred…it likewise changed the color of the the water of this spring to a sky-blue, hence the name famed for past generations—CERULEAN SPRING—of ‘The Land of the Sky-Blue Water’."

11. Smith, Edward D. (1818). "On the Changes...in Wells in Columbia, S. C."

G Columbia, SC

XIV. Duration of Shaking

Near-Field

2. Bedinger, Daniel (1812). "Earthquake on the Mississippi" National Intelligencer

D1 ~Island #13 "...lasted (without intermission) about 40 seconds."

D3 or D4 " "About half past 7 o’clock A.M. there was another shock...it lasted only about 20 seconds."

4. Bringier, Louis (1821). "Notices of the Geology, Mineralogy, Topography...."

J1 near New Madrid 2 min. (nearly)

9. Foster, __ (Dr.) (1812). 16 Jan 1812 letter, Farmer’s Reposit. -companion of Bedinger

D1 ~Island #13 "The duration of the shock was about 40 seconds."

D2 " 1/2 hr after D1, 2^nd shock, duration about 29 seconds

D4? " half past 7, 4^th shock, did not continue as long as 1^st

17. Lesieur, Godfrey (1871). "Letter to Mr. Hager" in Switzler, Douglas, Campbell, etc.

D3 Little Prairie lasted perhaps one minute

20. Nolte, Vincent (1854). "Fifty Years in Both Hemispheres" [F1 eyewitness]

F1 New Madrid "This fearful spectacle lasted for several minutes..."

Far-Field

1. Audubon, John James (1897). "Audubon and His Journals"

J1? western KY "...lasted only a few minutes..."

1. Brooks, Jared, Appendix to H. McMurtrie (1819) "Sketches of Louisville and its Environs"

D1 Louisville KY 1.5 min., "duration of greatest violence"

J1 Louisville KY 5 min. but about one-half that for ‘tremendous’ shaking

F1 Louisville KY 4 min. for duration of ‘greatest violence’

1. Brown, William (1930). in Pusey, William Allen, Science, vol. 71, p. 285-286.

D1 Hodgenville KY 15 min., "...motion of shaking"

D2 Hodgenville KY 1-2 min., another felt, less severe

D4? Hodgenville KY "continued a few minutes"

J1 Hodgenville KY "another severe shock was felt...continued several min."

F1 Hodgenville KY "fully 15 minutes", very severe

3. Drake, Daniel (1815). "Natural and Statistical View or Picture of Cincinnati"

D1 Cincinnati "Its continuance....was six or seven minutes"

D3 " "a moderate rocking...of about one minute duration"

J1 Cincinnati "strong undulations...quick succession...4-5 minutes"

F1 Cincinnati 4 min. for duration of ‘greatest violence’

16. Lloyd, J. T. (? author uncert.) (1812). Letter from Cape Girardeau, Louisiana Gazette

F1 Cape Girardeau lasting longer than any on record, from 10 to 15 minutes

7. Louisiana Gazette, St. Louis (21 Dec. 1811). "Earthquake" (St. Louis effects)

D1 St. Louis ~1 3/4 minutes

D2 St. Louis ~2 minutes–less violent, no noise

D3 St. Louis nearly 1 minute

D4 St. Louis ~30 sec – almost as violent as first

2. Madison, James (1812). "Letters & Other Writings of James Madison, Vol II..."

F1 Washington DC lasted several minutes

3. Mansfield, J. M. (1812). Letter to Major Joseph Mix (Street, 1984)

J1 Cincinnati "....continued 2 or 3 minutes"

16. The (Kentucky) Reporter (Lexington). February 1, 1812 issue, p. 4, col. 1

J1 Chillicothe OH "Its continuance was near two minutes..."

J1 Frankfort KY "...its duration was perhaps about one minute"

J1 Paris KY "The shaking continued about 1 minute and a half..."

J1 Washington KY "...commenced with a jarr....and lasted about a minute..."

18. Willey, Susan (1984). "Mississippi Reversed" account of Looe Baker (Natchez)

F1 Natchez "The shocks this morning...supposed to have lasted 6 or 8 minutes...the rocking lasted about 2 minutes after I could collect myself."

F3 Natchez " the rocking which continued about two minutes"

XV. Mention of falls, rapids or retrograde current, Mississippi River

3. Austin, Stephen F. (1924). "The Austin Papers" [ed. Eugene C. Barker]

F1 6 miles above N.M. "The effects of the Earthquake began to be visible about 20 miles above this place [New Madrid] by the shattered state of the Bank of the River. 6 miles above this [New Madrid or the 20 mi. point??] the Bed of the River rose on the night of the 7 February....and formed a kind of falls very similar to the falls of Ohio."

1. Bardstown letter (The) (n.d.). "For the Bards Town Repository" –a citizen of Kentucky

G epicentral zone "That considerable & very dangerous falls have been formed in that River both above and below New Madrid that is no doubt."

2. Bolles, Gen. John A. (1871). "Earthquake Law," Harper's New Monthly Magazine

"The upheaval of the river-bed below New Madrid drove back its waters, and compelled them for many miles and many hours to actually run up stream...."

B8 Braunm, Michael (1896). in Smyth-Davis, M., "History of Dunklin County, Missouri"

D1? Pemiscot Cty (LP) ‘current was retrograded for a short time’

B11 Bryan, Eliza (1816 & 1826). Letter to Lorenzo Dow in 1816 and 1826

D1 New Madrid current was retrograde for a few min.; irruption in its bed

F1 New Madrid river receded from banks & overflowed w/retrograde curr.

8. Clark, Merriweather Lewis (1851). Letter to U.S. Geologist on SE Missouri drainage

G New Madrid vic. "At that time [1811-12] the bed of the Mississippi below New Madrid was so much raised, as to change the current of the river, making it for a time, in the language of the inhabitants, ‘flow up stream’, – of this, there is no doubt, there are now living witnesses of the fact. Boats, that were descending the river loaded with coal, were driven back a considerable distance." [(non)-italics mine; Clark was surveyor general of Mo & Ill]

9. Fisher, Alfred J. (1935). "When A Great River Flowed Upstream" Missouri Mag.

G no location "The water was dreadfully agitated. I rose and fell in great swells. It rolled back in a huge wall, against the descending current, and for several hours the great river actually ran upstream."

1. Flint, Timothy (1826). "Recollections of the Last Ten Years"

G New Madrid "A bursting of the earth just below the village of New Madrid, arrested this mighty stream in its course, and caused a reflux of its waves..."

1. Fuller, Myron L. (1906c). "Comparative Intensities of the New Madrid, Charleston,...""

G New Madrid "…the Mississippi was disturbed by great waves which destroyed much of the shipping and the current even retrogressed in certain localities."

9. Griswold, Stanley (1813). letters in "The Medical Repository, New Series, I"

G no location "Even the bed of the Mississippi was hoven up and occasioned a considerable fall until it gradually wore away by the current."

13. Hildreth’s eyewitness [Hildreth, Samuel Prescott, 1842]. "American Pioneer"

D3 Isl. 18, ~40 mi "huge swells, rolling the waters below back on the descending stream"

13. Judge Humphreys (1812). "Big Earthquake of 1811-12..." Nashville American (1900)

G New Madrid vic. "...the bed of this great river has been thrown upward in a number of places formerly deemed unfathomable, so high as to impede the navigation, especially for vessels of any considerable tonnage."

16. La Roche, Fermin (1928). "A Sailor’s Record of the New Madrid Earthquake"

D1 New Madrid vic. "...so great a wave came up the river that I never seen one like it at sea. It carried us back north, up-stream for more than a mile ...It was the current going backward. Then this wave stopped & slowly the river went right again."

11. Latrobe, Charles Joseph (1835). "The Rambler in North America" pp. 101-102

G unspecified "...you may still meet and converse with those, who were on the mighty river of the West when the whole stream ran towards its sources for an entire hour..."

4. Linn, Lewis F. (1837). letter in Wetmore, A. "Gazetteer of the State of Missouri"

G New Madrid vic. "The current of the Mississippi...was driven back upon its source with the greatest velocity for several hours, in consequence of an elevation of its bed. But this noble river was not thus to be stayed in its course. Its accumulated waters came booming on, and o’ertopping the barrier thus suddenly raised, carried away every thing before them..."

4. McGee, W. J. (1892). "A Fossil Earthquake" GSA Bulletin

G New Madrid vic. "One of the reasons for the distrust of the records was the allegation by Shaler, by Bringier, and by nearly all contemporary witnesses that the flow of the Mississippi river was changed, and that it ran upstream for hours.....the reversal of the flow of the Mississippi is unmistakably recorded in the present physical features of the region..."

8. McBride, James (1910). "Brief Accounts of Journies in the Western Country..."

(F1) New Madrid vic. saw grove of cottonwood/willow 2-3 mi long, west bank above New Madrid "all bent up stream and stripped of their leaves and branches". States nothing but a strong upstream current of "great velocity" could do that.

20. Nolte, Vincent (1854). "Fifty Years in Both Hemispheres" [F1 eyewitness]

F1 New Madrid "the Mississippi foamed up like the water in a boiling cauldron, and the stream flowed rushing back" –and later– "the stream, now flowing in its proper current..."

12. Ross, (Captain) Charles (1846 & 1847). "The Earthquake of 1811 at New Madrid..."

G New Madrid vic. "The earthquake also created a fall in the river near New Madrid of about eight feet, that lasted several days before the corrent washed it level. The Island No. 10 was split in two, the middle of it sunk and the main channel ran through the gap for many years."

18. Ross, Margaret (1968), "The New Madrid Earthquake" Ark. Hist. Quarterly

G New Madrid vic. p. 92-93. No first-hand info but a good integration of E. Bryan, C. Latrobe, Lewis Linn, and M. Fuller. Concludes retrograde current was only locale and random. Quotes Steven Austin about New Madrid sinking 15 ft. and a waterfall "six miles above NMad".

6. Shaler, Nathaniel Southgate (1869). "Earthquakes of the Western United States"

G New Madrid vic. "Other statements corroborate this statement (W. Shaler’s)

of the reversion of the current of the Miss., & the formation of barriers across its course, over which the river broke in cataracts."

6. Shaler, Nathaniel Southgate (1889). "Aspects of the Earth"

G New Madrid vic. "…into the depressed regionthe stream of the

Mississippi poured in such violence that for a time its lower

waters, for a considerable part of their course, turned backward

toward their source."

9. Shaler, William (1814). Letter to Mitchill, Samuel L. (1814). ‘Patron’s F1 account

F1 near New Madrid "...he soon found the current changed, and the boat hurried up, for about the space of a minute, with the velocity of the swiftest horse; he was obliged to hold his hand to his head to keep his hat on. On the current’s running its natural course, which it did gradually, he continued to proceed down the river, and at about daylight he came to a most terrific fall, which, he thinks, was at least six feet perpendicular, extending across the river, & about 1/2 mile wide."

at New Madrid "...the water ran 12 feet perpendicular...Another fall was formed about 8 miles below the town, similar to the one above, the roaring of which he could distinctly hear at New Madrid."

1. Speed, Mathias (1812). "From the Bairdstown (Kentucky) Repository"

F1 near New Madrid "...it is evident that the earth at this place, or below, had been raised so high as to stop the progress of the river, and caused it to overflow its banks..."

"...having reached within about half a mile of the lower end of the town (sic), we were affrightened with the appearance of a dreadful rapid of falls...my impression is, that they were about equal to the rapids of the Ohio."

"...there were other falls in the Mississippi, about 7 miles below New Madrid, principally on the eastern side, more dangerous than those above..."

Steele, Rev. John M. (1892). In Jewell, Horace, "History of Methodism in Arkansas"

G near New Madrid "The rushing of fire and coals through the water produced a wave that carried the water up stream for the distance of several miles. An eye-witness states that the flatbook he was on was carried up the river about four miles."

22. Trousdale, Leon (1875). "Annual Address...." [eyewitness (G): Catharine Whittier]

G near New Madrid "...from the deck of the primitive boat she saw the rapid current of the Mississippi suddenly change its course and run with racehorse speed, up-stream, accompanied by a sound like the most terrific thunder..."

20. Van Tramp, John C. (1866). "Prairie and Rocky Mountain Adventures..."

G near New Madrid "...records a witness of these strange phenomena, ‘...my (p. 99) boat suddenly swung around in the conflicting currents, and rapidly shot up the river. Looking ahead, I beheld the mightly Mississippi cut in twain, and pouring down a vast opening into the bowels of the earth."

(p. 601) "The current of the Mississippi was turned back till the accumulating waters gained sufficient force to break through the newly raised barrier."

28. Vertner (Vettner, Verner), John (1812). 4 accounts, earliest 2/29/1812 Lex. Reporter

F1 NMad. vic. "It is said that a fall equal to that of the Ohio is near above New Madrid, and that several whirls are in the Mississippi river, some so strong as to sink every boat that comes within its suck"

(from Lex. Reporter) "...some obstruction had presented itself in the river something

like a rapids or falls..." and "There is a certainty that a bar composed of stone coal, burnt substance, &c. has been thrown up, directly under the bed of the river" and "...there was a back current in the river [just below New Madrid], which drove the boat several miles up a small bayou..."

18. Willey, Susan (1984). "Mississippi Reversed" account of Looe Baker (Natchez)

D1 New Madrid vic. "...the Mississippi is said to have been so greatly convulsed as to impel its water upstream for a few minutes with great velocity"

29. Wiseman, John (n.d.) account of the earthquakes. In "Early History", NM archive

D1 below N. Madrid ...if my flatboat load of wiskey had sprung a leak & made the ‘Father of Waters’ drunk it could not have committed more somersaults."

F1? below N. Madrid "...we saw a sandbar form below us, that extended clear across the river, & the water commenced rolling in terrific waves up the current & broke our boat loose...This bar lasted only a short time; in a few hours the retrograde current soon spread over it again..."

20. Writer’s Program, WPA (1941). "Missouri, A Guide to the ‘Show Me’ State"

G New Madrid vic. "...the New Madrid earthquake, during which the current reversed and great chunks of land caved into the river. minutes with great velocity" (p. 97)

XVI. Mention of Landslides

2. Bedinger, Daniel (1812). "Earthquake on the Mississippi" National Intelligencer

D1 1^st Chick. bluff "Proceeded to the first Chickasaw bluff and landed.

On the high ground discovered no marks of the earthquake."

3. Dow, Lorenzo (1848). "The History of a Cosmopolite...." [Dec. 1815]

G Iron banks "...acres of which had been shaken down"

[nb—Dow says he "descended" to Iron Banks from NMad, but it’s upriver]

9. Foster, __ (Dr.) (1812). 16 Jan 1812 letter, Farmer’s Reposit. -companion of Bedinger

G Ft. Pickering "...we could not discover any other effects of it here than the falling of some loose [f]ragments of the cliffs"

1. Fuller, Myron L. (1906c). "Comparative Intensities of the New Madrid, Charleston,..."

G New Madrid "…the bluffs were literally shaken to pieces, the resulting landslides converting them into jumbles of earth heaps and tree trunks for a distance of 100 miles."

1. Moore, Edith Wyatt (1958). "Natchez Under-the-Hill"

G Natchez "One night a huge bluff broke loose and crashed down

with the roar of a cataract. It carried trees and buried a number

of buildings in an avalanche of suffocating silt. No record

remains of how many died...."

1. Nelson, Wilbur A. (1924). "Reelfoot—An Earthquake Lake" National Geographic

G Rock Island TN "....great blocks of sandstone, loosened from the top escarpment, 1,000 feet above the river, crash down the mountain sides."

20. Schoolcraft, Henry Rowe (1821). "A Journal of a Tour....Missouri and Arkansas"

G St Francis River narrows near Fredericktown, Missouri "...large masses of granite rock were shook from these heights, and precipitated into the valley of the St. Francis."

XVII. Mention of Waves on the land

1. Audubon, John James (1897). "Audubon and His Journals"

J1? western KY "...at that instant all the shurbs and trees began to move from their roots, the ground rose and fell in successive furrows, like the ruffled waters of a lake..."

1. Brown, S. (1906). "Old Kaskaskia Days and Ways"

G Kaskaskia IL "…the earth several times waved like a river agitated by the winds…"

7. Eastwood, Martha (n.d.). verbal account of the earthquakes (G), in "Early History..."

G Big Prairie (n, NM) "...these earth fissures, caused apparently from the earth rolling in waves bursting and sinking......"

17. Lesieur, Godfrey (1871). "Letter to Mr. Hager" in the New Madrid Archive’s ‘Early History’

D3 Little Prairie "...the earth was observed to be as it were rolling in waves of a few feet in height, with visible depressions between. By and by these waves or swells were seen to burst, throwing up large volumes of water, sand and a species of charcoal..."

1. Moore, Edith Wyatt (1958). "Natchez Under-the-Hill"

G Natchez "The rippling or crawling motion of the earth was plainly

visible though not nearly so alarming as further north."

9. Ritchie, James (1859). informant to T. Dudley, Annual Rpt, Smithsonian, 1858

F1 New Madrid vic. "On the 8^th of February, 1812, the day on which the severest shocks took place, the shocks seemed to go in waves, like the waves of the sea..."

8. Spears, Raymond (1910). "The New Madrid Earthquake Country" Americana

G near NMad "The ground began to quiver, and then waves rolled through the earth like the swell of the sea….The earth waves of some of these shocks were ‘a few feet in height."

18. Van Every, Dale (1964). "The Final Challenge..." p. 117 (this of course is 2^nd hand)

G New Madrid vic. "In more open country the surface of the earth could be seen to undulate in regularly advancing waves proceeding at about the pace of a trotting horse"

8. White, Edgar (1925). "Missouri History Not Found in Textbooks" [Duck River Gibson]

D1 SW Illinois "...the ground waving up and down like a cloth..."

29. Wiseman, John (n.d.) account of the earthquakes. In "Early History", NM archive

F1? below N. Madrid "...the earth was rocked about like a cradle & its surface rolling like waves a few feet high & in places causing fissures in the earth from which large volumes of warm water, sand & charcoal was blown up..."

XVIII. New Madrid Sinking

8. DeKay, J. E. (1826). "Notes on a Fossil Skull in the Cabinet of the Lyceum...."

G near NMad "New –Madrid was the centre of its destructive influence,

and that flourishing town was sunk and totally destroyed."

8. Spears, Raymond (1910). "The New Madrid Earthquake Country" Americana

D1 near NMad "The site of New Madrid settled at least eight feet, and some said fifteen feet." [perhaps quoting Eliza Bryan here]

2. Vertner (Vettner, Verner), John (1812). 4 accounts, earliest 2/29/1812 Lex. Reporter

F1 (Street 84) "The town New Madrid has sunk twelve feet below its former standing, but is not covered with water"

(Lex. Reporter) "The inhabitants of the town of New Madrid entertain the

opinion that the ground on which the town stood had sunk about fifteen feet

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