It’s been an interesting couple of weeks for earthquakes.
On Thanksgiving Day an earthquake occurred in the Jackson area and then Monday a swarm of seven earthquakes swept the New Madrid, Missouri, fault line. While I saw no reports of damage, I could not help but think of the timing and of Dec. 15, 1811, when the New Madrid earthquake struck. It shook almost the whole country, caused the Mississippi River to flow backward and even rang church bells in Charleston, South Carolina.
One of the best accounts came from the steamboat New Orleans, which was the first steamboat on the Mississippi River, and was on her maiden voyage down the river. On the night of Dec. 15, the Orleans was about 70 miles from New Madrid, Missouri, when the earth suddenly trembled and then opened up. It was an earthquake so terrible that for a while the Mississippi River turned red and flowed backward. To add another element of wonder, this occurred as Halley’s Comet was lighting up the sky.
Reports of devastation filled newspapers across the country in January and February of 1812. A report from Natchez dated Jan. 1, 1812, told of the earthquake being felt in Natchez. It mentioned the Steamer Orleans just arriving and bringing news of “great injury to the settlements on the Ohio and Mississippi, by throwing down houses, chimmies &c. and in one or two instances, islands in the Mississippi of considerable magnitude had been sunk or destroyed.” The account told of the river banks caving in, including an example of “at one place about 300 acres of solid body” falling into the river.
A letter from a flat boat at Chickasaw Bluffs (now Memphis) told of being 17 miles below New Madrid when the first shock hit. It described how “at the second shock, millions of trees that were embedded in the mud at the bottom of the river, suddenly had one end elevated to the surface, rendering the river almost impassable.” A report from New Madrid told of the destruction and described the shocks themselves.
“The earth was so convulsed, as to render it difficult for one to keep his pendicular position – the motion being estimated at about twelve inches to and fro. The shocks were accompanied with a partial darkness, tremendous noise, and sulphurous smell.”
The Richmond (Virginia) Enquirer, reported “that the buildings in New Madrid are greatly damaged. … Much of the land round about was under water and the few remaining inhabitants were encamped out … that the land in innumerable places is opened in large fissures … and the inhabitants of the town of New Madrid entertain the opinion that the ground on which the town stood had sunk about fifteen feet … a few moments after the first violent shock, it rose about ten feet. They heard of many boats being lost, and that the land where the town of Little Prairie stands, is sixteen feet under water. In addition to the above we have been favoured with the perusal of general letters from near New Madrid they state the number of boats lost of which accounts are already received, to amount to 50 … together with a number of lives.”
It was reported in the Vermont Republican that “two or three shocks of an earthquake have been felt in Charleston and Columbia, South Carolina, at Raleigh, N. Carolina; in Richmond, Norfolk and Alexandria, Vir.; Georgetown, Md. ; Philadelphia & c. … and the church bells in Charleston rang so that some supposed there was fire.”
In the Columbus area, Halley’s Comet would have been clearly visible and one incident possibly related to the New Madrid Earthquake did occur. John Kincaid was working at John Pitchlynn’s on Plymouth Bluff at the time of the earthquake when his horse suddenly stumbled, fell and died.
The Natchez Gazette and Mississippi General Advertiser on Jan. 23, 1812, commented on the earthquake, Halley’s Comet, tornadoes that had occurred and other natural events that were occurring.
“The great scale upon which nature is operating should be a solemn admonition to men (or those animals in the shape of men) to abandon the pitiful groveling, schemes of venality and corruption of which they are so ardently engaged. An honest heart alone can view those great events with composure. The political swindler, the assassins of reputation, must feel severely, the visitation of conscience at such momentous periods…”
Rufus Ward is a Columbus native a local historian. E-mail your questions about local history to Rufus at [email protected].
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