EARTHQUAKES IN NEW ENGLAND.
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��EARTHQUAKES FROM 1638 TO 1883, IN THE NEW ENGLAND STATES AND IN THE BRITISH POSSESSIONS NORTH OF THE UNITED STATES AND EAST OF THE ROCKY MOUN- TAINS.
��BY JOS I AH EMERY.
��The following Earthquake Notes were begun several ycnr?, ago, as one branch of a study of the interior of the earth ; or rather, perhaps, to confirm or refute ail hypothesis relating to its constitu- tion. They were not intended for publi- cation as a whole, but on)}^ in part, as they tended to confirm or refute that hypothesis. These notes are but a small portion of what I have in manuscript, relating, however, to other districts of the earth.
I hand these notes to the Granite MoxTiiLY, hoping that they may be of interest to the readers of that magazine, many of whom are, with me, natives of the Granite State, which is ni}- home still, even after an absence of more than half a century.
In the compilation I have drawn largely from Mr. Brigham's Historical Xotes ; from the Note Additionelle of Mr. Lancaster, Secretary of the lloyaL. Society of Belgium ; from Joshua Cof- fin's History of Newbury, the town records of Newbury, and especially from the record of earthquakes kept by Rev. Matthias Plant, minister of New- bury; from Annals of Salem; from the proceedings of various scientific socie- ties; from old almanacs; from Silliman's Journal, and its successor, the .Journal of Science and Arts ; from the newspa- per press; and. latterly, in addition, from the general press dispatches ; from (London) Nature, since its establish- ment m 1869; from the United States AVeather lieview, since it began (wisely) to notice earthquakes; and from other sources.
I notice mj' sources of information thus in the beginning, as 1 do not refer to my authority or authorities in each individual case.
For coi)j'ing and arranging these notes. &c., I am much indebted to mv daughter, Mrs. C. S. Bundy, of Wash- ington, D. C.
Williamsport, Pa., Jan. 1, 1883.
��Earthquake ok June i, 1638.
The first earthquake that occurred in New England, after the landing of the Pilgrims in 1620, or on the eastern coast of North America, of which we have any account, was that of June I, 1638. The following account is copied from the town records of New- bury, Mass. (now Newbury, Newbury- port, and West Newbury), changed, however, to the modern orthography :
"June ist, 1638. Being this day assembled to consult about the well ordering of the affairs of the town, about one of the clock in the after- noon, the sun shining fair, it pleased God suddenly to raise a vehement earthquake coming with a shrill clap of thunder, coming, as is supposed, out of the east, which shook the earth and the foundations of the house in a very violent manner, to our great amazement and wonder ; wherefore, taking notice of so great and strange a hand of God's providence, we were desirous of leaving it on record to the view of after ages to the intent that all might take notice of Almighty God and fear his name."
Gov. Winthrop, in his History, says : " It came with a noise like continuous thunder, or the rattling of coaches in London, tinued about four minutes."
Thomas Hutchinson, in his History of Massachusetts, says : " The course of this earthquake was from west to east. It shook the ships, threw down the tops of chimneys, and rattled the pewter from the shelves. This was a very great earthquake, anci shook the whole country."
��The noise and shakings con-
��( To be continued.)
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