A NIGHT OF TERROR

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1678, 3 October 1887, Page 3

A NIGHT OF TERROR

A Chicago "Times" special from Evans- __ ville, Ind., referring to the sinking of 0) land In Trigg County, Ky., Blace tbe • earthquake recently, Bays :— From a a , gentleman who has juat arrived from _o HopklnsviUe, the following particulars were obtained : Be says that the country about Ihe scene Ib low and swampy, and a almrst inaccessable m place?, aave by tbe j old beaten paths. Mu^h of tt is wild and j contains dense woods. Golden Pond Is ( j a mere' hamlet containing two settle- 1 ments of negroes wbo eke out a living by t working on several Urge farms owned by non-residents. On Monday night about , liz o'clock several of them felt ihe earth tremble, but thought nothing serious had • occurred be) ond a slight tremor. Alter £ gossiping over it they went to bed. After , 12 o'clock everybody was awakened by a ■harp shock, and h.d barely jumped to their feet when tbe earth, with a shaking, d : zzy motion, suddenly sank a diatanoe of fl five feet, carrying the houses and terrified darkles with it. * The scenes that ensued battled deßcrlp- < tion. The negroes fell on their knees and . In frerzlbd tones prayed the Lord te save them. Othera began ab outing and pray- j log, ever snd anon coating an upward . glance to see if chariots of fire were not , descending. .Added to this pandemonium was the intense darkness which prevailed, the BQQon being completely obscured by heavy black clouds, * hloh hung very low, ( and like a pall over the dcomed district, and rumblings were heard from the ' depths below, which gradually became ' loader. Numerous springs hidden for years suddenly found an opening and began to bubble upwards m constantly increasing streams, The terrified inhabitants, not pausing for household gcods or chattels, gathered ; thelr offspring, hurried and rushed away from the doomed spot. The more courageous ones only fled until they reached safe ground, and there waited until daylight when they ventured back to the scene of the night's terror acd gazed sadly upon the ruins spread before j them. Over 250 acres of fine farm land, Including one magnificent plantation owned by Z. H- Harden, lay from five to Blx feet below the level of the surroaadIng oountry, apd contained about three feet of water from springs started by the earthquake;. A large area of tobbaco •nd corn will ba a total loss. Nearly all the oablns have been torn looso and are floating about m various positions, while hou.beld goods are mixed up m Inextricable confusion . Fortunately no lives have been lost, but the loss of property is laoalouable The oastrophe was undoubtedly caused by tbe earthquake which was noticeable m Tenessee, Missouri, Kentucky, and Indiana at 1230 a.m., as the rumbling sounds and vibrations felt were similar to that seismic disturbance. Golden Pond li about 100 miles distant from the spot where a similar catastrophe occurred about seventy years ago, when a. lake of large area suddenly disappeared, leaving nothing but the bed, m the centre of which was a hole of unfathomable depth jtsd severs! hundred yards fn dimeter.