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Cascadia Historic Earthquake Catalog, 1793-1929
Covering Washington, Oregon and Southern British Columbia

Provided by: The Pacific Northwest Seismic Network
About the Cascadia Historic Earthquake Catalog       One-line catalog format

1793-1849 .... 1850s .... 1860s .... 1870s .... 1880s .... 1890s .... 1900s .... 1910s .... 1920s .... 1930s (not complete) .... Other Cascadia Catalogs

  
Individual Event Report
Event #284 - Summary, and parameter estimates with source IDs                                           
TIME LOCATION MAGNITUDE MAX. INTENSITY FELT AREA
YR MO DAY HR MIN AM/PM Time
Type
LAT(N) LON(W) DEP
(km)
MAG Mag
Type
Felt
Plc.
Felt
St.
Inten-
sity
Int.
Type
Felt
Area
Felt
Area
Int.
Felt
Area
Units
1895  12  10  30              Chimacum  WA           
N-WA - 2554 - - - N-WA - 2554 -

Underlying Source Material
Source ID Publication Pub Date Pub Details
2554  Port Townsend Morning Leader, Sunday edition  1895  June 16, 1895 - Transcript provided by Robert Forbes 
Transcription: MONSTER METEOR STRUCK THE EARTH - Came Crashing Down Near Chimacum -MADE OLD EARTH TREMBLE - It fell last Wednesday morning with a terrible "rumble and roar" and struck near where a surveying party was at work.
The people of Center and Chimacum in this county are the proud possessors of a heavenly message in the shape of a monster meteor which arrived Wednesday forenoon accompanied in its pathway a whirlwind which extended for hundreds of yards and followed by the sound of an explosion such as an immense blast in a rock quarry would make. The story of the meteor's coming was told to a Morning Leader reporter yesterday by William Bishop, of Chimacum.
"It seemed to be making straight for us" said Mr. Bishop, "and although it all happened so quickly, giving us no warning that we did not see it, yet it seemed like a cannonball shooting through the air and coming directly toward us. There were nine of us altogether who heard it, including County Surveyor Godfrey. We were in three different parties less that half a mile apart running lines under the direction of the surveyor, and the big rock fell somewhere within that half mile radius. The first we knew of it was when we heard the sound of a big explosion in the sky directly over our heads. It was about half past ten o'clock in the forenoon. The explosion was followed by the swish of something going though the air at lightning speed. We were sure that it was going to strike us, and some members of the party even jumped behind trees for safety. On it came, with a roar as of thunder, accompanied by a sound like a whizzing buzzsaw. Of course it was in the air but a few seconds. Then we felt a whirlwind which seemed almost strong enough to take us off our feet. The meteor struck the ground apparently within a few yards of us with terrific force, and the earth around us fairly shook. We looked up and saw the trees and brush still waving in the whirlwind, and this continued for as much as three or four minutes. The meteor evidently fell in a marsh where we were at work. We spent half an hour Wednesday morning looking for it, but did not find it."
The above report is fully substantiated by County Surveyor Godfrey and other members of the surveying party, although Mr, Godfrey denied that he stuck his head under a log when they heard the first explosion. Residents of Chimicum, Center, and Junction City also heard the explosions and supposed it was either a message from Lil (?) Grover, or else a hail from the muzzle of a British cannon.
 


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