1872 North Cascades Earthquake - Multiple aftershocks "During the night" - Time Not Given

Dec. 14-15(dawn), 1872

EDITOR ADVOCATE:

On the night of the 14th, at about twenty minutes before ten o'clock, we were visited with an earthquake. It moved from south to north and lasted twelve seconds. The buildings here shook like leaves in a heavy wind. The doors, windows, and everything that was not a positive fixture, rattled, and seemed for a few moments to indicate that we were to have a general crash. After the first shock had passed and we were breathing more quietly, another, and still another came in quick succession, until five O'clock of the morning of the 15th, there was not half an hour passed without a visible tremb- ling of the earth. The night was one of uncommon brightness and stillness. Of all the calamities to which man is exposed, there are none of so fearful a character as earthquakes; none involves such terrible and devastating destruction to life and property. There are none of the approach of which he is less fore- warned, and none against which he can take fewer precautions. The mysteriousness of the danger, oppresses him with terror. He is ignorant in what form it is most imminent, or what direction to seek a way of escape. The earth is now hold- ing still, and quiet and contemplation is the order of the day. J. H. WILBUR

Fort Simcoe, W.T., Dec. 16, 1872



Kittitas, Washington
Olympia Transcript
Olympia, Washington
Jan. 4, 1873, pg 2

KITTITAS VALLEY

PLEASANT GROVE, KITTITAS VALLEY December 14, 1872

Comment: "This morning" appears to refer to the early-morning hours of Dec. 15 RSL

"Ed. Transcript:--This morning while seated near the fire writing, a severe shock of earthquake is being felt. At precisely 10 o'clock, p.m., old mother earth was being shaken from the west to the east, throwing all the poultry from their roosts, fright- ening dogs, cats, horses, and cattle, stopping clocks, and jarring chimneys from their foundation. Three shocks were felt, the first at 10 o'clock, lasting upwards of a minute; the other two were much lighter and of shorter duration. During the first shock, a low, rushing sound was heard as if a hurricane.-was raging--also a strong sulphur odor prevailed. ..."



Texas Ferry, Snake River
Walla Walla Statesman
Dec. 21, 1872
Walla Walla, W. T.

Dec. 15th, 1872
EDITOR STATESMAN:--Last night, about five minutes before 10 o'clock, were aroused by an earthquake, which lasted about ten minutes. It was so severe that it shook the chickens from their roosts. Every person in the house leaped from their beds, and ran out of the house for safety, when it began to subside. After the first shock, we could very sensibly feel ten or a dozen more during the night, but none so severe as the first. I suppose others experienced the shock in different localities, but have to particulars. WILLIAM MARTIN



Wenatchee, W. T.
Washington Standard
January 11, 1873 p. 2
Olympia, Washington
SEE FULL ACCOUNT

THE EARTHQUAKE EASTWARD
" .... He declares that the shocks, which lasted until five o'clock Sunday morning, December 15th, were sixty- four in number, eight being very severe. He also says that the peaks of several of the hills on the Kittitas and Columbia range of mountains were hurled over and broken. Trees were crushed to pieces and the river became very muddy, raising three feet inside of ten minutes. Great masses of earth, as if from a tremendous land- slide, rushed down the mountain side, mixed with stone and wood, and the gulches lost their identity by being filled with debris. The third shock, which occurred about eleven O'clock P.M., was proceeded by an explosion-- apparently on the mountain--sounding like the discharge of several pieces of artillery simultaneously. ...."




WALLULA, W.T.
Portland Daily Oregonian
December 16, 1872
Portland, Oregon

THE EARTHQUAKE We are indebted to Capt. Ainsworth, President of the O.S.N. Co., for the following dispatches received by him from points along the Columbia:

Wallula, Dec. 15
"Capt. J.C. Ainsworth: At twenty minutes past 9 o'clock last evening we were visited with quite a heavy shock of earthquake, lasting about fifty seconds, I should judge, followed by five lighter shocks at inter- vals of about fifteen minutes, after which a heavy, rumbling sound was heard as distinctly as a heavy peal of thunder. The thermometer fell from 30 degrees to 26 degrees. The shaking mania that had attacked terra firma continued at irregular periods until four o'clock this morning. Although the first shock was violent enough to shake buildings and their contents up pretty lively, yet no damage or injury was sustained by any one, that I am aware of.
McDonald. ....."



DALLES, Oregon
Portland Daily Oregonian
December 16, 1872
Portland, Oregon

"....Dalles had four or five shakes of earthquake last night."



Snoqualmie, Washington
Weekly Pacific Tribune
Olympia, W.T.
Dec. 28, 1872

The Earthquake in the Mountains.
"Mr. H. Farus, of Snoqualmie, writes in the Seattle Dispatch from his place, near the foot of the mountains, under date of the 17th inst., as follows:

'This valley has been pretty well shook up during the past three days with earthquakes. The first was about 10 o'clock on Saturday night, lasting a minute and a half, and was very heavy. We had thirteen more shocks before daylight, but one was heavy as the first. Since then we have had ten. A very heavy smoke has risen 4 n the mountains a little west of north, seen distinctly when not too cloudy. There appears to be two volumes of smoke."'.

Mount Baker is in the direction of the smoke seen from Snoqualmie, and it is not improbable that the earthquake shocks felt here were caused by an eruption of that volcanic mountain, as all accounts concur that it was most violent in that direction.



Walla Walla, WT
Walla Walla Union
Dec. 21, 1872 page 3

"....The length of time it lasted is variously estimated at from 20 to 40 seconds., About ten minutes after this we had another much lighter one, and at different times during the night others were felt, but no two persons agree as to the total number. It is claimed that in some parts of the county other shocks have been felt since that night, but if this be true, they must have been very light."