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Cascadia Historic Earthquake Catalog, 1793-1929
Covering Washington, Oregon and Southern British Columbia
Provided by: The Pacific Northwest Seismic Network
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Individual Event Report
Event #281 - Summary, and parameter estimates with source IDs                                           
Both the time of day and the intensity of this earthquake have probably been overstated in earlier catalogs. This event was accorded an intensity of "VI(?)" by Holden (1898), who cited the S.F.Examiner: "Port Townsend, Washington. Two slight shocks were felt here shortly after midnight last night. Heavy brick buildings trembled and many people were frightened badly." This time and intensity are repeated in many subsequent catalogs.
However, the "Townsend Leader", a weekly paper published in Port Townsend says: "A slight shock - About 4:30 o'clock yesterday afternoon, a slight shock of earthquake was felt in this city."
This event does not appear in Milne's catalog, nor could we find any reference to it in a search of the Washington Standard or British Colonist .
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  4  15  4  30  P  L  48.00  123.00        Port Townsend             
N-WA - 2161 USEQS - 931 - - N-WA - 2161 -

Underlying Source Material
Source ID Publication Pub Date Pub Details
990  U. S. Dept. of Commerce, 1973, Earthquake History of the United States, V. 41-1, revised ed., pp. 89-96  1973   
Transcription: 1895. April 16. Port Townsend, Wash. Many persons were frightened.
 
Source ID Publication Pub Date Pub Details
83  Rasmussen, Norman, 1967, Washington state earthquakes 1840 through 1965, BSSA V. 57, No. 3, pp. 463-476  1967   
Transcription: 83 1895 Apr. 16 08:02 48 N, 123 W V-VI 1 Port Townsend
 
Source ID Publication Pub Date Pub Details
2161  The Townsend Leader  1895  April 25, P. 8, c. 2, 1895 
Transcription: April 16, 1895

A slight shock.
About 4:30 o'clock yesterday afternoon, a slight shock of earthquake was felt in this city.
 
Source ID Publication Pub Date Pub Details
1717  Woodward Clyde Consultants, unpublished  1981  Woodward-Clyde Consultants (1981), Historical Catalog (1841-1980) for the Pacific Northwest Region, unpublished catalog prepared for the Washington Public Power Supply System. Copy provided to UW in 1993. 
Transcription: 189504160802000 48000-123000 V NO 5 01
 
Source ID Publication Pub Date Pub Details
1908  Holden, E.S., 1898, A Catalog of Earthquakes on the Pacific Coast 1769-1897, Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections, 1087  1898   
Transcription: 1895. April 16; Port Townsend, Washington. Two slight shocks were felt here shortly after midnight last night. Heavy brick buildings trembled and many people were frightened badly.__S. F. Examiner, April 17, 1895 (VI?).
 
Source ID Publication Pub Date Pub Details
726  Reid, unpub., Scrapbook and Cardfile, on microfilm at USGS in Menlo Park     
Transcription: Port Townsend after midnight 16 Apr, 1895 VI? -Holden's Cat. pg 239 Two light shocks
 
Source ID Publication Pub Date Pub Details
1103  Townley, S. D. and M. W. Allen, 1939, Descriptive Catalog of Earthquakes of the Pacific Coast of the United States 1769-1928, Chap. III Earthquakes in Washington, 1883-1928, BSSA, V. 29, No. 1, pp. 259-268  1939   
Transcription: 1895 April 16. Shortly after midnight. VI? Port Townsend [Jefferson Co.].Two slight shocks. Heavy brick buildings trembled and many people were frightened badly.-S. F. Examiner, April 17, 1895.
 
Source ID Publication Pub Date Pub Details
886  Reid 2, unpub., Scrapbook and Cardfile, on microfilm at USGS in Menlo Park     
Transcription: Port Townsend midnight April 13, 1895 VI Two light shocks.
 
Source ID Publication Pub Date Pub Details
931  U. S. Dept. of Commerce, 1973, Earthquake History of the United States, V. 41-1, revised ed., pp. 89-96  1973   
Transcription: Apr. 16 00:02 Port Townsend, Wash 48 123 (2) V-VI Do.
 
Source ID Publication Pub Date Pub Details
269  Bradford, Donald C., 1935, Seismic History of the Puget Sound Basin, BSSA, V. 25, No. 2, pp. 138-153  1935   
Transcription: 1895 April 16; VI?; Port Townsend; two slight shocks were felt here shortly after midnight last night; heavy brick buildings trembled and many people were frightened badly (San Francisco Examiner, April 17, 1895).
 


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