This very remarkable and destructive earthquake extended over a tract of
at least four millions of square miles. It appears to have originated
beneath the Atlantic ocean, the waves of which received almost as
violent a concussion as the land. Its effects were even extended to the
waters, in many places where the shocks were not perceptible. It
pervaded the greater portions of the continents of Europe, Africa and
America; but its extreme violence was exercised on the south-western
part of the former.
Lisbon, the Portuguese capital, had already suffered greatly from an
earthquake in 1531; and, since the calamity about to be described, has
had three such visitations, in 1761, 1765, and 1772, which were not,
however, attended by equally disastrous consequences. In the present
instance it had been remarked that since the commencement of the year
1750, less rain had fallen than had been known in the memory of the
oldest of the inhabitants, unless during the spring preceding the
calamitous event. The summer had been unusually cool; and the weather
fine and clear for the last forty days. At length, on the first of
November, about forty minutes past nine in the morning, a most violent
shock of an earthquake was felt; its duration did not exceed six
seconds; but so powerful was the concussion, that it overthrew every
church and convent in the city, together with the royal palace, and the
magnificent opera house adjoining to it; in short, no building of any
consequence escaped. About one-fourth of the dwelling-houses were thrown
down; and, at a moderate computation, thirty thousand persons perished.
The sight of the dead bodies, and the shrieks of those who were
half-buried in the ruins, were terrible beyond description; and so great
was the consternation, that the most resolute man durst not stay a
moment to extricate the friend he loved most affectionately, by the
removal of the stones beneath the weight of which he was crushed.
Self-preservation alone was consulted; and the most probable security
was sought, by getting into open places, and into the middle of the
streets. Those who were in the upper stories of the houses, were in
general more fortunate than those who attempted to escape by the doors,
many of the latter being buried beneath the ruins, with the greater part
of the foot-passengers. Those who were in carriages escaped the best,
although the drivers and horses suffered severely. The number, however,
of those who perished in the streets, and in the houses, was greatly
inferior to that of those who were buried beneath the ruins of the
churches; for, as it was a day of solemn festival, these were crowded
for the celebration of the mass. There were very many of these churches;
and the lofty steeples in most instances, fell with the roof, insomuch
that few escaped.
The first shock, as has been noticed, was extremely short, but was
quickly succeeded by two others; and the whole, generally described as a
single shock, lasted from five to seven minutes. About two hours after,
fires broke out in three different parts of the city; and this new
calamity prevented the digging out of the immense riches concealed
beneath the ruins. From a perfect calm, a fresh gale immediately after
sprang up, and occasioned the fire to rage with such fury, that in the
space of three days the city was nearly reduced to ashes. Every element
seemed to conspire toward its destruction; for, soon after the shock,
which happened near high-water, the tide rose in an instant forty feet,
and at the castle of Belem, which defended the entrance of the harbor,
fifty feet higher than had ever been known. Had it not subsided as
suddenly, the whole city would have been submerged. A large new quay
sunk to an unfathomable depth, with several hundreds of persons, not one
of the bodies of whom was afterward found. Before the sea thus came
rolling in like a mountain, the bar was seen dry from the shore.
The terrors of the surviving inhabitants were great and multiplied. Amid
the general confusion, and through a scarcity of hands, the dead bodies
could not be buried, and it was dreaded that a pestilence would ensue;
but from this apprehension they were relieved by the fire, by which
these bodies were for the greater part consumed. The fears of a famine
were more substantial; since, during the three days succeeding the
earthquake, an ounce of bread was literally worth a pound of gold.
Several of the corn magazines having been, however, fortunately saved
from the fire, a scanty supply of bread was afterward procured. Next
came the dread of the pillage and murder of those who had saved any of
their effects; and this happened in several instances, until examples
were made of the delinquents. The great shock was succeeded about noon
by another, when the walls of several houses which were still standing,
were seen to open, from the top to the bottom, more than a fourth of a
yard, and afterward to close again so exactly as not to leave any signs
of injury. Between the first and the eighth of November twenty-two
shocks were reckoned.
A boat on the river, about a mile distant from Lisbon, was heard by the
passengers to make a noise as if it had run aground, although then in
deep water: they at the same time saw the houses falling on both sides
of the river, in front of which, on the Lisbon side, the greater part of
a convent fell, burying many of its inmates beneath the ruins, while
others were precipitated into the river. The water was covered with
dust, blown by a strong northerly wind; and the sun entirely obscured.
On landing, they were driven by the overflowing of the waters to the
high grounds, whence they perceived the sea, at a mile’s distance,
rushing in like a torrent, although against wind and tide. The bed of
the Tagus was in many places raised to its surface; while ships were
driven from their anchors, and jostled together with such violence that
their crews did not know whether they were afloat or aground. The master
of a ship, who had great difficulty in reaching the port of Lisbon,
reported that, being fifty leagues at sea, the shock was there so
violent as to damage the deck of the vessel. He fancied he had mistaken
his reckoning, and struck on a rock.
The following observations, relative to this fatal earthquake, were made
at Colares, about twenty miles from Lisbon, and within two miles of the
sea. On the last day of October, the weather was clear, and remarkably
warm for the season. About four o’clock in the afternoon a fog arose,
proceeding from the sea, and covering the valleys, which was very
unusual at that season of the year. The wind shifted soon after to the
east, and the fog returned to the sea, collecting itself, and becoming
exceedingly thick. As the fog retired, the sea rose with a prodigious
roaring. On the first of November, the day broke with a serene sky, the
wind continuing at the east; but about nine o’clock the sun began to be
obscured; and about half an hour after a rumbling noise was heard,
resembling that of chariots, and increasing to such a degree, that at
length it became equal to the explosions of the largest artillery.
Immediately a shock of an earthquake was felt; and this was succeeded by
a second and a third, at the same time that several light flames of
fire, resembling the kindling of charcoal, issued from the mountains.
During these three shocks, the walls of the buildings moved from east to
west. In another spot, where the sea-coast could be descried, a great
quantity of smoke, very thick, but somewhat pale, issued from the hill
named the Fojo. This increased with the fourth shock, at noon, and
afterward continued to issue in a greater or less degree. At the instant
the subterraneous rumblings were heard, the smoke was observed to burst
forth at the Fojo; and its volume was constantly proportioned to the
noise. On visiting the spot whence it was seen to arise, no sign of fire
could be perceived near it. After the earthquake, several fountains were
dried up; while others, after undergoing great changes, returned to
their pristine state. In places where there had not been any water,
springs burst forth, and continued to flow; several of these spouted to
the hight of nearly twenty feet, and threw up sand of various colors. On
the hills, rocks were split, and the earth rent; while toward the coast
several large portions of rock were thrown from the eminences into the
sea.
[Illustration: EARTHQUAKE AT LISBON.]
At Oporto, the earthquake was felt with great violence. The river
continued to rise and fall five or six feet, for four hours; the houses
of the city were rocked as if by convulsions, and the earth was seen to
heave up. St. Ubes, twenty miles distant, was entirely swallowed up by
the repeated shocks, and by the vast surf of the sea. And at Cadiz it
was so violent, that, but for the great solidity of the buildings,
everything would have been destroyed. Those who had quitted the houses
and churches, seeking safety in the open air, had scarcely recovered
from their first terror, when they were plunged into a new alarm. At ten
minutes after eleven o’clock, a wave was seen coming from the sea at the
distance of eight miles, and at least sixty feet higher than usual. It
dashed against the west part of the city, which is very rocky. Although
its force was much broken by these rocks, it at length reached the
walls, and beat in the breastwork, which was sixty feet above the
ordinary level of the water, removing pieces of the fabric, of the
weight of eight or ten tuns, to the distance of forty or fifty yards. At
half past eleven came a second wave; and this was followed by four
others of equal magnitude. Others, but smaller, and gradually lessening,
continued at uncertain intervals until the evening. A considerable part
of the rampart was thrown down, and carried by the torrent above fifty
paces. Several persons perished on the causeway leading to the isle of
Lesu. The accounts brought to Cadiz reported that Seville had been much
damaged, and that a similar fate had attended St. Lucar and Cheres.
Conel was said to have been destroyed; and, indeed, with the exception
of the provinces of Catalonia, Aragon and Valencia, the effects of this
earthquake were felt throughout Spain.
At Madrid the shock was very sensibly felt soon after ten in the
morning, and lasted five or six minutes. At first the inhabitants
fancied they were seized with a swimming in the head; and, afterward,
that the houses were falling. In the churches the sensations were the
same, and the terror so great, that the people trod each other under
foot in getting out. Those who were within the towers were still more
affrighted, fancying every instant while the shock lasted, that they
were falling to the ground. It was not sensible to those who were in
carriages, and very little so to foot-passengers.
At Gibraltar it was felt about the same time as at Madrid, and began
with a tremulous motion of the earth, which lasted about half a minute.
A violent shock succeeded; and this again was followed by a second
tremulous motion, of the duration of five or six seconds. Another shock,
not so violent as the first, subsided gradually; and the whole lasted
about two minutes. Several of the guns on the batteries were seen to
rise, and others to sink, while the earth had an undulating motion. The
greater part of the garrison and inhabitants were seized with giddiness
and sickness: several fell prostrate; others were stupefied; and many
who were walking or riding, became sick, without being sensible of any
motion of the earth. Every fifteen minutes the sea rose six feet; and
then fell so low, that the boats and small vessels near the shore were
left aground, as were also numbers of small fish. The flux and reflux
lasted till next morning, having decreased gradually from two in the
afternoon.
In Africa, this earthquake was felt almost as severely as it had been in
Europe. A great part of the city of Algiers was destroyed. At Arzilla, a
town belonging to the kingdom of Fez, about ten in the morning, the sea
suddenly rose with such impetuosity, that it lifted up a vessel in the
bay, and impelled it with such force on the land, that it was shattered
in pieces; and a boat was found two musket-shots within land from the
sea. At Fez and Mequinez, great numbers of houses fell down, and a
multitude of people were buried beneath the ruins. At Morocco, similar
accidents occurred; and at Salle also, much damage was done. At Tangier
the earthquake began at ten in the morning, and lasted ten or twelve
minutes. At Tetuan it commenced at the same time, but was of less
duration; three of the shocks were so extremely violent, that it was
feared the whole city would be destroyed.
In the city of Funchal, in the island of Madeira, a shock of this
earthquake was felt at thirty-eight minutes past nine in the morning. It
was preceded by a rumbling noise in the air, like that of empty
carriages passing hastily over a stone pavement. The observer felt the
floor beneath him immediately to be agitated by a tremulous motion,
vibrating very quickly. The shock continued more than a minute; during
which space the vibrations, although continual, were twice very sensibly
weakened and increased in force. The increase after the first remission
of the shock was the most intense. During the whole of its continuance
it was accompanied by a noise in the air; and this lasted some seconds
after the motion of the earth had ceased, dying away like a peal of
distant thunder rolling through the air. At three-quarters past eleven,
the sea, which was quite calm, suddenly retired several paces; when
rising with a great swell, and without any noise, it as suddenly
advanced, overflowed the shore, and entered the city. It rose fifteen
feet perpendicularly above high-water mark, although the tide, which
there flows seven feet, was at half-ebb. The water immediately receded;
and after having fluctuated four or five times between high and low
water mark, it subsided, and the sea remained calm as before. In the
northern part of the island the inundation was more violent, the sea
there retiring above a hundred paces at first, and suddenly returning,
overflowed the shore, forcing open doors, breaking down the walls of
several magazines and storehouses, and leaving great quantities of fish
ashore and in the streets of the village of Machico. All this was the
effect of one rising of the sea, for it never afterward flowed high
enough to reach the high-water mark. It continued, however, to fluctuate
here much longer before it subsided than at Funchal; and in some places
further to the westward, it was hardly, if at all, perceptible.
These were the phenomena with which this remarkable earthquake was
attended, in those places where it was most violent. The effects of it,
however, reached to an immense distance; and were perceived chiefly by
the agitations of the waters, or some slight motion of the earth. Its
utmost boundaries to the south are unknown; the barbarousness of the
African nations rendering it impossible to procure any intelligence from
them, except where the effects were dreadful. On the north, however, we
are assured, that it reached as far as Norway and Sweden. In the former
kingdom, the waters of several rivers and lakes were violently agitated.
In the latter, shocks were felt in several provinces, and all the rivers
and lakes were strongly agitated, especially in Dalecarlia. The river
Dala suddenly overflowed its banks, and as suddenly retired. At the same
time, a lake at the distance of a league from it, and with which it had
no manner of communication, bubbled up with great violence. At Fahlun, a
town in Dalecarlia, several strong shocks were felt.
In many places of Germany the effects of this earthquake were very
perceptible; but in Holland, the agitations were still more remarkable.
At Alphen on the Rhine, between Leyden and Woerden, in the afternoon of
the first of November, the waters were agitated to such a violent
degree, that buoys were broken from their chains, large vessels snapped
their cables, small ones were thrown out of the water upon the land, and
others lying on land were set afloat. At Amsterdam, about eleven in the
forenoon, the air being perfectly calm, the waters were suddenly
agitated in the canals, so that several boats broke loose; chandeliers
were observed to vibrate in the churches; but no motion of the earth, or
concussion of any building was observed. At Haerlem, in the forenoon,
for nearly four minutes, not only the waters in the rivers, canals, &c.,
but also all kinds of fluids in smaller quantities, as in coolers, tubs,
&c., were surprisingly agitated, and dashed over the sides, though no
motion was perceptible in the vessels themselves. In these small
quantities also the fluid apparently ascended prior to its turbulent
motion; and in many places, even the rivers and canals rose one foot
perpendicularly.
The agitation of the waters was also perceived in various parts of Great
Britain and Ireland. At Barlborough, in Derbyshire, between eleven and
twelve in the forenoon, in a boat-house on the west side of a large body
of water, called Pibley Dam, supposed to cover at least thirty acres of
land, was heard a surprising and terrible noise; a large swell of water
came in a current from the south, and rose two feet on the sloped
dam-head at the north end of the water. It then subsided, but returned
again immediately, though with less violence. The water was thus
agitated for three-quarters of an hour; but the current grew every time
weaker and weaker, till at last it entirely ceased.
At Busbridge, in Surrey, at half an hour after ten in the morning, the
weather being remarkably still, without the least wind, in a canal
nearly seven hundred feet long, and fifty-eight in breadth, with a small
spring constantly running through it, a very unusual noise was heard at
the east end, and the water there observed to be in great agitation. It
raised itself in a heap or ridge in the middle; and this heap extended
lengthwise about thirty yards, rising between two and three feet above
the usual level. After this, the ridge heeled or vibrated toward the
north side of the canal, with great force, and flowed above eight feet
over the grass walk on that side. On its return back into the canal, it
again ridged in the middle, and then heeled with yet greater force to
the south side, and flowed over its grass walk. During this latter
motion, the bottom on the north side was left dry for several feet. This
appearance lasted for about a quarter of an hour, after which the water
became smooth and quiet as before. During the whole time, the sand at
the bottom was thrown up and mixed with the water; and there was a
continual noise like that of water turning a mill. At Cobham, in Surrey,
Dunstall, in Suffolk, Earsy Court, in Berkshire, Eatonbridge, Kent, and
many other places, the waters were variously agitated.
At Eyam bridge, in Derbyshire Peak, the overseer of the lead mines,
sitting in his writing-room, about eleven o’clock, felt a sudden shock,
which very sensibly raised him up in his chair, and caused several
pieces of plaster to drop from the sides of the room. The roof was so
violently shaken, that he imagined the engine-shaft had been falling in.
Upon this he immediately ran to see what was the matter, but found
everything in perfect safety. At this time two miners were employed in
carting, or drawing along the drifts of the mines, the ore and other
materials to be raised up at the shafts. The drift in which they were
working was about a hundred and twenty yards deep, and the space from
one end to the other fifty yards or upward. The miner at the end of the
drift had just loaded his cart, and was drawing it along; but he was
suddenly surprised by a shock, which so terrified him, that he
immediately quitted his employment, and ran to the west end of the drift
to his partner, who was no less terrified than himself. They durst not
attempt to climb the shaft, lest that should be running in upon them:
but while they were consulting what means they should take for their
safety, they were surprised by a second shock, more violent than the
first; which frightened them so much, that they both ran precipitately
to the other end of the drift. They then went down to another miner, who
worked about twelve yards below them. He told them that the violence of
the second shock had been so great, that it caused the rocks to grind
upon one another. His account was interrupted by a third shock, which,
after an interval of four or five minutes, was succeeded by a fourth,
and, about the same space of time after, by a fifth; none of which were
so violent as the second. They heard, after every shock, a loud rumbling
in the bowels of the earth, which continued about half a minute,
gradually descending, or seeming to remove to a greater distance.
At Shireburn Castle, Oxfordshire, a little after ten in the morning, a
very strange motion was observed in the water of a moat which
encompassed the building. There was a pretty thick fog, not a breath of
air, and the surface of the water all over the moat was smooth as a
looking-glass, except at one corner, where it flowed into the shore, and
retired again successively, in a surprising manner. How it began to move
is uncertain, as it was not then observed. The flux and reflux, when
seen were quite regular. Every flood began gently, its velocity
increasing by degrees, until at length it rushed in with great
impetuosity, till it had attained its full hight. Having remained for a
little time stationary, it then retired, ebbing gently at first, but
afterward sinking away with great swiftness. At every flux the whole
body of water seemed to be violently thrown against the bank; but
neither during the time of the flux, nor that of the reflux, did there
appear even the least wrinkle of a wave on the other parts of the moat.
Lord Parker, who had observed this motion, being desirous to know
whether it was universal over the moat, sent a person to the other
corner of it, at the same time that he himself stood about twenty-five
yards from him to examine whether the water moved there or not. He could
not perceive any motion there; but another person, who went to the
north-east corner of the moat, diagonally opposite to his lordship,
found it as considerable there as where he was. His lordship imagining,
that in all probability the water at the corner diagonally opposite to
where he was would sink as that by him rose, ordered the person to
signify by calling out, when the water by him began to sink, and when to
rise. This he did; but to his lordship’s great surprise, immediately
after the water began to rise at his own end, he heard the voice calling
that it began to rise with him also; and in the same manner he heard
that it was sinking at that end, soon after he perceived it to sink by
himself. A pond just below was agitated in a similar manner; but the
risings and sinkings happened at different times from those at the pond
where Lord Parker stood.
At White Rock, in Glamorganshire, about two hours’ ebb of tide, and near
a quarter to seven in the evening, a vast quantity of water rushed up
with a great noise, floated two large vessels, the least of them above
two hundred tuns’ burden, broke their moorings, drove them across the
river, and nearly overset them. The whole rise and fall of this
extraordinary body of water did not last above ten minutes, nor was it
felt in any other part of the river, so that it seemed to have gushed
out of the earth at that place.
Similar instances occurred at Loch Lomond and Loch Ness, in Scotland. At
Kinsale, in Ireland, and all along the coast to the westward, many
similar phenomena were observed.
Shocks were also perceived in several parts of France, as at Bayonne,
Bourdeaux and Lyons; and commotions of the waters were observed at
Angoulesme, Belleville, Havre de Grace, &c., but not attended with the
remarkable circumstances above mentioned.
These are the most striking phenomena with which the earthquake of the
first of November, 1755, was attended on the surface of the earth. Those
which happened below ground can not be known but by the changes observed
in springs, &c., which were in many places very remarkable.
At Tangier, all the fountains were dried up, so that there was no water
to be had till night. A very remarkable change was observed in the
medicinal waters of Toplitz, a village in Bohemia, famous for its baths.
These waters were discovered in the year 762; from which time the
principal spring had constantly thrown out hot water in the same
quantity, and of the same quality. On the morning of the earthquake,
between eleven and twelve, in the forenoon, this principal spring cast
forth such a quantity of water, that in the space of half an hour all
the baths ran over. About half an hour before this great increase of the
water, the spring flowed turbid and muddy; then, having stopped entirely
for a minute, it broke forth again with prodigious violence, driving
before it a considerable quantity of reddish ocher. After this, it
became clear, and flowed as pure as before. It still continued to do so,
but the water was in greater quantity, and hotter, than before the
earthquake. At Angoulesme, in France, a subterraneous noise, resembling
thunder, was heard; and presently after, the earth opened, and
discharged a torrent of water, mixed with red sand. Most of the springs
in the neighborhood sunk in such a manner, that for some time they were
thought to be quite dry. In Britain, no considerable alteration was
observed in the earth, except that, near the lead mine above-mentioned,
in Derbyshire, a cleft was observed about a foot deep, six inches wide,
and one hundred and fifty yards in length.
At sea the shocks of this earthquake were felt most violently. Off St.
Lucar, the captain of the Nancy frigate felt his ship so violently
shaken, that he thought she had struck the ground; but, heaving the
lead, he found she was in a great depth of water. Captain Clark, from
Denia, in north latitude thirty-six degrees, twenty-four minutes,
between nine and ten in the morning, had his ship shaken and strained as
if she had struck upon a rock, so that the seams of the deck opened, and
the compass was overturned in the binnacle. Tho master of a vessel bound
to the American islands, being in north latitude twenty-five degrees,
west longitude forty degrees, and writing in his cabin, heard a violent
noise as he imagined, in the steerage; and while he was asking what the
matter was, the ship was put into a strange agitation, and seemed as if
she had been suddenly jerked up, and suspended by a rope fastened to the
mast-head. He immediately started up with great terror and astonishment,
and looking out at the cabin-window, saw land, as he took it to be, at
the distance of about a mile. Coming upon the deck, the land was no more
to be seen, but he perceived a violent current cross the ship’s way to
the leeward. In about a minute, this current returned with great
impetuosity; and at a league’s distance, he saw three craggy-pointed
rocks throwing up waters of various colors, resembling fire. This
phenomenon, in about two minutes, ended in a black cloud, which ascended
very heavily. After it had risen above the horizon, no rocks were to be
seen; though the cloud, still ascending, was long visible, the weather
being extremely clear. Between nine and ten in the morning, another
ship, forty leagues west of St. Vincent, was so strongly agitated, that
the anchors, which were lashed, bounced up, and the men were thrown a
foot and a half perpendicularly up from the deck. Immediately after
this, the ship sunk in the water as low as the main-chains. The lead
showed a great depth of water, and the line was tinged of a yellow
color, and smelt of sulphur. The shock lasted about ten minutes; but
they felt smaller ones for the space of twenty-four hours.