This is an article that is
in the History of Jones County Vol. 1, published in 1910
There are many interesting
items in this book and others at the Edinburgh
Museum.
Earthquake History
Seismic disturbances are usually credited to mountainous
regions, and future generations might not believe that the sensations peculiar
to such disturbances have been experienced in Jones county.
The first earthquake disturbances experienced in the county
of which any remark has been made, occurred about
twenty years ago. It occasioned more
than passing notice, though no injury resulted other than the shock to nervous
people.
The next earthquake experience occurred on May 26,
1909. In describing this
we cannot do better than quote from two reports, one taken from The Monticello Express and the other
from The Wyoming Journal, each
published the day following the seismic disturbances.
The Monticello
Express: "Monticello
experienced a distinct earthquake shock, yesterday
morning, the 26th inst., At 8:40 o'clock, which lasted several
seconds. The direction of the
disturbance was north and south. It was not generally observed by those on the street, but
people in the second stories of buildings noticed the disturbance. At both the schoolhouses
it was observed. In the second story of
the Lovell block it shook the windows and produced the
feeling produced by a strong wind blowing against a frame house. The typesetting machine in The Express office gave its operators
the sensation of strong movements. At
the racket store some articles were shaken from the
shelves, and from different parts of town came experiences that settled the
character of the disturbances. During
the day came the news that the earthquake was general throughout the upper Mississippi valley. No particular damage was
done, aside from broken dishes, but in some places, particularly Dubuque and some Illinois
points the movements were so strong that the occupants of factories and tall
buildings rushed out into the streets in alarm.
We had the same kind of experience in Monticello a little more than twenty years
ago, when the earthquake was credited with the
cracking of cement lining of the city reservoir. Some amusing incidents were
connected with the seismic movement.
Dr. Hefner, who had just adjusted his furnace, supposed it had blown up
and rushed into the cellar to find it behaving beautifully. George
Guyan asked his partner to drive out the dog he
thought was shaking the table. Over in Richland, Lester Winner
was eating his breakfast, and the table shook so violently he asked his wife to
drive the cow away for he was sure she had gotten in the yard again, and was
rubbing herself against the house."
The Wyoming Journal: "An earthquake
shock caused many of our people to sit up and take notice yesterday morning
about 8:30. The seismic disturbance was
of short duration, and did no serious damage to property, but the vibrations of
buildings were startling in the extreme.
The writer was in his office in the second story of
the Williams block and the thought at the rumble and vibration of the walls was
that a heavily loaded truck was being run over the floor of the store below,
causing the effect noticed, but the fact that it was a new one in energy and
never before experienced raised a question. Enquiry disclosed the fact that others had
realized that the earth under then had been a little unsteady at the same
time. Dr. E. N. Stoffel
was standing in his office leaning against his office safe talking to a friend
when the shock came. The safe rocked
sufficiently to cause alarm and he got away from it Glass cases rattle and things looked like a
moving picture show for a time of few seconds.
In the Kettlesen store
the crockery rattle and there was considerable vibration. At the lumber office of L. W. Butler, Mr.
Butler was sitting talking to a traveling man and both were alarmed at the
shaking the building received.
"Will R. Eldred, who was confined to his bed in the
home of his mother on the hill by reason of an accident the previous day, says
his bed shook so he thought there was some one under it giving him a scare and
peeked under the bend for the trouble.
"The quake was also felt at Onslow and north in the
country as far as the home of James Hamilton in Clay township reports of the
quake come in."
Severe Windstorm of 1898
On July 19, 1898, a severe windstorm visited Jones county,
and especially the northern part. The
storm came up in the early evening. Monticello, Scotch Grove, Center Junction, Cass Castle Grove and Wayne
suffered the most destruction, though there was more or less damage in all
parts of the county. No person was
injured so far as learned. Barns were blown down,
crops injured and trees leveled. The
windmills were blown down quite generally. One firm in Monticello alone as a
result of the storm, erected over one hundred and fifty windmills.
This was the last destructive windstorm to visit Jones county.