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The Virginia Gazette
Richmond, Williamsburg, Richmond County, Virginia
What is this article about?
A violent earthquake-like shock struck Long Benton near Newcastle on Wednesday evening, caused by over-mining in the local colliery, damaging houses, streets, fields, and a garden, but causing no loss of life.
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"On Wednesday evening last a violent shock, like that of an earthquake, happened at the town of Long Benton, within four miles of this place, which disjointed all the houses in that town, being built of stone, and on the surface of a freestone rock; the inhabitants fled from their houses into the fields and streets, expecting their fall every minute; the street opened and closed again, from end to end of the town; the fields, and a Gentleman's garden, sunk above two feet; and many parts of the great Killingworth Moor shared the same fate; but no lives are lost.
This was all occasioned by the noted colliery of Long Benton having been completely wrought out. It is a custom in working collieries, to leave as much coal as they dig away; but being a coal of great character at London, and willing to make the most of it, they fell to work, and took the coal pillars away, and fixed slight wood ones in their stead, to support a rock of two miles square, and 75 fathoms thick, being the depth of the coal pit."
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Where did it happen?
Foreign News Details
Primary Location
Long Benton
Event Date
Wednesday Evening Last, As Of December 4
Outcome
no lives are lost
Event Details
A violent shock like an earthquake disjointed stone houses in Long Benton, caused inhabitants to flee, opened and closed the street, sank fields and a gentleman's garden over two feet, and affected Killingworth Moor; caused by complete working out of the colliery, removing coal pillars and replacing with slight wood supports under a two-mile square, 75-fathom thick rock.