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Strange Columbus September 1884 Earthquake Columbus, Ohio

Columbus Dispatch headline from September 20, 1884.

This Strange Columbus 1884 Earthquake edition reviews a fairly rare event in the state-a damaging seismic event. While most earthquakes felt within the state have epicenters outside of Ohio- either west in the Missouri/Illinois area or north in Ontario or Quebec- the September, 1884 quake was one of the few damaging ones that had its origins within state borders.
At around 2:45PM on the 19th, an estimated magnitude 4.8 tremor struck northwest Ohio. While 4.8 is not particularly strong as far as earthquakes go, Ohio’s geology allows even relatively weak quakes to shake the land with much greater force than in other parts of the country.
The earthquake was felt across all of Ohio and several surrounding states. The Crestline Advocate, from small Crestline, Ohio to the west of Mansfield, provided accounts from all over the region a week after the event. Here are just a few.

From Crestline itself:
A genuine earthquake visited this locality last Friday afternoon at 2:45, in which houses were made to tremble and furniture rattle. Several persons ran from dwellings and business houses, expecting everything to “fall in.” The swaying motion was very distinct, running east and west. The sensation was
something new in this section. The experience here was the same as that telegraphed from numerous portions of the State. Our neighboring towns, also, reported a lively shaking up. James Booth says that, at the time of the occurrence, he was thrown from a lounge on which he was lying, then bounded up from the floor, whirled around, and went scooting out of his front door up into the air, and when he collected his scattered senses he found himself on the roof of his domicile, standing on his head. He didn’t say this in just so many words, but this was inferred from the experience he related.

COLUMBUS, O., September 20. – At 2:40p.m. yesterday, a shock of earthquake was felt in different parts of this city, the vibrations lasting over thirty seconds. At the Capitol (sic) University the chandeliers swayed to and fro and students left their rooms amid great excitement.

CLEVELAND, Ohio., September 20. –
Yesterday afternoon an earthquake was felt in many parts of this city. Tables and furniture were moved in the houses, pictures on the walls were shaken, causing quite an excitement among the inmates. The motion was from west to east and was confined to three distinct rockings finally subsiding and dying away in a sort of a tremor.

CINCINNATI, O., September 20. – At 2:30 yesterday afternoon the shock of an earthquake was felt in this city and in Covington, Ky. There was a slight trembling of buildings and rocking motion felt, which was sufficiently marked to cause astonishment and comment. The motion was from north to south and was a gentle undulation, without any tremor or upheaval. The shocks lasted about ten seconds, there being a perceptible pause between the first and second. A gentleman, who was writing at home on Cutter Street, said he felt his table vibrate. It stopped and then moved again less violently than before. Reports from Mt. Vernon and Delaware, Ohio, say the shock was felt at their places.

A 1998 report on the event further described some of the damage and range of the earthquake.
The earthquake caused damage at Lima, where the shock was “of considerable violence and caused much excitement.” Plaster was shaken from ceilings east and southeast of Columbus at Zanesville, Ohio, and Parkersburg, W. Va. Windows and dishes were broken at Defiance and Norwalk, Ohio; to the west at Fort Wayne and Muncie, Ind.; to the north at Lansing, Mich.; and to the east at Wheeling, W. Va. Furniture was displaced and 14 buildings were heavily shaken at Urbana, Ohio, in Champaign County, and at many other towns in the regions. Also felt in Iowa, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, and western Ontario, Canada, and at Washington, D.C. by workmen on top of the unfinished Washington Monument.

The exact epicenter was never determined, but research long after put the likely origin in Allen County.

The United Stated Geological Survey, or USGS, puts out an earthquake map with all current and past earthquakes from around the world. Users can select regions and search for earthquakes going back a century or more, or search based on magnitudes.

From the files of Project Blue Book, this incident is somewhat humorous as the person who reported the incident seemingly had reported objects in the past and was considered extremely “belligerent” in reporting information about what they witnessed. The witness testimony included in the report is full of colorful language. Whether the witness was simply trying to gain attention seems to have been a factor in concluding this event was Jupiter.

Much of the written part has faded over the last 60 years, so quite a bit is unreadable. However, it looks like it was part notes from an interviewer and part response from the interviewee/witness. It seems to be relating to how the witness was largely uncooperative in answering questions.
17. *Interviewer* Notes: I got to home of *unreadable* Mr. *Redacted*… *unreadable* conversation around following pattern.
-Witness- I can tell you something you want to know about the goddamn thing.
*Interviewer* What color was it?
-Witness- *unreadable* is that goddamn thing *unreadable*?
*Interviewer* Was it like a star?
-Witness- Are you trying to make me out (to be) a goddamn fool or something?
*Interviewer* Where did you first see it?
-Witness- I know all about *unreadable* and that sort of thing, I was in the Navy.
19. -Witness- I have a friend who was at Pearl Harbor and he saw this goddamned thing, and you know what happened at Pearl Harbor.”

The exclamation points are a good indication the interviewer was basically mocking the witness by that point.

Again, some of the writing has faded. Here is what I could decipher.
Sgt. Ashley of Lockbourne AFB first referred the call to me at 2230 HRS. He had already been talking to this man for about an hour. Lockbourne Tower personnel and Columbus police failed to see what the man described. Sgt. Ashley had by chance been on duty the other time *redacted* had called and had gotten no confirmation that time either. That was *unreadable* July *unreadable*. Ashley called back at 2300 saying that *unreadable* was calling *unreadable* again. I did not take a second call from *redacted*.