1755 Cape Ann earthquake: Difference between revisions

Boston and Cape Ann were the most heavily damaged. In Boston, damage was concentrated in areas of [[infill]] near the harbor; infill is less sturdy in earthquakes than solid land. From 1,300 to 1,600 chimneys in the city were damaged in some way, the gable ends of some houses collapsed, and a number of roofs were damaged by falling chimneys.<ref name="usgs"/> Stone chimneys and buildings were damaged in Falmouth (present-day [[Portland, Maine]]), [[Springfield, Massachusetts]], and [[New Haven, Connecticut]], as well. Some church steeples in Boston were damaged, ending up tilted from vertical.<ref name="newman"/><ref name="ebel"/> Stone fencing in rural areas was damaged. Observers also reported that several springs dried up, new ones were created, and cracks appeared in the ground near [[Scituate, Massachusetts|Scituate]], [[Lancaster, Massachusetts|Lancaster]], and [[Pembroke, Massachusetts|Pembroke]]. In this last town, observers noted water and fine sand coming from the crack.<ref name="usgs"/> Non-structural damage was minor; residents reported damage to china and glassware, and a distiller lost some of his product after a cistern was damaged.<ref name="ebel"/> The Cape Ann earthquake may also have created the first recorded [[tsunami]] in U.S. history. Observers in the [[Leeward Islands]] nearly {{convert|1000|mi|km}} south of Cape Ann, reported a receding of water followed by a large wave that lifted several boats ashore and left fish floundering on the beach.<ref name="gunn">{{cite book | last = Gunn | first = Angus M. | title = Encyclopedia of Disasters: Environmental Catastrophes and Human Tragedies | publisher = Greenwood Publishing Group | year = 2007 | pages = 81–82 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=4YzF-DT__aIC&dq=cape+ann+earthquake&lr=&as_brr=3&client=firefox-a&source=gbs_navlinks_s | isbn = 0-313-34002-1}}</ref>