June 5, 1888 Earthquake: Cologne, Uruguay

The 5 of June of 1888 at 0 hours 20 m an earthquake affected the southwestern part of Uruguay and the Province of Buenos Aires (Argentina). The fact that his epicenter was placed in the La Plata River between Colonia in Uruguay and the capital of Argentina, Buenos Aires, added to the fact that his magnitude is presumed to have been superior to 5.0, brought about a generalized panic in that region. An extensive relation of the phenomenon in the press exists of the time that informs that the tremor was felt in located localities even 400 km of distance of the epicenter...

The total duration of the shaking calculated between 45 and 58 seconds, divided of the following way: a first oscillating movement extremely weak that lasted approximately five seconds; a time of calm of three seconds; a second moderate movement with a duration of 25 seconds, followed of a strong movement by space of 15 seconds. It stops this last one is related that in Buenos Aires they maderamen of the houses crujían strongly, the lamps of the houses were swung, the furniture moved of their site and the pictures fell of the walls; in some houses they were broken the objects of glasswork and porcelain jumping of the sideboards. Population was alarmed on the matter, saying the parts that inhabitants of Buenos Aires have remained in candle starts off at night, embarrassed because of a very strong earth tremor… Also in Colonia one felt a strong shaking, without personal misfortunes that to be sorry. Glasses and stonewares of some houses of commerce went to the ground. In the Estanzuela, place near Colonia, it collapsed part of a small house with weak laying of foundations in a sandy bottom. (These data have been extracted mainly of the newspaper the Popular Tribune, published in Montevideo, in its following editions of the 5 of June of 1888 and days.)

The tremor was sensed also with certain intensity in the Uruguayan cities of Mercedes, Paysandú and Artigas, approximately located in same meridian that the center of the tremor, as well as in several cities and towns of the Argentine interior. A special mention deserves the information offered by the newspaper the Tacitus of Colonia, in its number of the 5 of June of 1888: `Saturno' Came the steam from the neighboring capital for this city. It sailed calm by the center of the channel with but of 20 feet of water, when suddenly one paused as if it touched the bottom. The captain did to throw the sounding, but was whereupon the boat, moved by a force it hides, it weighed anchor by itself of running aground and it followed its way.

In summary, the earthquake of year 1888 was felt with great intensity in Colonia and Buenos Aires and also detected in an area very extensive that almost includes several Argentine provinces and the totality of Uruguayan territory. The consequences of a similar seismic event would be nowadays, without doubt, much majors that those experimenting do more of a century, given the urban development in the zone, the intense present marine traffic where the tremor was focused and in which variations were reported important in the level of the river...

(above from reference #8855)