November 23, 1919 Earthquake: Reconcavo, Brazil

Reference #14100 [unofficial translation]:

Of a series of tremors that occurred in November 1919 in the Bay of Todos os Santos region, the most notable were those on the 9th and 22nd, which shook several islands, the Reconcavo region, and the city of Salvador (Sampaio, 1920). In the earthquake on the 9th, the population of Acupe, a town on the shores of the Bay of Todos os Santos, was forced to abandon their homes in a panic. In nearby Coroa Branca, fishermen “gathered in fear because, according to their testimony, the sea suddenly began to boil and the fish jumped as if they had been touched by underwater electric fluid.” The main event took place in the early hours of November 22, and the most affected location was Freguesia do Monte, today Reconcavo do Monte, located at the far end of the bay. Cracks were seen in street walls, house walls, and ceilings in the area. The church, a solid building with thick walls, suffered various damages. The interior floor was covered with ornamental pieces that had fallen from the top of the pediment and cornice, carved in stone. The force of the tremor detached part of the side walls of the facade, leaving it on the verge of collapse. “The thick arch, ninety centimeters thick, at the entrance to the baptistery” broke. Above this arch, on the upper floor, the beams above the doors broke, causing the plaster on the walls to fall. “The bell tower suffered the same fate; the arch above the high altar also broke, and other old cracks in the back and side walls widened.”