A heavy earthquake, registering around 7.6 on the Richter Scale, struck the area around Copiano in the Atacama Region of northern Chile around three in the afternoon. The shock lasted for at least four minutes and more than 300 houses were destroyed. A nearby mine suffered a cave-in, burying around ten men alive. Total damage was estimated at about $930,000. (By John Osborne)
Source Citation
The American Almanac and Repository of Useful Knowledge (Boston: Crosby, Nichols, Lee and Company, 1861), 404.