Eyewitness Account of the 1886 South Carolina Earthquake For Sale

A vivid eyewitness account of the ma 1886 South Carolina earthquakes. Six typed leaves, 8 x 10, insect damage to last leaf, with pencil heading Brownfields. Summerville S. C. Act. of earth quakes Aug. 31st, for 2 weeks following.
The 1886 Charleston earthquake in South Carolina occurred about 9:50 p.m. local time August 31. It caused 60 deaths and $56 million ($186 million in 2023) in damage to 2,000 buildings. It is one of the most powerful and damaging earthquakes to hit the east coast of the United States. The earthquake was so severe that outside the immediate area, there was speculation that the Florida peninsula had broken away from North America (wikipedia).
[partial transcription]: We were all in the sitting room, including my Mother, who you know, is in her 74th year. Some of us were playing cards, others sewing or reading. Fanny had asked several times if any one could tell her the author of the lines Ruling passion strong in death, etc. Julia said, I will find it. Just then we rose from the card table, Julia had reached the book shelf inn the north-east corner of the room -- 'twas five minutes of ten o'clock. At that moment the floor seemed to rise under my feet, the centre table fell over, Nellie caught the lighted lamp, the book shelves were falling, -- all this in the twinkling of an eye, without the least noise; But soon, there was a frightful sound like the roaring of vast waters bursting their confines; the eastern wall leaned as if about to fall on us, and I screamed, Run, run. In a second we were in the hall. Two of the girls lost their footing and fell, rolling over on the tilting floor. Now the western wall seemed to be coming over, -- I never can describe the terrors, the despair that filled me as my Mother said, This is an earthquake -- we are lost!
The house rocked on its pillars, the timbers groaned and creaked, the chimneys fell, the crash from the falling bricks sounded as if great guns were fired all at once. The lamp in the hall swung violently from side to side illuminating the whole place and bringing so plainly to view all we sought to shun, -- the falling furniture, the pale terror-stricken faces, Mama's feeble arms stretched as if to catch the swaying lamp, that might set fire.The N--- [black folk] were holding one of their usual prayer meetings in the church, just in the rear of our grounds. When the shock came the little building rolled from side to side, the N--s screamed and yelled, calling for help, saying Judgment Day had come. They rushed down the roads, saying the Big Marasa's hand was heavy on them. All our town is camping out. You would suppose we were some newly settled western region were it not for the old homes standing, though unsteadily, on their pillars, like whitened sepulchers, a mass of ruin and rubbish within.We cooked out of doors, and the meals were simple enough, if not meagre. Oh! what a day of anxiety...