New York City Will Slip Into Sea, Predicts Edgar Cole, July 1921

Gotham to Slip Into the Ocean, Edgar Cole Insists

By David M. Church

International News Staff Correspondent

Washington, July 9—New York City destroyed!

That will be a headline in every newspaper in the world some time during the month of July, according to information which has been placed in the hands of Ambassador Harvey in London and made available to government officials here.

The bold prediction is made by Edgar Cole of Philadelphia, who is now pursuing a scientific studies in London. Cole was formerly connected with the United States Food Commission and the Philadelphia Rapid Transit Company.

If you don’t believe Cole’s prediction, you are not disappointing him, for he frankly states that he expects to be derided and ridiculed. But he is prepared to accept all odium and ridicule that may be heaped upon him, while he tells the world about the forthcoming cataclysm, and he is going to tell the world, too, for humanity’s sake, he declares, in a letter received here.

Scientific study of the geological structure of New York, combined with a study of astronomical effects, has convinced Cole that the metropolitan area is going to slip right into the sea, following a great earth tremor, which will come this month if running on schedule time.

The grand splash, which will occur when New York goes into the sea, will result in some geological disorders along the Jersey and Long Island coasts, Cole stated, and, when things get back to normal, Philadelphia and other inland cities will be seaports. Atlantic City may go the way of New York.

The cause of all this is very ancient, 250,000 years old, says Cole. It seems, according to Cole, that New York City and adjacent territory were slighted in the glacial period and the soil that was washed down the Hudson River, as it is now called, was piled up at an angle of 45 degrees with very little rock strata. Manhattan Island was built on this deposit, which has an unsound base. So much for that—New York and vicinity has no “toe hold,” says Cole.

Now come Jupiter, Saturn and Uranus, planets of disintegration. These planets are always acting up and their general disposition is to cause disintegration of the earth, but the earth’s resistance is too great to permit the powers of these planets to control the states. During July, however, these planets will center their disintegrating powers upon New York, and, with its underpinning congenitally weak, that city and adjacent territory will give way and slide into the sea, calmly predicts the Philadelphia researcher.

The earth tremor will occur along the coast line and will appear like a great marine explosion, Cole avers.

Cole's report of the forthcoming disaster covers many pages and cites geological and astronomical explanations at great length.

Thus far, no government department has deemed it advisable to issue an official warning to New Yorkers, but Cole announces that he is not taking any chances and will remain in London until late fall.

From The Charlotte News, Sunday morning, July 10, 1921. New York City became known as Gotham City after Washington Irving in 1807 wrote about Gotham city, the home of fast-talking know-it-alls.