Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1812-04-30
THE EARTHQUAKE.

THE EARTHQUAKE.
Ertraet otra letter from a gentleman at La
! Guayrd 10 his friend in Phiiadelhhia, das
| ted .dfirit2, 1872.
| 81 cannot sufficiently thank the Almigh-
ty Disposer of Events for rescuiRg me
from death, while it played no idle part in
this place.
!" On Thursday, at A, p. M. (the Goth
March,) severe shock of an Earthquake.
was felt here. 1t came from the East On
It's hrst approach, it appeared as though
there were discharge in the neighborhood
oil some thousands of cannon moment af-
ter, the earth began to rise about IS inches,
and ran in. waves for about two seconds, of
at least that height; it continued altogether
| Tor about one and an half minutes, during
| which time ii Frustrated more than two
thirds OF the houses, and rendered the O.
| theirs untenantable, killed at least one haH
| of the inhabitants, and wounded very MANY
Neither the strongest fancy nor the bright-
est Imagination, can come any way near to
pourtraying the dismal aspect of the scene.
| Words to describe it are not in use you
can form no idea of it. On every side was
to be heard, my wife, my husband, my chill
dren, my sisters, my brothers-where are
they, where are they They are dead oh.
they have persisted! These words were
uttered in the strongest tone of anguish
| and despair.-Caraccas has lost about ten
thousand of its inhabitants
1t was one of the holidays, day rendered
remarkable in Christian annals, by being the
anniversary of that day on which our Saw
our was nailed to the Cross--an hour ONLY
before representation of that ceremony
I was to have been carried through the streets.
Every Church was full, and every one was
lClnn t~aar, Oh. ~.
i or 1000 persons can be counted in two
Churches, all having persisted. Not house
in Caraccac is inhabited. The people have,
as well as here, left the place, aud raised,
tents in the open fields.
was witness to the interment of about
fifty, who, on their knees, were implorins
the protection of the Divinity, and who, at.
| q less distance than twenty steps, were co.
vered by the falling of two houses.
! My dear friend, it was dreadful to behold,
and never will the remembrance Of it be eff
faced from my memory. The heart-rend-
ing shrieks of those who had lost their
| friends, joined to the dismal groans of the
wounded and dying, were enough to cause
the strongest and most stubborn heart to feel
the miseries of mankind. Even now, everr
thing smells of death. No more than one
third of the unfortunates have been found,
| those that have been, are either thrown into
the sea or burned
La riuira will never assume its former
appearance--no, never such a hope is
vanity The streets are filled with ruins.
| About 90 slight shocks have been felt
since.
Extract Of another letter, dated LII Guira.
AihrH 4, 1912.
"a very heavy Earthquake, which took
place here on the 29th ult. has laid this
town in total ruins not house standing ex-
cept few which are so shaken and shat
tered as to be uninhabitable. The CITY of
Caracas, Is miles distant, is in still more
deplorable condition. There a total fall Of
all the houses has been effected In La Gut
ra the Custom house is still standing, but is
cracked in many places. The killed in Ca
raccas are estimated at 5000 In La Gui-
ra, at 500. My own escape is miracu~
lous, for / was amidst the destruction in
i Caracas, whittier nulttudes of people had
gone in consequence of the great HOLIDAYS,
which began ON the very day of the Earth
quake. The houses in the street where
walked, did MT fall immediately--I ran to
the market square, which was close by
there were five of us in company, only three
survived AS soon as the earth began to
shake, the Spaniards dropt on their knees !;
OF them would have escaped.
1.-The Earthquake began minutes past
4 o'clock, p. NJ. The horror Of the sight
ofthe wounded and mangled, men, women
and children is not to be described. / ne
yer saw any thing so heart-appalling AL
the dead, as they arc found, are carried and
thrown in heaps and burned. The shock
came from the West, and continued from
two minutes and an half to three minutes.
Previous and Immediately preceding the
shock, the ground opened in f1rrows, raised,
Bonded and twisted up with the Aexibiity Of
a great heavy sea.--The houses tumbling
into ruins, the men, women and children
shrieking aud crying, the dust flying so thick
as to cause total darkness, made a scene Of
horror, which no pen nor pencil can des-
cribe and all this dreadful scene was made
still more horrible by tremendous noise in
the earth, which threatened momently to
swallow up all upon its surface 1t is with
difficulty tho road is travelled between this
and Caracas; tisso cracked, broken and
.JrrOwed, that barrel could scarcely be
,assed along. It's evident the whole noun
,ainbas been agitated,