The Massachusetts spy, and Worcester County advertiser. [volume] ([Worcester, Mass.]) 1825-1831, 1828-02-27

| We ooAcluue Today The very interesting
account OF the terrible earthquake in Co.
iombla, furnished by a private letter placed
IN our hands. The scene of this renlarka-
pie phenomenon was the midst of the extern
slVe triangular district formed by the range
OF the Andes and two of its minor chains.
enclosing the plains of 3ogota, Popayan,
&C. with several ranges of inferior noun
talns. The course of the great river MAG
daleha lies through it, and whose waters
are sWelled by several considerable tributa-
RES, some OF them pouring over rapidly de-
Ginning channels, and broken into foam bv
frequent rapids. Several OF the mountain
streams mentioned in the following account
are of this description,
a more Impressive and awful scene can
hardly be imagined than that presented by
the Simultaneous and destructive oneration
OF the earthquake, the rain, falling trees,
rocks and preclplces, devasting floods and
volcanoes. Their effects may suggest to
philosophers some new ideas concerning
the phenomena of nature.
The cause of these phenomena, with
which nature has terrified mankind, it would
seem, must be sought for in the combined
forces OF the volcanoes Guila, Soltara and
Purace; which, during many years, having
J been reservlng powerful materials; and
when the day OF eruption arrived, took place
TO the dismay of the country.
The volcano of Purace, which was full of
water on the western side, as Humboldt OBJ
served, is supposed to have produced less
damage in that direction than towards the
J eastern, where it threw out great quantities
otburning lava, which must have overwheIm-
ed those immense regions of desert. On the
other sides large cracks have been opened
In the earth; the rivers and torrents, par
tlcularly the Vinagre and Ispala, have in
creased their water to an astonishing de-
gree, which, in some places being stopped,
by avalanches, have produced horrible in
undations. The town of Purace was total
ly destroyed; but it is not known whether
any of the inhabitants were lost. The
neighboring towns and adjoining farms suf-
fered a similar fate.
The earthquakes have now become very
rare, and almost imperceptible !; so that they
are the last exertlons of the volcano, whose
eruption has been experienced in a shock
like that of the recoil of a gun on the hand
that discharges it.
fortunately for Popayan nobody persisted
IN the earthquake, and two women only,
died of fear. The buildings have suffered
intellectually. The higher houses are I'M
unavailable; and the low require great and
immediate repairs. All the inhabitants are
out of the city. BY order OF tie aurnorIUIes,
they are making four chapels of straw, for
the celebration of divine worship, as there
is not single church that can be entered
without the exposure of life. The public
| distress is very great; and this town has
reason to fear that it viii be blotted from
the map of Colombia.
Gigantic, Nov. Goth, 1927.
At half past s. on the evening of the 10th
inst. which will ever be an epoch with us,
strong and frightful earthquake occurred,
during which the church and several houses
of this town were overthrown, and the rest
were left entirel y useless. It's duration was
about five minutes; and its terrible power
was so great that the hills shook like shrubs
blown by strong wind, giving a frightful
roaring, while rocks and masses of earth
were rolled down into the valleys, filling up
the beds and rapids of the rivers.
After the interval of quarter of an hour,
( occurred second shock of equal force, al
though of shorter duration, which reduced
( the remaining buildings of the town to
ruins, and joined hills and mountains to-
gether. To crown our misfortunes a copi-
GUS rain succeeded, to which the inhabitants
were exposed in the open plain, having no
houses left to shelter them. The tragical
scenes of the night cannot be described
there are no colors in which can represent
them, and language is inadequate for the
task. The cracking of falling trees, the
heavy rolling of stones and rocks, the rush
ing of water, the motion of the earth, the
unremitting rain, the voices of men, and the
unusual cries and howls of cattle all these
in the darkness of the night, would have
Supplied the liveliest Imagination that woA d
have attempted to paint.
" GLADDEN. aLtius noctiS, and fu3,era fa,sdo."
and to explain what we had to endure
Men and women, terrified and distracted at
the sight OF an extraordinary and frightful
phenomenon, necessarily repeated, and filed
the ar with their cries, and implored the
AID OF heaven, almost without asking the
continuance of life oppressed with suffer
ngs and dlsmay worse than even death it.
sell. The rocks from the hills, rolling into
the Grandinosa and Honda, these are call
ed qate6rddGS, mad streams, distracted their
passage Tor more than two hours, and in
proportion as they rose against the obsta-
cles, produced floods and deposits of earth
so extensive and ruinous that they levelled
every thing they encountered, increasing
the devastation, and, apparently, the earth
quake ITSELF
Thus, my friend, we passed that night,
and the six succeeding ones, in unspeaka-
BILE anxiety and assure you that the whole
four first days we had only one continual
earthquake. Afterwards internlssions oc-
Cured; but we did not on this account fail
to experience shocks and trials as great as
before for the high hills on each side of
Suaza had become united, and for eleven
days this abundant stream was not able to
break through the obstacle, Eor to open its
passage, so that we consider the cities of