The Litchfield County post., 1828-08-07
Fromthe Boston Daily Advertiser.

Several reports and scraps of letters have
been published within few days, but we have
not before had full account Of the catastro-
phe. The following is an extract of letter
from S. w. Pomeroy, jr.
LIMA, April 21st.
wrote you last by the Brandywlne to Pa
mama, to 20 across the Isthmus under date of
Goth utimo. Since that time this city has
been visited by one of these dreadful earth
quakes which are looked for about once in
century, and had it continued .te,O seconds
longer, the whole of Lima must inevitably
have been laid in ruins. The calamity occur
red on the morning of the Goth of March, at
about halt past seven O'Clock, and although
only of so or 40 seconds duration, was of
such prodigiOus violence as to PROSTATE ma
ny houses in the village and injure all, inclu-
ding the stupendOus churches, some of which
are SO much shattered that it is contempla-
ted to take them down, their massive walls
of from SIX TO nine feet thick being literally
rent from the top to the bottom. A great
number of houses have been pulled down by
order of the authorities, and several have
since the shock, fallen of their own accord,
in one instance burying two or three persons
in their ruins. - AN
The amount Of injury in the city is estima-
ted, by an Official survey, at SIR million Of DOL
lars, sum quite within bounds, when it is
recollected chat from the nature of the build
ings they cannot be repaired in many instances.
but must be rebuilt. The house occupied by
Alsop. Wetmore & Co. is considered one of
the strongest in Lima, and is said to have cost
$4,000. Some Of the rooms are cracked
perpendicularly in many places. and in Others
the upper part of the house (which is COM
posed of bamboo sticks and mud, of about
two feet. in thickness,) separated itself from
the b" atiObes'' or sun dried bricks, of which
the walls. to the heighth of three feet above
the fDOr of the second story are compOsed,&
had the shock continued three seconds longer
the whole top, with its brick roof would
have fallen in.
About 80 persons persisted; that is the
number of bodies which have been dug out
of the rubbish, but others are supposed to be
still undiscovered. Had it been 10 the night
the loss of lives would, no doubt, have
been greater. was awakened from sound
sleep by most terrific noise, and jumped
up saw the walls of my room vibrating most
violently. l concluded that no time was to
be lost, and made the best of my way into
the street. amidst falling plaster and stumb-
ling over the floor like drunken man. In
the street all vas dismay; the heart appalling
noise which ushured in this frightful phenom-
ena and the sound of the cracking of walls
were still ringing in our ears. The poor ma
tlves we're upon their knees, (many of them
just as they had risen from their beds,) beat
ing their breasts, and calling upon God, the
virgin and all the saints to save them and ex-
pecting Mt every instant another and an over
whelming shock. Indeed, when reflect that
this was danger which no place afforded Sc
curity, (as the earth was expected to open as
it had done during the great earthquake OF
l74Ol was very we'll disposed to join the cry
of " misricOrdia," and seek protection from
Him "who but lOOketh upon the earth and il
trembleth."
The great shock was followed by FIVE Or
six slight tremblings in ~ many days, which
excited great terror, and j must confess thai
have been more alarmed by these harmless
shocks than by the great cOnvulsion and il
is remarked generally, that person who ha.