Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1834-05-06
AWFUL EARTHQUAKE IN SOUTH AME-
RIGA
Ihe Citu OF Pasto destroued.

One of those fearful commissions of Nature,
which sometimes occur to make man feel his i'm
potence as compared with the omnipotent pow
er of his Creator, occurred in the mountainous
districts of New Grenada near the western IRON
tier. and also near the Equator, on the goth and
22d of January, which has been attended with
results of the most terrible fatality. The city OF
Paste. with population of from IL 600 to $4,000
inhabitants has been almost completely destroy
ed. and upwards of fifty lives lost The city OF
Popayan containing near 10000 lnhapltants,
has also been destroyed. The entire country,
for leagues around Paste, has been converted IN
| to scene of complete desolation and mourning.
A volcanic mountain overhangs the city OF Pas
to, which is situated in latitude ], 13, N. long
II. 11-and as the ridge of the Andes, which
stretches little to the westward, was severely
affected, there is every reason 10 appfehend tnat
the city of Quito and the republic OF Ecuador
have experienced the effects OF the same Gala
nifty Two letters addressed to the Secretary
of State, give full and melancholy details OF this
appalling visitation. From them it appears that
the shock was experienced at seven O'Clock in
the morning of the goth January, when an aw-
full motion Of the earth commenced, which con-
tinued for nearly four hours without Interrupt
ton, and which on the 22d were again succeeded
by several others still more violent-which COM
pleted in one chaos of destruction what parts OF
the city the former had spared.
Of all the religious churches in the city only
that of Jesus del Rio and that of San Andre es-
capped with the loss only of their steeples. But
the Cathedral church and the churches conse-,
Grated to San Franciso, San Sebasun, Santla-
60 with their respective converts as also those
of Santo Domingo, Marced and MonJas, were
all dashed to pieces. with the eXcePtloh ' ot
only three or four houses, which nave out nan
escaped destruction, all the rest, both great and
small met with the same fate the churches and
converts experienced, and the smaller houses
which remained standing were either removed
from their former foundations, or so unsetteo,
as not to be inhabited with safety; whence the
affriohted population were doomed to su11er the
r;oors of a burning sun by day, never before
known. and the heavy dews by night, in spot
where they assembled to implore the DIVINE
mercy for the souls of those whose DEAD Dodles
thew had collected together
The country all around was desolate by the
night frost and scorching sun by day.
The appearance of the city, after the violence
of the CONFUSION had in some measure supslo-
ed. is described as most acknowledgements
ing nothing but an undistinguishabe mass OF
fallen buildings, from which the Survivors were
endeayoring to exhume the numbers who MAD
been overwhelmed. 90
The villages in the neighborhood OF the City
of Paste. namely Laguna, Mocondino, Buesa-
ouillo, Peundino, Puerres, Chanchalla, Tamon-
dino. Tongovito, Gualmatan, Pandiaco, and
Tescual have all lost their churches, and the
two first named towns lost some of their thatch-
ed houses and FIVE of their inhabitants.
The Parishes of Malatuy, Yacnanquer, Tam
DO, Buiaco, Fumes, and their neighboring Parish
es, likewise had their churches destroyed, with
their plantations and tiled houses, but that la
mentable loss of life was not incurred there,
which befel Paste and the Parish of Sibundoy.
The Commissioners appointed by the Cover
nor report that at the right of large Lake in
the District of Sbundoy, small rising ground
is observed, which has vomited from its bosom
large pieces of rock, and that huge and profound
caverns are in the neighborhood surrounding the
Desert called Bordoncille; that almost the half
of this Desert has been preciptated into the
bowels of the Earth, and the other part raised
as lift were above the surface, till it had formed
a mountain of stupendous elevation, like ano-
Their lofty mountain of similar origin, situate be-
tween Sibundoy and Aguarico, which overspxead
a great deal of the original SOIL The Commits
sioners further state, that this mountain has,
from the successive convulsions of the Earth,
moudered away, covering the high roads, and
causing the formation of immense marshes in
the neighborhood: that portions of the earth,
precipitated occasionally from its tops fell into
the bed of the river Balsayaco, and INSTRUCTED
its course the sudden and impetuous overthrow
of which destroyed the lands and houses of the
people of Santiago, forcing its waters even as