Herald of the times. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1830-1846, 1839-04-18

untimelv snatched from her arms A
custom house officer explained how he
had been twice overturned in the street,
turned from side To side, and bruised m
several places, but when he at length
arose, the screams. groans and cries Tor
mercy beggared description, and abso.
lutely narrowed his feelings.
thought" were his own words, "ihe
day OF judgment had arrived The
first to experience the shock, il Is belIev-
ed, were the seamcn of the fleet, ire
Gently from Mexico) lying in the road
stead. The vessels bounded as If they
/ had struck on a reef, whilst irigh'Iul
detonation reached their ears, and then
n simultaneous shrek from the Shore
Within the city The earthquake is repre-.
II sentcd as composed OF three shocks, and
its duration to have extended to period
II of from 10 TO 60 seconds. The first two
shocks were accompanied by rumbling
noise then came vibrating motion
and opening Of the earth ; next an in
stantaneoUs thrill, and the work OF de-
.truction was complete The direction
of the shocks seems to have been trans
verse. "A rush was made for the streets,
where almost every individual was seized
with stupor, struck by the falling embers,
blinded by the dust, or choaked by nn-
wholesome eilluvia and it is not the
| delusion Of fancy to say, that we our
selves were sensible Of n still offensive
smell among the ruins. Various pac.
nomcna weic remarked as preceding
and following the earthquake sparks Of
fire thrown up through crevices in the
earth, the growl of thunder under foot,
and the like.
"Tweniy millions, seven hundred
thousand lnncs, or more will be required
TO rebuild Port Royal, il rebuilt i, ever
can be as at present it can only be
termed pile Of rent and pendant ma
sonry, propped up hv beams Of wood
dangerous to the passer by. Its popu-
lation, previous to the fatal lth of Janu-
airy, was computed at 1900 souls
! The bulk of the survivors have He'd to
the adjoining country, which has also
endured its trials. Those who remain
are either lunclionarics in public EN-
ploymcni, or poor people, who still cling
10 the reck OF their little means. There
cannot be doubt that the City or Port
owed its destruction To the alluvial ma
iure Of the soil on which it was erected,
since the Fort, situated on an adjoining
cmincnce, escaped with slight iissure
in one OF the barracks. Till more per,
maneDt provision can be made for the
citizens, they are encamped under tents
i upon the Savanne, one of those a2Teea-
bio public lounges which the French cs
tablIsh in their colonies, as well as in
the towns in the mother country, and
which must tend so materially TO the
amusement and health Of the people,
On the same spot divine service is now
performed under n canvass covering, ),
but it appeared to be attended by few
male devoiees. Every tongue is loud
in praise of the Governor and heads Of
departments, for their inccssant zeal,
courage and humanity and they have
been nobly seconded by the military
and seamen of the fleet, upwards Of one
thousand Of whom landed TO dig out the
sufferers. But for them, still greater
fatality must have ensued, for the native
laborcrs and slaves were either over
come with terror, or refused to give
their services; nay, it is even added
that conspiracy existed among the lat
Ter to fire the town on the night Of the
10th and | lth and that one incendiary
was taken with combustible mat erials for
the purpose. He is supposed TO have
been crushed under the walls Of the
prison.
"Every high wind or brisk shower Of
rain threatens to complete the annihila-
tion of Port Royal. In bearing up on
Thursday evening for St. Pierre, under
heavy breeze, which at one time al
most betokened a hurricane, we natural
/ ly felt for the unlortunates, who were
again threatened with repetition of
their calamities but up to our depart
ure on Sa'urday,no intelligence reached
us from this quarter. The inhabitants
do speak of even fifteen shocks Of fearh
! quake to alarm them since the first, but
doubtless apprehension goes far TO AVA
ken their fears. St. Pierre has like
wise suffered, but not to an extent com
parable TO the capitol. From all ac-
counts, there is reason to believe, that
the earthquake was fully as severely
felt in our own Island, as in any of the
neighboring ones and if may be per-
mitied to appeal TO natural causes, a.
principal one is To be found in the SOu)-
frie,e, which must have acted as safety
valve for the escape OF the imprisoned
inhammablc matter, the more especially
as strong sulphuric odor was discerna-
BILE throughout the Charib Country some
days prcvious to the catastrophe. Rents
in the houses, the total demolition of
others, and kcy-stoncs dislodged, attest,
nevertheless, the violence of the shock
at St. Pierre, which is built Of equal so
lidny with Port Royal.
4 "W bether our sympathy had been so
largely drawn upon by this last city, or
that the effects of the commoion were
less discernable, St. Lucia did not in
spre corresponding sentiments. Yet
undoubtedly there are convincing proofs
| that the vibration was Of severe and
alarming nature and several gentlemen
to whose polite attentions we were in