Southern Argus. [volume] (Columbus, Miss.) 1834-1842, 1842-06-14
A REVIEWER.
FURTHER PARTICULARS OF
THE GREAT EARTHQUAKE
In THE WEST INDIES.

THE GREAT EARTHQUAKE
IN THE WEST INDIES.
We copy the following from the New
York Express ofMay &c.
TEN THOUSAND LIVES LOST
TREMENDOUS EARTHQUAKE IN
THE ISLAND OF ST. DOMINGO.
By the politeness Of Captain Nor
ris, of the brig VIM. Nelson, from
Port au Prince,we have ale Patriotic"
Of the II Of May, published at that
place. which gives an account of a
shocking earthquake that occurred in
that Island on the 9TH of May. at 5
o'clock in the evening.
The principal destruction life, of
which we have an account, was at
Cape Haytian, which town was entire
ly destroyed. 1t contained about 49,
900 inhabitants, t1o-tlirds of whom
are thought to be dead.
The approach was indicated in Port
au Prince by great heat, and heavy
clouds that covered the neighboring
hills, and followed the direction of the
South West TO the North East.
The vessels at anchor, some of the
sailors report, experienced the shock
before they saw the houses agitated,
which seemed 10 indicate that the
shock came from the west.
There were two shocks at Port au
Prince very distinctly felt, the first not
SO long as the second, which last en-
dured about three minutes. Every
person strove to get out of the houses,
and the streets were filled with the af-
frighted population. A little longer,
says the Patriot, and Port au Prince
would have been the theatre of a disas-
ter similar to that of 1870, Of which
disastrous year the remembrance was
rushing into all minds.
The Patriot also says that there is
hardly house or wall that has not
suffered little. Some have become
almost uninhabitaEle. The front of the
Senate House, where the arms of the
Rennhlic are sculptured, is detached
and broken. The interior was unIn-
jured.
On the Saturday night succeeding
and on Sunday, there were other
shocks. Mass was interrupted, and
the persons present ran hither and thith
er. while many women tainted.
On Monday morning, at IL o'clock,
there was another shock. The wealth
er all the while was changeable, now
extreme heat, now rain, now fair, and
now signs as if of storm.
On Tuesday again there was anoth-
er shock-and since then, says the Pa
triot, cit seems to US that we walk up
on quaking EARTH"
SAINT MARCIA letter from
this town says that the earthquake was
felt there with violence Many hou-
ses were seriously damaged, and some
destroyed, but no loss Of life is men
toned.
At GOANIVES the shocks were vet
more serious. The greater part of
the houses were ovenhrown. A fire
broke out at the same time, and there
was not drop of wafer in town. All
the houses that were not burnt suffered
from the earthquake. 1t was in the
streets that the writer Of the letter Civ
ing this account was indising it. The
Church, the Prison, the Palais Nation
al, the Treasury and the Arsenal were
all destroyed.
This letter concludes at A. Nj. BY
SAYING
SIT is only half an hour since thai
we felt very great commotion. Al
present, we are ignorant of the number
of persons killed or wounded. AL
the prisoners who are not burned il
fhe ruins, have escaped. God gran
that Port au Prince may not have ex
perienced such.a disaster"
CAPE HAYTIAN.
The town of Cape Haytiarr has en-
tlrely disappeared, and with it two
thirds of the population. The fami
lies that could escape are fed to Eos
settle, where they were without an asy
: lum, clothing or provisions.
The President of Hayti has give
orders 20 the PHYSICIANS and officers G
the hospitals to leave the city immedi
ately IN order to give succor TO the dis
tressed. Other aid Of all kinds wa
s about to lie dispatched by water to th
= distressed.
!, LATER.
In addition 10 The above disastrou
! intelligence from the Cape, courit
:, arrived from the city few hours pr
! vlous to the departure OF Captain Mo
: ris, who stated that FIRE broke out a
!, ter the earthquake, which on Monds
= the 9th, destroyed the powder mag
, zine, and with it the miserable rem
= nant Of the inhabitants who had ESQ
% ped the earthquake. The towns
~ !, St. Nicholas and Part Paix are al.
III said to be destroyed. Other parts
e the island had not been heard fro
vi when Capt. Morris left; but it rs Co
- jectured tina: all the towns Of the nor
" are mass Of ruins,