The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1843-05-01

MosT EXTRAORDINARY ESCAPE FROM THE GUADA-
LOUIE EARrHoUAxk-We noticed yesterday the fact
otthe arrival at the Astor House of Professor Rsey
and his little of six years DID, and We also allu-
ded to their having made one OF the most astonlsh-
ing escapes in the Guadalupe earthquake that was
ever recorded in verse or prose. Mr. Risley has
a most remarkable and original genius for classic
gymnastics, and his little son is perfect prodigy.
They will soon appear at the Park. We shall now
| give some remarkable particulars of that great
earthquake as nearly as possible in his own words.
| and my little boy had been at Point Petre,
Guadalupe, four days previous to the earthquake,
| which occurred on the morning of "Wednesday the
| eighth of February was there on short PROBES.
| the American Coffee House, and my meals at the
| French Coffee House, in different places according
| to the custom OF that county. "Wednesday morn
ing, the eighth, was one of the most beautiful that
could be imagined-the sun shown out In all It's
| spendOr-a soft and pleasant breeze came IN from
the sea-and every thing seemed In state OF natural
peace and quiet.
There were estimated to be about seventy-fve
persons in the French Coffee House, where was
taking my meals. We had all sat down to break
fast on that morning as usual, and were quietly talk
| ing our morning meal, chatting and talking freely
upon the thousand trivial SUBJECTS that up on
such occasions indeed wei had all nearly finished
breakfast. For myself had finished my breakfast,
and was sitting partly sideways at the table, as one
would naturally Sit after eating cOnversng with the
gentemon who sat opposite to me : had the tow
el ring nmy hand. turning it about, and careessly
playing with IT.
The first thing which attracted my attention was
sudden jar, ACCOMPANY ed nv rumbiing sound like
distant thunder. / had some two weeks before this
been at Fort Royal, in the Island OF Martinique, and
the effects of similar visitation, and instantly
knew what it meant. So sudden was the shock,
that within two seconds from the instant first felt
the jar looked up and saw the whole building,
| commencing lat the farther end, falling upon the
nj he, OIcfc a hPuQ n 10
down with an awful crash. / instantly uttered the
word ''iump r'-the gentleman who sat opposite TO
| me, turned his head, and looked up sideways, but
never rose from his seat-and at precisely the same
msment, and without stopping to turn myself about,
started from my seat, and actually jumped sideways
out OF the window, through glass, sash and all,
think it could not have been over three to five Sc
conds from the instant first felt the jar, to the in
| stantmy feet struck the pavement.
My impression on touching the ground was its In
descrbably rapid motion-I can compare it to no.
thing unless it might be that OF the seive of a
thrashing mill in Its most rapid motion. l should
Judge, from the distance Twas thrown first way
and then the other, that the lateral motion of the
earth must have been from eleven to fourteen feet.
! succeeded, Notwithstanding, in retaining my feet
for some eight or ten seconds, TIL got away from
the building to the distance OF 81 or 40 yards into
open lot of ground.
While was walking this distance Of thirty or forty
yards, saw the buildings of the whole city umbling
| into mass of rulns-and also the earth opening
in the lower part of the town and spouting up I'M
mense volumes of water, to the height of an hum
| dred or an hundred and fifty feet. The multitude
| of thoughts which passed through my mind during
these few seconds is utterly inconceivable and In
| credible.
II there could have been any first thoughts amid
such instantaneous flood, my first thought was tor
my little boy. 1n relation 10 him he was not with
| me that morning. At about halt past eight
o'clock, Mr.. Montague, q friend OF mine, had, by
previous arrangement called tor him and taken him
who it was know not. and neither does the boy
know. But knowing the reputation of Mr.. Men
tague of course felt that Master John was safe,
| and gave myself no une asness about him.
| Master John tells his story thus Mr. Montague
took me to the distance OF some six or eight blocks
from the Coffee House where left my father, to the
house of some friend Of MIR. M e. whose name do
not know. There was a store kept under the house,
| and was taken up to the second floor. There was
| one young lady who was playing upon the piano,
and several others were also present. who had been
waltzing-l was also WALKING with one of the young
ladies'. Breakfast was nearly ready, and we were
just going to cit down to it. minute or two before
went up stairs with his grandmother, where we had
| before this been playing with little wagon.
The first thing which called my attention from the
waltz was hearing noise, sort of runbling, which
took to be the little boy up stairs drawing his wa
| gon over the floor, which had no carpet on IT, AT
| the same moment saw very large looking glass
which hung up against the wall in the room where
was, fall upon the oor-t was broken all to pieces
the sofa was upset, and the table too-and every
thing in the room was all shaken and upset together
All the family, young ladies and ALL fell upon their
knees, were thrown fiat upon the floor. instant
| " made for the stairs. And as was going 10 the
STAIRS caught sight OF large church through the
window-part Of it falling one way, and part the
other-the steerle was the first thing which fell.
thought OF my fathcr-but don't remember any thing
| more I'LL | found myself IN my fathers arms had
no senses at all after that don't know how got
down stairs; nor whether went down stairs at all
nor how long it was before was IN the arms OF
my father had no hat on-the buttons were torn
from my clothes, and my clothes too were badly
Mr.. Rsley says when | recovered my con-
sciousness found the towel ring crushed in my
band, and my boy in my arm'-how he came there
| know not, nor does he know. nor are we ever
! likely to know what brought us together-for al
, that time there was no living being in sight We
seemed to have been saved purely by the miracu
; clothes my coat was literally torn off of me my
watch was mashed in my pocket, both sides OF it
being broken ln-my vest open and torn, and my
panaloons badly injured. l was obliged to borrow
clothes to get out OF the place My hair was COM
pletely filled with lime, and was altogether covered
with dust and dirt. received, however, no visible
wound, but for two weeks was very sore, and hard
ly able to use my limbs BY the time had escaped
10 the distance OF the thirty or forty yards which
spoke Of the violence Of the first shock had seemed
to abatea very little, but was almost Instantaneous.
fore and then it that lost all consciousness
until found my boy in my arms. When thus par
tally recovered my senses, first began to feel the
arms and limbs Of my child to see if any OF them
were broken, and finding that we were both OF Ut
, safe and sound, got up and began to look abou
. me. / was still SO entirely bewildered that
scarcely knew what had happened, or whether i
were not all dream. then began to look abou
, me, and saw various individuals, men, women ant
D children, of all classes and all ages, wandering
about half frantic, like myself Some were il
search of daughter others of a father o.
a mother-some of brothers and sisters--others o
friends and relatives-al weeping, or in the utmos
a conceivable agony-plching and falling abou
among the ruins and dead bodies They would 20
from one dead body to another, overhauling then
to see if they could find the person sought for-ant
, | if not successful, pass on to another. .
AT this tIme the whole CITY was in one vast pill