Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1843-06-30
MOST EXTRAORDINARY ESCAPE FROM
THE GUADALUPE EARTHQUAKE.

- OlCoSC tRhC
wears old, made one of the most astonishing
escapes in the Guadalupe earthquake that
was ever recorded in verse or prose. We
give below some remarkable particulars OF
that great earthquake, as nearly as possible
in Mr.. RS own words.
I and my little boy had been at Point
Petre, Guadaloupe, four days p%ervious to
the earthquake, which occurred on the
morning of Wednesday, the eighth of Feb
ruary. l was there on a short professions
al engagement. was taking my lodgings
at the American coffee House, and my
meals at the French Coffee House, in diff.
ferent places according to the custom OF the
country. Wednesday morning the eighth,
was one OF the most beautiful that could be
imagined-the sun shone out in all its splen-
dor, a soft and pleasant breeze came in from
the sea-and every thing seemed in a state
of natural peace and quiet.
There was estimated to be about seven
ty-ive persons in the French Coffee House,
where | was taking my meals. We had all
sat down to breakfast on that morning as
usual, and were quietly taking our morning
meal, chatting and talking freely upon the
thousand trivial subjects that come up on
such occasions; indeed we had all nearly
finished breakfast. For myself had finish
ed breakfast, and was sitting partly side
ways at the table, as one would naturally
sit after eating-conversing with the gentle
man who sat opposite to me | had the
towel ring in my hand turning it about and
carelessly playing with it.
The first thing tina; attracted my attention
was a sudden jar, accompanied by a rum
bling sound like thunder. l had some two
weeks before this been at Fort Royal, in
the island of Martinique, and seen 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 at the further
end, falling upon the people-the joints open
ed aud all began to come down with an aw-
full crash. | instantly uttered the word
"jump!'-the man who sat opposite to me
turned his head, and looked up sideways,
but never rose from his seat-and at pre-
cisely the same moment, and without stop
ping to turn myself about, | started from
my seat, and actually jumped sideways out
of the window through the glass, sash and
all, landing some ten or twelve feet in the
yard below. think it could not have been
over three to five seconds from the instant
| first felt the jar, to the instant my feet
struck the pavement.
My impression on touching the ground
was its indescribably rapid notion can
compare it to nothing unless it be to that of
a seive of a threshing mill in rapid motion.
l should Judge, from the distance | was
thrown, first one way and then the other,
that the lateral motion of the earth must
have BEEN from eleven to fourteen feet
l succeeded, Notwithstanding, in retaining
my feet for some eight or ten seconds, till
got away from the building to the distance
of some 80 or 40 yards into an open lot of
ground.
While l was walking this distance of thir-
ty or forty yards, | saw the buildings of the
whole city tumbling into one mass of ruins
and also the earth opening in the lower
part of the town and spoutlng up immense
volumes Of water, to the height of an hun
dred and fifty feet. The multitude of
thoughts which passed through my mind du-
ring these few seconds is utterly inconceiva-
Bile and incredible.
If there could have been any first thoughts
amid such an instantaneous food-my first
thought was my boy. In relation to him he
was not with me on that morning. AT a.
bout half past eight o'clock, MIR. Montague,
a friend of mine, had, by previous arrange
ment, called for him and taken him away
TO breakfast with some friend of his-where
or who it was know not, and neither does
the boy know. But knowing the reputation
Of NJ AToutr,o Of ,o.rso f,It tL,, A..
ter John was safe, aud gave myself no I'M
easiness about him.
Master John tells his story thus Mr..
Montague took me the distance Of some six
or eight blocks from the Coffee House where
left my father, to the house of some friend
of Mr. Ms, 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 invited that
morning, The whole party were w~altzing
i was also waltzing with one ofthe young
ladies. Breakfast was nearly ready, and we
were just going TO sit down to it. A min
ute or two before this a little boy, belong
ing to the lady Of the house, went mp with
his grandmother, where we had before this
been playing with a little wagon.
The first thing which called my attention
from the waltz, was hearing a noise, a sort
of rumbling, which | took to be the little
boy up stairs drawing his wagon over the
floor which had no carpet on it. AT the
same moment | saw a very large look
ing-glass which hung up against the wall
in the room where | was, fall upon the floor
itIwas broken all TO pieces; the sofa was up
set, and the table too; and every thing in
the room was shaken and upset together