Richmond daily times. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1853, 1851-06-11
From the National htelligencer.

From the National Intelligencsy.
THE EARTHQUAKE IN CHILL
we have been favored with the following jntereut-
ing extract ofa letter written by Lieut.. J. N GLE.
U. 5. Navy, to friend in this city, dated U, s. N
Asuonomcal Expedition, Santiago de Chile. April
%, 1885, 1'p'"
!. gu VIII no doubt be interested to learn that We
nave escaped unnJured, the most severe earthouaka
whch has been experienced in Central Chill sncs ht
OF loSs occurred on the morning of the I'd instant
yolencs ap a. ION on. ao. lbs mean time, with much
soience anu after lis usual warning nose One of tho
bind spells to which have been Occasionally suh;ec,
haa ie me with severe headache, and had not been
no, aseep wnen Inc rst stroke startled me- 1t is
mol easy TO collect ones faculties at such brief sum
mons; and though, by habit, such position was taLen
as enabled me TO embrace in the same view INV Et,Ia
roo pan ol water on the washstand and the
ed before consciousness fully restored. Tn shs
nope mat we may some time obtain such observations
as wll enable us to determine the velocity
with which the earth wave moves each one has I'M
mediate recourse 10 his watch, noting the second -,
wnlcn every phase occurs, and subsequently comnar.
nG thi ~acn WIN eronometer kept residence
On TINS occasion Lieut.. MaeRae had sprung to The
cnronometer at once and escaped from his room with il
TOT eignteen seconds the motion violent tremor
OF small amplitude, starting the walls and tiles. but
breaking nothing, which can only account for bv bs
rapidly with which the atoms in the suriace 81 Tho
EARN we're disturbed: for, if may estimate by bo
ay SENSATIONS the shaking during these eighteen sec
and yet the effects were nothing like those then nr,
duced As stood watching the paintine s on the M
per OF the opposite wall pass across the mirror.
and the tiles in front dancing like the waves of cyoss
sea, there was sudden increase in the violence OF h,
earih-s orm, and the chamber doors, bolted and
iocked, were flung wide open, displaying the little par
i0r nneo WIN dust and rubbish At this time th>
shreks OF the people in the streets were most distress
slng and the roar OF the pent up disturbing agent as il
moved around most internal. As the ceiling over head
was cracking, and the tiles falling rapidly in The natio
could only find shelter under the Intel of the on,sida
door; but, at the moment of getting there The wall
swung away far enough to show sky over head al the
nearly blinded me: he motion now one of oscil-
ahen rapid and abrupt, continuing for Twenty-Five Sc.
combs, 6until Oh 4sm 53s after which the agitation
gradually subsidized and at Oh. 49m. 3Ss meaeurabIy
ceased. say naeusurably; tor like deusely drawn
cord suddenly struck, the vibration of the earth cont
nued for nearly hours afterward, without any inter-
mission Whatever and we have the recorded times of
eighteen earthquakes between the great shock
and midnight, besides host Of lesser Ones and SINH
iar vleraton TO that in the morning. The last was
rom oh. Sum. to eh S0m. P. NJ when the surface of
mercury was never still enough to give an image for
more than hve or ten minutes at time Up to this
oae they have not ceased there having been from one
70 I'VE or SIX shocks OF small violence every day. keep
ing up inc excitement and CONSERVATION among all cas-
ses OF society.
ION ascending Santa Lucia, diatey i. was found
that the rocky had been broken across between
the caslle and the observatory leaving creyce which
Lieut. Mackae traced more than sixty feet The piers
supporting the meridian circle are composed of three
nyQFaQllC
set WIN the same material on base which rests on
the native porphyry The joint the upper blocks Of
inc west pier was opened the block, doubt rocked,
and the whole pier probably moved TO the south
throwing all the micromeiers out of focus No injury
was done to the instrument, mono to the equatorial
nor was the clock stopped though every other in the
eMy was ia "A, me house mountain barometer
hro"n from the wall and broken and the mercury tos-
SEQ out OF cup used as a cstern of the standard.
ldssslers construction0 until the surface was inch
below it's rim. These are the only injuries we have
though mn from, b1,co
on account OF its unsafe condition, will entail expense
ON US individually as well the expedition, whose d.
mnishing funds can badly beai it.
I'm the vicinity the destruction of property has been
very great no house having escaped without rents in
walls loss OF parapets and tiles to very great extent
keystoneslseted rendering probat Ia that this immense
stone edtice-three hundred and fifty feet long-must
be taken down , Near by, the central cupola and
down to keep them from falling suddenly and destroy-
ing e and it is not improbable number of houses in
the vicinity will share the fate Having occurred
during daylighs three lives only are reported to have
Deem lost though the number OF those gravey wounded
amounts to twenty or thirty.
villages to the westward Of were even more Sc
sevely injured Tampa and Rencas, close by. and Gu
racavi. and Casa Blanca, on the road TO Valparaiso,
have suffered lsmentaby Oftheir populations. amoun-
ting to 70 800 souls principally poor full one third have
been thrown out OF their dwellings, and still look panic
struck on the ruins. At Valparaiso too, the loss has
been severe-orty- odd houses in the Amandral having
been totally destroyed, whilst the injury properly il
eSumated al from quarter oil million to two millions
OF dollars South of the river Maypo and north of The
Province OF Santiago. the stroke though remarkable
was OF little violence except in isolated localities which
II would lengthen this letter too much to tell you Of
From the sea we have only two repors. One by the
captain OF ship, who was twenty miles west of Vail
paralso, and who was sure he had struck an unknown
rock, until, after arrival the time CONVINCED him that it
must have been an earthquake; and the other by the
crew OF vessel thirty mile north OF the same por who
heard noises like the discharges of guns in naval en-.
gagement, but felt no shock
1.-The instrument for measuring the direction and
comparative violence OF earthquakes brought with us
having tailed to record any othose previously occur
ring, in December last caused pendulum, nine feet
ten inches long, TO be made, with its lead ball. aud
some fine silver wire suspending the pendulum from
tripod A common needle is inserted in cork al the
bottom OF the ball. which Just touches sheet OF glazed
paper marked with concenrc circles and The points of
the compass. They The you had the kindness
10 have engraved Tor the other instrument. The paper
lies horizontal plate of glass resting on the earth
and is sprnkled with black sand thai the motion of
the pendulum leaves white line exposed |, is to be re-
tor during the shock, there displacement bodily
of about inch; bufwe have distinct eIIipse whose
dameers 3.5 in. and % in ard positive evidence
that the motion OF the disturbing force in line va
ryng little from N by f. to S. by W., or contrary TO
the supposed direction in which the earth wave has
moved In all preceding great disturbances.
Having personally traced the effects of the storm
along its eastern line as tar south as Raneagora near
the river Caehapea and also section across the axis
OF motion 10 Valparaiso, no doubt remains on my mind