Hannibal journal. (Hannibal, Mo.) 1852-1853, 1853-02-17

oeu In the RUNS, without, however, uaihaS'hS
his person.
The volcano of Colma, distant 300 miles
northwest from Acapulco, has been sending
forth FIRE, lava and smoke since the earth
quake.
The town Of Chilpanzinge, half way distant
TO the city Of Mexico, was nearly destroyed.
One Of the most remarkable features attend
ing the earthquake was the fall Of glass bottles
and decanters several feet without breaking
them, when iu ordinary times, if they had fallen
over upon their sides, they would have been
broken.
FoRr YUMA, California,
December 5, 1852.
We have had two most important events the
past week. One, the earthquake, | presume,
announces itself. The first shock was felt here
on the 29th of November, at 20 minutes past 2
o'clock 1t was quite severe, and followed by
"a succession Of more than dozen in the course
of day or two. Several were preceded by
irumbling noise. The first tumbled down rocks
/ from the mountains, threw down the cliffs and
banks Of the river. Part of Chimney Peak fell,
and dark cloud of dust on each side was taken
for volcano by some. Soon alter The hIst
shock, | was looking to the southwest and OBJ
served heavy column OF steam iiS5 10 = great
height and spread out into q cloud. Two other
lets rose at short intervals after. The water in
the river rose with swell near foot, and sub
sided in few hours. The velocity of the cur
rent was much increased, and even the bed Of
the stream appears TO have permanently Subsi-
ded
You know, perhaps, that we have some timid
people here, and they were terribly frightened
The sentinels abandoned their posts and fled to
the guard tents, How they expected 10 be ben
efitted, or what they feared, | cannot imagine.
There is very little danger even should our
brush houses fall. The hill on which we are
located is cracked off, but do not think there is
much danger of its sinking or rolling over
The first shock was so severe it stopped my
clock and threw down the books from their
shelves. There is some difference of opinion as
to the direction from which the shocks came
If those Jets of steam rose from the center, it
must have been from the southwest. The steam
er finally came and reached the landing on the
morning of the 3d-the first steamer that navi-
gates the Colorado. She is almost as great a
curiosity as Fulton's first steamer. She is
,65 feet long, l6 feet beam, and l-2 feet hold.
She brought 80 tons of stores on % inches
draft. Her engine is locomotive, OF 20 horse
pewer-not more than half powerful enough
She was "A days getting up, including IL
Idays spent in repairing an accident to the boil
Ier' and several hours lost each day in cutting
wood
The Sacramento Union, in alluling to the ru.
ins, says:
The city is literally flooded by the immense
fall of rain; buildings have been thrown down
by the wind in all parts Of the town: the river
lis rising, the levee breaking, and an overflow
Threatened, and the whole population in cOnGu'
A l,o Sall lpfi
ed, and business of every kind was entirely sus.
nendeI. The papers are filled with details oil
Itbe disasters by storm and flood. The authori.
ties are using every possible effort TO keep the
Ilevee in repair and save the city from overflow
II is greatly feared that if the storm does moi
Ial,ate and the river reccde, the evee, strong as
lii is, will break and finish the work OF destruc'
. ton by su5merging the city.
From the San joaquin Republican we copy
the following:
l Cant. Vantine arrived in this city last night
three days from Knights ferry. He declares
that the roads in the interior are totally impassl
g bile. The current in the Stanislaus is so yiolen
i that the ferry boats are useless.
TuE WINTER IN THE MINEs.-Judge Nor
c rison arrived at Sacramento from Nevada, pub
D fishes a communication relative to the stale o
: affairs in that vicinity, from which we eXtrac
T. the following:
On Tuesday evening party of eighteen me
e arrived at Nevada from Downieville, in mos
n deplorable condition, half starved and severel
}, frost-bitten. They are a portion of the able
a bodied citizens of that place, some seventy o
o whom have already left in consequence OF III
o extreme scarcity of provisions. They rep.or
d that the greatest destitution prevails in th'
: ,,I,co The seoSon is terribly inclenent--ir
!, habitants buried in snow, and scarcely any pre-
If visions in the market. There are but one hun
e dred and fifty pounds of flour in the place, an
y Of pork, beans and meal, absolutely none.
a A letter from Downievills, in the CalifOrn
"a Express says:
~ Affairs are rapidly approaching a crisis
- Provisions cannot be obtained for any conslde
m alton. There Is some little -four left which 4
re lucky posses,Ors retain for private use, I'll
M supply Of beef is nearly exhausted, Nearly