Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1854-06-21
From the "l}oletin Extraordnario del Goberno
Il Salvador of May %
Ruin CT the City of San Salvador.
Tempered a laerymis.-YIRGI

Outs talia fando
Tempered a ACCOMPLISHMENTS.
The night of the 10th April 1851, will ever be
one of sad and bitter memory for tie people of
Salvador. On that unfortunate night our happy
and beautiful capital WIS made a heap of ruins.
Movements of the earth were felt on the morning
of Holy Thursday, preceded by sounds like the
rolling of heavy artillery over paycments, and
like distant thunder, The people were IA little
alarmed in consequence of this phenomenon, but
ii did not pre- vent them from meeting in the
churches to celebrate the solcmnties of the day.
On Saturday all was quiet, and confidence was
restored. The people Of the neighborhood as
semblcd usual to celebrate the Passover
The night of Saturday was tranquil, as also
the whole of Sunday. The heat it is true, was
considerable but the atmosphere was calm and
serene. For the first three hours of the evening
nothing unusual occurred; but at half past nine
"A severe shock of an earthquake, occurring with
out the usual preliminary noises, alarmed the
whole city Many families left their hous, ind
made encampments in the public squares, while
others prepared to pass the night in their rcspec
tive court yards.
Finally AT ten minutes to eleven, without pre-
monitipn of any kind, the earth began to heaye
aud tremble with such fearful force that in ten
seconds the entire city was Frustrated. The
crashing of houses and churches stunned the
cars of the terrified inhabitants, while a cloud of
4
pail of mpenetrable darkness. Not drop of
water could be got to relieve the half. choked and
snilocating, for the wells and fountains were filled
upor made dry. The clock tower of the Cathe
dral carried great part of the edlhee with IL in
its fail. The towers of the church of San Fran
cisco crushed the Episcopal Oratory and part of
the palace. The church of Santo Domingo was
buried beneath its towers, and the college of the
! Assumption was entirely ruined. The new and
beautiful edice of the University was demol
ishcd. The Church of the MERGED separated in
the centre and its walls fell outward to the
ground. Of the private houses few were left
standing. but all were rendered unnhabitahle-
1t is worthy of remark that the walls left standing
are old ones NIL those of modern construction
have fallen. The public edihccs of the govern
ment and city shared the common destruction
The devastation was effected, IA we have said,
in the first ten seconds for although the
eeedng shocks were tremendous and accom-.
panied by fearful rumblngs beneath our feet,
they had comparatively trihing results, for the
reason that the first had left but little for their
rayages
Solemn and terrible was the picture presented
on that dark, funeral night ola whole people
clustering in the plazas and on their knees cry
ing with loud voices Ia heaven for mercy, or in
agonizng accents calling for their children and
friends, which they believed to be buried be
meath the ruins \ heaven opaque and om-
nous movement of the earth rapid and UNI
equal, causing Il terror indeScribable an in
tense sulphurous odor filing the atmosphere and
indicating an approaching eruption of the yolea-
no streets filed with ruins or overhung by
thr, atcning walls sufiocating cloud of dust al
most rendering respiration impossible. Such was
the spectacle presented by the unhappy city on
that memorable and awful night
a hundred boys re shut up in the college,
many invalids crowded the hospitals. and the har-
racks were full of soldiers. The sense of the
catastrophe which must have befnll,n them gave
poignancy to tha first moments Of reelection at
Ter the earthquake Over, II was believed
that ut least "A fourth part of the inhabitants had
! been buried beneath the ruins. The members of
the government, however, FASTENED TO ascertain.
Us far as practicable, the extent of the catas.
trophe. and to quiet the public mind 1t WIS
| found that the loss of life had been much les
than was supposed and it now appears probable
that the number of the killed will not exceed one
hundred, and of wounded fifty Among the lat
ter is the Bishop. who received severe blow on
the head the late President, Senior Dueuas Il
daughter Of the President, and the wife Of the
Secretary of the Legislative Chambers-the lat
ter severely.
Fortunately, the earthquake has not been fol
| lowed by rains, which gives an opportunity to dis
inter the public archives, Us also many Of the
yalabes contained in the dwellings of the c,i-
zens.
The movements of the earth still continue, W III
strong shocks, and the people, fearing geue.al
swallowing up Of the site of the city, or that it