New-York daily tribune., 1854-07-17

tho
sb.t;,. of Tho s-,b and the natives have gwen 'n
reo;on name expressive OF the iac'. Du' '"o-e .a
these slight shocks are so c0nstan'y Y.r 0Ie
cislly Al the beginning and end oil the uiy
cember and May there boz these terrible catastro
- nt;cb "a AZ Lima Valparaiso are eaPe0i 80
sbout once in a century 70 overwAeii 'Ie I ;.cen
| de.,ructiop Besides, the 'olesho VI aons,,n, 40
GesI S.h of san salvador being IN constant az
Ieatuee -on.;dered rs sort Of chimney cohdnct
thi!, a. .nors and LIQUID matter from the vast hres
my n.,h on or 10 quote Humboldt, AZ saie'y 'a'e
| scsinst destructive earthquahes' a., I'll. ;.I
sTh sbocts continued throughout GOOD FRIDAY Win
,I. intervals about as often as two or three
PI ionr and having all the same dlrecuon-west-
ou,bwest to esst-north-east. In this direction, at
distance of short league from the clty ana at an ee-
,on of about 500 feet above IT, the great crater OF
Gnscatlsn This crater TO be of more ancient
formation than that of ST. Salvador. and partyh
mn by a lake. Here the shocks seemed TO originate,
and not at the volcano.
In San Salvador where the holy week is celebrated
with all posibe religious pOmp the people paid little
attention TO the earthquake that took place upon Good
Friday and but 10 very small extent hrdered
in their participation in .he procession and III their
visits to tie cathedral Still, several times in the
course of the day the shocks grew OF greater force
the devout multitudes were seen flying from the holy
halls pale with terror, rushing in wild haste 10 the
doors-tber fear of the subterranean powers overcom
ing their faith in the celestial
Abolt J O'Clock P. NJ. the houses shaken 70
their foundations and the roofs began 70 crack. Walls
were filed with fssures the plasterng fell from cell
inCs and many tiles were thrown from the roofs.
This shock lasted least eight seconds with an
undulating motion, and had tine houses not been so
exceedingly well adapted for resistance to earthquakes
they would probably have come down IN masses.
These houses are all low, very broad aud II only one
story, the walls Of loan mud possessing considerable
elasticity and covered with flexible cane-n0 better
construction being possible 10 meet the case Every body
fed into the open air. An hour passed without iurher
motion. vet most of the people resolved 20 PUT up
their csuches in their courtyards in the open air.
The shocks continued more or less violent at intervals
during the whole night In the course o the twenty
four hours we counted fcrty.two distinct ones. On
Saturday morning it became quiet again
The CAPITAL of the State OF San Salvador is situated
AT an elevation Of 100 Spanish feet above the Paclhc
upon most fertile plain abOu1 square leagues IN eX-
tent On the side of which rises the volcano
hardly league from the city Seen from the town the
old ire.mountain forms a most beautiful cone with
gently slOping summit crowned to the highest peak
with thick forest The crater is perfectly well pre-
served more than hafa-league in circumference and
partially filed with water. 1t rises about UOO feet
above the tabe-land on which II stands. Inc Other
hills both those which belong 10 the volcanic range
south and those of the semi-circe above mentioned,
rise not more than 500 feet above the level OF the
plain.
There is no historical account of any period of actv-
ty in the volcano of San Salvador. There Is tradi-
ton however Of all eruption of lava having taken
place in 1859 which is sad to have destroyed and COW
cred with ashes the puo Of Neapa on the the north
western side. According to other traditions tins was
no eruption Of fire, but an overflow OF mud from the
crater.
Faster Sunday was welcomed by the discharge of
rockets and the music of the military bands while the
multitude moved in festive procession 10 near high
Mass in the Cathedral Most of the houses were beau
tflv decorated with pisaDg leaves and branches OF
palm trees. The "Sanctissmum was carried III
triumph through the streets long procession fol-
lowed and the Senoras and Senoritas displayed their
most splendid toilets. In the afternoon the grand
procession of Saints took place Colossal statues u,
Saints carved in wood and most luxurlously equipped
in costly silk dresses carried from the Churches
through the streets and whereverthey chancedto meet
the professions stop to give the SAINTS al opportunity
Ia embrace The multitudes greet these scenes with
extrayagant delight and rockets by the hundred are
sent rushing through the air. The good Catholic
peope dey ote themselves upon Easter Sunday first to
religious exercises then 10 cheerful enjoyment ana so
the day concluded with music, fireworks and BAN
quoting .....u.
shock more powerful than the severest ON GOOD fr'-
day accompanied, during ts entire continuance "!a
hollow rumbling noise. Walls tOttered to their
foundations, bricks and tiles fell 70 the earth, and
| nany houses were rent with assures was ylng In
bed suffering under an attack of ague, and had fallen
| into feverish sumber, from which the noise ava
kened me. At that instant portion oi the ceiling
Of my room fell, beating me upon my head ana lace,
and for some minutes binding Inc with dust sprang
| from my bed and groped my way in the darkness to
| the door, which was unfortunately locked. / sue
ceeded at length in finding it. and reached the court
yard in safety where found all the other inmates OF
the house assembled, crying and praying in breath.
In few minutes though the panic was over again,
and one heard laughter and joking at the sudden
CONSERVATION and flight from the house. These fright
full phenomena occur too often to arouse more than
passing anxiety when the shocks OF unusual
strength. They seem to be content If their dwellings
do not sink at once Still the inmates of the houses
brought their beds into the open air and opened the
doors Of their houses. My next neighbor. young
DOCTOR remarked that probably no other severe shock
would occur that night, To which Catholic priest re-
Piled that the house old, the roof rotten, and
caution was at all events commendable. The people
Of the house went in again, and with open doors re-
turned to their Easter feast the conversation for the
next hour turning almost exclusively upon the horrible
"temblOs."
In n meantime l. being sleepless, was looking out
upon the nightly sky. The day had as usual. been
very warm; the thermometer rising al noon TO So
Fahrenheit Heaps OF cloud (stratO-cumulus) were
piled up mountain-ke about the declining mcon but
at about ~ o'clock disappeared. The moon was
now shining merrily through clear and calm atnos-
phere, few yaporous wells of cloud (crrus or clrro
cumulus) only, still hung immovable about some points
of the horizon. Nothing appeared in the atmosphere
to announce any uncommon phenomenon
Half an hour later--lOi 7. M.-came the frightful
shock which laid San Salvador in ruins. 1t began
with loud noise and undulatng motion, the ground
moving as if shaken by a subterrsnean sea. This
motion, win its accompanying subterranean thunder
in the direction with the previous shocks lasted
some ten or twelve seconds. The cracking and fall
ing Of roofs made roar through which the appalling
sounds below could scarcely be heard A colossal
cloud Of dust The terror the cries and amen-
tations of the people beyond description Then
followed PRAYERS and universal, loud waing iny0ca
ton TO Maria Sanotissiaa, and all the Saints and
finally a low lamentipr and supplcatlnr song from