The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1854-08-09

DESCRIBED ny An EYEWITNESS.


laughter and joking at the sudden con
sternatioD and flight from the house
These fiightful phenomena occur toe
often to arouse more than passing
anxiety, even when the shocks are o.
unusual strength. They seem 10 be
content if their dwellings do not sink
at once. Still the inmates of the
houses brought thcir beds into the opor
air, and opened the doors of theil
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 was old. the rool
rotten, and caution was at all events
commcndable. The people Of the
house went in again, and with open
doors returned to their Faster feast,
the conversation for the next hour
turning almost exclusively upon the
horrible temblos."
Ii. the Ineap,ime, | being sleepless,
was looking out upon the nightly sky.
,hc day had, as usual, been very
warm the thermometer rising at noon
90 SO : Fahrenheit. Heaps of cloud
(strato-cumulps) were piled up noun
tliu-lihe about the declining moon, but
at about 10 o'clock disappeared. ihe
moon was now shining merily Though
% clear and calm atmosphere, a few
yaporous wells Of clold (cirrus or cir
lo.cumulps) only. still hung immoya-
blc about some points Of the horizon.
Nothing appeared i'll the atmosphere
to announce any uncommon phenomc>
non.
Half an hour later-10 10 p. NJ.
-came the frishtful shock which laid
San Salvador in ruins. 1t began with
a loud noise and undulaiing motion,
the ground moving az il shaken by a
subterranean sea. This motion, with
its accompanying subterranean thun-
der-in the same direction with the
previous shocls-lastcd some ten or
twelve seconds. The cracking and
falling Of roofs made roar through
whicl. the appalling sounds below could
scarcely be heard. \ colossal cloud
Of dust arose. The terror, the cries
and lamentations Of the people were
beyond description. Then followed
nravers and a universal. loud. wailinr
invocation to Uayja .S1nctissima, and
all the Saints, and finally low, la
menting and soMl.cating song from
thousands Of voices rising simulIa'
neously from all the places Of refuge
to which the multitude had fed ior
safety.
And now began a scene which my
pen is unable to describe. How insig-
uileant, appeared now the most flight
ful points in my past lie, how mean
appeared all the c isodcs Of war and
revolution, wlicc | had Witnessed in
the uld World There one had to
deal with known agencies, with adj
ycrssrios Of flesh and blood and not,
as now, with unknown powers Of the
depths of whole existence we hardly
are aware.
The shocks continued, sometimes
light and sometimes with fearful force,
with but short intervals, throughout
the night aud the next day, at the
evening of which their number amount
cd 10 l20. | can compare the awful
rumbling noise attending them only to
heavy discharges Of artillery in some
subterrancan battle. Sometimes the
noise was more OF u rattling character,
and the ground waved for minutes
without a real shock. No one thought
Of goods and chattels; the people
trembled still for their lives the mos
ton Of the ground had opened it in
all directions, and no one knew but
that the next moment a yawning
chasm would open beneath his feet
and swallow him forever. After each
succeeding shock the multitude chang
cd their prayers and called upon some
new saint for help. But whether the
saints did not hear, whether they
could not, or would not help, the
earth continued to trcmble, the sub
terranean artillery to roar. \ few
hours more, and the more resoute had
become accustomed TO the roar, aud
began to take measures for the public
sa.ety, the ravage Of the Indians be-
ing feared.
About one o'clock in the morning a
gentleman Of my acquaintance climbed
over the ruins ofmy house into the yard
to look after me. Seeing me somewhat
better, he proposed walk in the moon.
liaht through the town. We went first
tc the market-placc The cathedral was
still standing, hut the town. saw,nUw
that it was involved in one general ruin
that not a single house had resisted the
last frightlul earthquake The cathe
[ dral--l more elegant than Imposing build
inc Of the last centuTy--had to Il Ger
tain extent sustained the shock But
its belfry had been thrown down, its
porch was in ruins, its walls were crack
| cd aud full of fssures All the othel
churches, save that Of the old Francis
can convent, had suffered far more Sc
vorely, aud their interiors presented sad
pictures of solitude and ruin, being GOV
ercl with dust aud rubbish from The
fall of tiles and stones from the heavy
roofs. Colossal statues had tumbe(
from their pedestals, and their splendid
and gorgeous robes were dragged in thu
dirt. There they lay, utterly nucare'
for by the multitudes who the day be