Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1861-05-18
Terrible Earthquake in south America,


A letter from Valparaiso, April I'd, gives
the. following account of the destruction of
the city of Mendoza, and,the attendant fright
full scenes: : u,
f With feelings of deep regret have to an
nouncoS to You tho utter destruction of tho
city of Mendoza, in the Argentine Republic,
by, an earthquake, m the evening of the Goth
of March last. Atthat date, at,half.past eight
p. NJ, slight but prolonged vibration ofrtle
earth was felt in this city aud in Santiugo
simultaneously. Most of the churches were
densely filed, it.;bcing ncar, tho close Of Lent,
and some alarm and confusion was crcated,
but no serious accidents occurred, aud tran
guilty wus soon restored.
~ On Sunday, the 24th, however, n general
gloom was cast over this city by the announce,
mcnt by telegraph from the,capital thnt he
nigno Bruno, the mail rider had arrived from
Mendoza that morning without mail, bring
ing the distressing news that there remained
but heap of rufus to point the spot where, a
few days before, had stood thriving and pop.
ulous city of Is, 600 souls.
Bruno Stated that he arrived at Mendoza
on tho morning of the goth, that at haf-past
eight p. M, brief but excessively violent
shock of earthquake, lasting but six or eight
seconds, destroyed every building, public and
p'''pte, -. VIZ ctGJ, auu GHut ftne nunOcr VINO
were enabled to escape was very limited. The
streets being narrow, the buildings high, and
the Inhabitants totally unused to such phc-
nomcna, were paralyzcd with terror, and neg
cctcd to seek refuge in the open courts Of
tlicir dwellings until too late The postmaster
was buried beneath the ruins of the pqstoflico,
tho Governor was missing. and when asked
why he brought no certificate that The mails
were lost, the messenger replied, "There was
no one left to write it, nor materials to write
with"
The aspect presented by the city after the
first shock was terrific. Hoarsc subtcrnncan
thunders deafencd tie air, animals of all kinds
rushed frantically through the open spaces,
howling, the earth opened and vomitcd forth
floods OF water while, to crown the.scenc of
horror, flames burst from the ruins and con.
suned nearly tho entire business portion of
the city, with its dead, its dying, and it's
wounded.
On the 2Sth, q number Of letters were re-
ccived here and at Santiago by relatives and
friends of Chilcons residing in Mendoza, but
the hope, until then entertained, that the ear.
licr accounts were exaggerated soon gave way
TO the dreadful certainty that the calamity had
not yet been painted in colors sufficiently viv-
id. The earth still continued to trcmblc, the
few walls that had resisted the first shock, one
by one fell, until now no vcstige of a building
remains. The mountain roads are in a most
dangerous condition, not only on account Of
the huge masses Of rock that have already
fallen and ohstructod the road, but because
the vibration of the earth is still hurng them
down from the heights above into the valleys
In the jesuit Church there was preaching
that night The services had just concluded,
and the congregation was about dispensing,
when tho shock came. The few who had
reached the plaza were saved, but the walls
and roof of the building fell inward with
crash, and priest and pcnitcnt together we're
hurried into eternity.
The latest adviccs from Mendoza represent
the suffering to the extreme, there being nci-
thcr food, clothing nor shelter for the survi-
vors, everything being buried beneath the
ruins. They also state that San Juan and
San Luis, two other populous ,itics of the
Confederation, have shared like fate. the
San Juan river having, after tho shock, left
its bed, and swept over the town, utterly de-
stroyng what the earthquake had spared
This news not having been fully confirmed, l
do not, however, youch for it's correctness.
FEMALE SoEDIERs.--Wc SEQ by our cx-
changes that numbers of ladies in Tennessee
and Nlississippi-thc wives, daughters and
swccthcarts of tho soldiers who have gone
into the service of the Confcdcracy-are
practicing with rifles and rcvovcrs preparing
to render assistance in the good cnusc," if
necessary or, at least, to defend their homes
Some of the ladies' in this conn unity, VIC
nrc informed, are following the good example,
and expect shortly to be able to do moro OK
ccution with fre.arm than they now do with
their eyes.
special despatch to the Charleston Com..
icr states that beautiful sight was witnessed
on Monday last On the passage of tho
Clinch Tsiacs from Augusta to NIllcn, at
several points young and beautiful ladies'
numbering from sixty 10 eighty, were ranged
along the railroad, with rifles in their hands,
and presented arms to the Clinch Rifles as
they passed. Carolin'un, .9M
ington correspondent of the New York
Times writing on Friday last. says: sThe
hopes that Maryland was becoming cohserya.
tive, have been 'dispclled by the vote of her
Senate, placing the military power of the
State in the bands of Gov. Hicks, and five
avowed seccssionists. If this bill becomcsa a
hw, says the correspondent of tho Times,
the. State is put practically aud ctfcctually
in the hands of tho disupionists, whenever
the hour comcs.'" The writer adds -
"These evidences have startled, tho Admins.
tration. 1t looks MS though Maryland must
of necessity be occupied by Federal troops"