The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1861-05-07
Terrible Earthquake in South Ameriea--Te-
,al Destruction of a city AMI Awful Loss of


r.r,ihle Farthquake in South Ameriea--Te-
,al Destruction of a City AMI Awful Loss of
Life.
. letter from Valparaiso, April ID, gives
,to following account of the destruction OF
,tac,ty Of Mendoza, and the attendan fright
fal scenes
WIN feelings OF deep regret / have. 10 an
.,o,,oe 10 you the utter destruction Of the
r,iy of Meudozs, in the Argentine Republic,
~. -, earthquake GA tbe evening OF the 10th
~ Mar. lAsI. AT th1t date, at half past
Int T. n a Slight bat prolonged vibration
,.r. earth was Irlt ~ this cIty and ia Sanu-
o., simultaneously, Most OF the churches
So. arussiy fiiiea, it being near the close OF
..t and somc alarm ana confusion was
,-,.,l.d. nut no serious accid ents occurred, ana
r.4ucuiIity Was soOg res tOI"d.
Do sunday, Ihe - d, however, general
,g.p1. was Uas over this city by the an8ouHc4.-
T.-,st by telegraph from the capital that
t.ftyuJ Bruno, tne mail rider, had arrives
I'm. AItuuUZt that morning without mail,
trtagug tie distressing news that there re-
4g4iae4 bat i neap OF ruins - point the spot
,,arrr a few day before, had stood a thriving
.a.4 ueuuiUus Ctty OF ,Gt6 souls.
Bruno stated }G.ts he arrived at Mendoza
ga lna morning oi the 20th, that at hall past
,..-l.t L. VI "a DTieI but excessively violent
sns. * 0f e4rthq uAhp, lasting bat siX or eight
seconds destroyed every Oatidiug, public and
l..yAt.. ia The cIty, aha mat Tie nun Der who
,..rr enabled u escape very Hunted. The
..rtets BENG naIrU ", the buildings high, and
t4. inhabitants totally u.nsed TO sucn Phrno-
..rub, were ptral5 Aed VAN terror, anu neg
i,..-I TO =rrk refuge ia the open courts of their
aariHnEs until 100 late, IAv Postmaster was
bu..eJ beneath the runs OF the PUst-Diitce, the
,r9sFIHUT was sIuC, ana when asked WAY
Ar Brought no certificate that the mails were
lu-; the messenger replied, 'IHere was 10 one
left 10 WIIte At, nor materials 10 write with. %
iH~ ASPECT presen TED by Tire city after the
first shocI; was terrific. Hotrse suDteTranean
1atHders Gealened the air, animals 0f ali kinds
rushed fTtnucaiIy through the open spaces
huaItuE, the e;lrth opened ana voInited forth
Hoods Oi water, Wulie, 10 crown The scene oi
leg.oT, ia ucs Uurrl tIUIn the ruins ana con
soIutd nearly the entire business portion OF
tur c.ty, wItn It's dead, its dying and Its
Wlunded.
ui. tie 2slh Il number Of letters were re-
r.tNtd here and al santiago by TelttiNcs and
friends OF ChIlrahs residing Ia Mendolt, bnt
The hope, untIl then entertained, that the
earlier accounts were exaggerated, soon gave
WAY 80 tl.c dTeiului certainty that the Calttn-
o.. Lad not Yet been painted IN cOIOrs sulD-
cl-uly VIVA. The earth stIIl coulinu ued to
lrrmuie, the few walls mat had resiste the
inst rHy.k one 10y one ieIi, until now no yes
u.y Of "a DuialHg relnalus. lhe mountain
roads aT- ia Il most dangerous Conuiuf IA, not
oLly On account OF the nuge masses Of rOck
iA..t haN Ne already fallen and Instructed the
rItt. but because the vibration OF the earth Is
-l!I hGTIEg them down from The heights
above INTO he valleys.
!nr gIuchos or natives of the surrounding
toHAtUy, Aasteued 10 The spot, not 10 assist
lHr needy or aId IN resCuIhS The wounded
rom q lingering death, but To seek for plum
der amon, the smoking ruins, and TO snatch
The little saved from tne WTeLChtu Survivors.
u.e gentleman Wrting from thence, after de
erIbIng these horrors, say Il believe that
% a te@ days We shall have no otner law
l.r. Lutn that OF the poiguard.
The prison Was destroyed ont of one hun
drrd inmates, ninciy-tWo Perfshed. he Ie-
manning right who were already harden ed
villains, formed themselves into u band OF
frrebOuters, aud had gone, IL WAS supposed, To
the mountain passes, 10 intercept ;tnu rob the
parties sent from Chile for the relief OF The
auiierefs. One woman was found robbed md
murdered by the roadside She WAS recog-
ulLrd A. oHe VIII was on, her way TO Mendoza
Z, s"r her family. They, too, had all persisted
on tha -tth.
In th~ Jesuit Church there WAS preaching
That might The services had Just concluded,
and the congregation was about dispensing
when the shock came. The few who had
reached the plaza were saved, but the walls
uui roof Of the building tell i'll ward with Il
crash, and priest and penitelt together were
hurried INTO eternity.
The latest adVices from Mendoza represent
lAe suffering TO be extreme, there being neither
food, CioihluE nor shelter for the survivors,
every thing bslng buried beneath the ruins
Iary also state that san Juan and san Luis,
TWO other p0pulous cities of the Conledera-
uou, have shared Il like fate, the san J uan
IFer having, after the shock, left its bed and
swept over the town, utterly destroying what
lue earthquake had spared. This news not
having beer fully confirmed, l do not, how
ever, SouCh for its COrrec tness.
As soon as this disas irons news was rem
dDrrd beyond question, the Government and
lriNtt" individuals Wed with one another III
energetic Efforts TO send immediate relief TO
their suffering brethren Without waiting Tor
tue completion OF the work, on the 3Otb a par
" OF physicians aud others left tor the scene
Ui the disaster, bearing medicines, food and
clothing, aud dccomp tnied by small body OF
troops.
Ih" gloom and terror spread throughout the
republic OF Chile by this awful calamity may
De imagined Situated upon an eminently
volcanic region, we have constant evidence Of
the Insecurity of our tenure of existence. -
Separated bat by a chain of mountains from
the scene OF destruction, and taught by sad ex
p"Tieuee the frightlul and irresistible force
ti The unhrraldpd earth storm, We retire each
might with feeling OF terrible insecurity
Ihls coast las been freq ueHtly visited, in pas
years, by earthquakes. Chiian has been
TWICE des trCyed Conception once, while Val
part~o, Sti ti1go and Copldpo have suffered
severely. TO amount OF human foresight, no
lrteautl1H, 1vails against the mysterious visi-
TOT, who comes st Dawn, 1t MONDAY or at mid
night, ana, in few seconds, levels to the
ground the proudest monuments OF human
ek.ll