Prescott journal. [volume] (Prescott, Wis.) 1861-1871, 1868-09-25
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AWFUL CALAMITY.
AN EARTHQUAKE IN SOUTH
AMERICA.
10000 Lives Host.
Sl3. OOO, 900 Worth of Property
Destroyed.
Whole Cities OvertIlrown.

NV York. Sept 12--TLe Guiding star,
from Aspinvall. brings the following from
SoHth America;
On the 18th ult terrible earthquake
visited the cities along the coast OF Peru,
whereby p. O00 lives were lost, and prop
,rtv vaiued at three hundred million dol
lars was destroyed. A rumbling sound
preceded the earthquake. and the sea WAS
terribly agitated. Areauipa. 4 city Of 30
n(ia inhabitants. PASSED away; scarcely
vts.ire was left. Only -four hundred lives
were lost here.
AFRICA. a city of 25.000 inhabitants. was
also DESTROYED. leaving not a house stand
my Five hundred persisted here
4 tidal wave. forty feet high, rolled with
y terrific roar on shore. carving ships
farther on land than was ever before known.
Tue United States steamship Fredona
causIZed and all on board were lost The
Frrdonia lad million eight hundred
Thousand dollars worth of naval stores.
The vessel WAS rolled over and smashed e.
atoms The United States steamer
Vataree was carried half a mile inland
aLi ,efthich and dry. only one sailor was
drowned
The Peruvian corvette America was also
canned ashore Ihirty-three We're drowned
from her The American merchantmen
Rosa Rivera. the English ship Chancellor
and the French bark Edward. Were all lost
The towns Of Iquique, Moquega, Cerum-
TIA and PisaJua were all utterly destroyed
over SIX hundred persisted AT Iquique. The
american merchants loss Is heavy, and
nearly all was destroyed. The towns Of
Harra san Pablo. Arurgui and Imantidere
IN ruins Where Catacochi formerly stood
J. now a lake The population of the
a3sove-named towns We're almost entirely
destroyed PamObO, Puellars, and Cncha-
IJIani were also destroyed. The dead are
So numerous that the surrounding lnhablt-
sutS.have lse,u forced to He from The stencil
% tie putrefying bodies. In Quazaq lie
the earthquake was felt hut no damage
WAS done Letters from Quito, dated the
18th. announce that earthquakes cuntimr,
ia intervals 81 a few hoUs. The President
hs issued proclamation to the people To-
conn, forward and help the sufferers.
HAvASA. Sept. 12.-Advices have beenre-
ctivcd here announcing that Peru and
Ecuador have been visited wits the most
terrible earthquakes ever hunwn. Tie
shocks occurred Oh the 18th Of August. AMI
lasted only five minutes IN that short
time -. UO0 persons persisted and 10000
we're made hOuseless- The sea rose forty
il.r cities Of ATeJuipa, lduiIue. Iel;tla.
nj Chrtoitc En~c been utterly DESTROYED
Fhe loss of property, between TacuI and
.iIlca. Is estimated at SII,0Ob, 0O0. Tie
United States steamer keaTsarge was rem
d,rmg assistance to the sufferers
LATER NEW YoRK. Sept I3-Letters
from Lima. Peru. give additional details If
tie earthquake aud its effects. The earth
quake commenced At u o'clock on the 18th
II August, extending from Bolivia t. the
southern parts of Chill. on the coast and
over 100 miles inland The towns AMI CT
ties mentioned in the dispatches Of last
night were entirely ruined. as all buildings
which were not destroyed We're 70 badly
damaged as To require their demolition for
prudential reasons. All the public ediiices
Ia Arica were destroyed. including the
Custom House. which contained more than
: l,UOu. 600 worth Of goods. all of which are
lost. The loss of the FredOnia and the
landing OF the WateTee are described as
follows: They were both at the harhor Of .
Slica. near each other. After the first Z
shock had occurred on land, which .
created great CONSERVATION on both vessels. +
Dr. Dubois. surgeon and Iaymdster of the .
tredonia, took boat and went on shore t.
enquire for the welfare Of friends and offer
the services OF the ship. In few moments
after leaving the vessel n great upheaving
Of the waters of the bay commenced. and .
the Fredonia parting her chains was dashed .
about 81 the mercy of the sea, and finally !
dashed TO pieces on the reef Nothing OF
the vessel was saved Her officers and
crew, twenty-seven in number, were lost.
also, Mrs Dyer, wife of the Lieutenant
Commanding. The officers names are:
Lieutenants, b. Dyer, u. Oregon; Master,
= q. Cromwell; PurseT, 5. Limit and sec
retaTy 10 the commander. The vessel had
nearly two million dollars worth Of naval
stores on board. all of which were totally
lost
The Wateree was more securely anchored. /
but dragged her anchors, and . great tidal
wave swept her $50 YARDS inland. abou,
two miles north of the ruined town. whele
she now lies between two hillOcks o. sand
very slightly injured, bat il will be Utterly
impossible to extricate her. and 4 lmiral
Turner Is only hopeful of saving her bat
terry and stores. Only one sailor was
washed overheard and drowned Lieut..
Johnson. of the Wateree, was ashore at
the time. and while carrying his wife IN his
arms to some place of safety she was
struck by portion of a falling building
and killed. The Peruvian corvette Ameri-
ca shared the same fate as the Wateree,
hat lost three officers and thirty men.
Commodore Giles, of the Wateree. after
the disaster, together with DR.. Window
and Doctor Dubois were of great service
To the inhabitants by dividing their pro-
visions among them, and saving many
lives by medical and surgica!
skill. = letter from AFRICA dated August
22d, SAWS that two other vessels, the brig
Chancoricolo and barque Edwards are also !
high and dry, the former losing eighty |
five men the scene beggars description. !
Railroad rails, cara, machinery, gln-car-
riages, household furniture, bal1els. dead
animals and cOTpses are lying about in
confusion. The city numbered 1904 in
habitants, and multitudes stand helplesslv
begcared On the beach three hundred
lives were lost. A cOnfagration burned
nearly all that was not demolished by the
earthquake, and drunken rabble robbed
and despoiled what remained. Heavy can
non were carried away up from the island
battery, and now lie buried in the sand on
shore. The stencil Is sickening.
At Lima there was not much damage
done, although the shocks lasted about AZ
minutes. creating the utmost CONSERVATION,
the inhabitants fleeing to the open coun-
try, where they sought protection from the
Almighty.
Admiral Turner with the frigate Powhat-
tan LEFT Lima with a full cargo of proyis- |
ions and had arrived at africa TO succor the |
American seamen and the inhabitants. She |
will also save the effects of the Waterze