New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1868-09-14
TIE GREAT EARTHQUAKE.


The terrible earthquake which has jlsi devastated
Southern Peru and large part of tins state Of
Ecuador must he classed among the most terrible 4
Commissions Of the kind eyer kuoyn, and the do
sruotop of life and property attending it is not ex-
ceeded by that of any similar catastrophe on the
American continental least since the period of tho
discovery of America-with the exception of the
ruin which wrought In February, 1884, when the
whole country between Santa Fe and Panama, was
DESTROYED by an earthquakoand 1000 people burieln
an instant OF modern earthquakes, the present ono
surpassed in its destructive effects by only two
beside that inst mentioned--the earthquake of Lis
bon. 7jj when G00O0 persons are believed TO have
persisted in the short space of six minutes and that
of Calabria in tho end Of the last century, when
1000 were destroyed. The earthquake in the King
dom of Naples in 1857 was attended with the loss it
IS estimated, OF fully 10000 lives In the number Of
towns which have ceased to exist, both ia Peru aud
Ecuador, we are reminded of the earthquake liz the
island of Java IN l1I2 when 10 villages with all their
mha bitants were overwhelmed III common ruin
and the startling fact that in Ecuador where tho
town OF Golacha stood previous to the earthquake
there is now lake, brings 10 recollection the do
strucion by an earthquake III the City OF Port Royal
jamaica, which ingtantane0usly sunk with the
greater part of the buildings beneath the waves.
Earthquakes of tremendous violence. working
fearful obstruction have been of frequent occurrence
in South and Central America. In October, lT46
Lima and CallaO demolished by one and 1900
persons buried in the ruins in April lJ5 the City OF
Quito was destroyed; in July 1i73 Guatemala. With
5000 OF its inhabitants was swallowed up; in Feb
ruary. 1884, occurred the terrible earthquake above
alluded tO in March. 1872 the City Of Caracas the
capital of Venezuela reduced. with all its splen-
did churches to a heap of ruins, beneath which
1900 of the inhabitants were crushed TO death: on
the I'd April 1881, Valparaiso was terribly shaken
and more than 400 houses destroyed; in April 1854
st. Salvador was destroyed; in June, 1868. the Valley
of Mexico convulsed, and property to the yane
of several millions of dollars destroyed in March,
1850, Quito in Ecuador suffered terribly, about 500
persons having been killed, and an immense amount
of property destroyed; in March, 1851, the greater
part of the City of Mendoza IN the Argentine Repnb
lie was OyerthrOwn and 1909 lives lost and in De-
cember 1862, $50 buildings and IL churches were
destroyed in Guatemala. Toward the end of last year
several severe shocks were experienced in Central
America, but they unattended with any damage
of q serious character.
The West India islands have also from time TO time
suffered terribly from these awful yistaions. There
was the earthquake at Jamaica in 1922 which do
sroyed Port Royal; that mt Martinique. in January,
1889, by which nearly 200 persons were killed.
nearly half the capital Of the island destroyed. and
the whole island damaged; that Of May 1912, at
Cape Haytien III Hayti. which destroyed nearly two
thirds Of the town with from 1900 to 5000 OF ITS IN
habtants; that at GuadalOupe in February 1873, re-
sulting in the entire destruction OF Polnt-a-iltIe;
and lastly beside several inferior ones. that with
which the island of st. Thomas and other parts of
the West Indies visited in October OF last car.
causing the loss of property yalnod nc several millions
Of dollars. The -. Thomas catastrophe was followed.
in the early part of this year BY the earthquake IN
the sandwich Islands, the details Of which, given ut
the time by TIE TRIBUNE, must be stif fresh IN the
recollection Of Our readers.
Earthquakes are not peculiar 10 any particular
portion OF the earth. In Asia, they have been Ire
Guent and terribly destructive, especially IN China
In Africa MANY have occurred. Egypt beng the only
country on that continent that has not been seyera
times visited by them. They have been FELT IN
France, England, Germany. Holland. aud Hungary,
and in the southern portion OF Europe they nave
been both numerous and terribly destructive. Iheu
frequency and violence in such Countries a. Italy
Spain and Greece are attributed to volcanic action
in fhcca norfg indeed
phenomena have noticed that every eruption In
Whatever part OF the world observed and whether
from "a volcanic vent land or beneath the ocean,
is accompanied by earthquake shocks OF greater or
less violence and duration while on the other hand
those observing earthquakes speak OF them AS accom-
panied by volcanic eruptI0ns, ana OF them often
being stopped on the opening of volcanic vents
From the details above given, II VIII be seen that
the American continent--except in the northern
lattudes--is quite as subject TO earthquakes Of q
destructive kind the regions of Northern Europe
In this country, the only earthquake of nportance
of which have any record is that which took
place at New Madrid, below st. Louis, the Misss-
sippi, in ISL. The phenomena attending 1t were Of
"a very remarkable character over an extent or
country 500 miles IN length, from the mouth 81 the
Ohio thar OF the ST. Francis. the ground rose and
sank in great fluctuations, and lakes were formed and
were again drained; the surface burst open IN lis
sures, from which mud and water were thrown as
high the tops of the trees, and the quakng of the
ground continued for several successive months.
The affected the occasion of this last EARTH
quake in South America, ii will be- by reference
TO the map. extensive one; but not near 30
extensive that affected by the great Lisbon earth
quake. in which instance the shock felt tho
one side rs far as the southern shores of Finland and
on the other reached beyond the ST. Lawrence in
Canada. and was observed IN some OF the West In
dia slandsan Ot no less than 1,JOO,OOU square
miles An earthquake in Chill in 1885 was felt at all
places between the island Of Chloe 40 degrees sOuth
latitude and CopiapO, q degrees south latitude.
consequently over l3 degrees of latitude, and ex-
tended from the island OF Juan Fernandez TO the
town OF Mendoza the east side of the range of tho
Andes over 10 degrees of longitude. Ii Is estimated
that II l3 earthquakes more or less destructive OF
life and property occur every year and that as many
AZ 100000 of the human race have perished from
these awful yisitatlons. 81
THE ATE COMMODORE sTEvrys