The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1868-09-17
Gl1e Gtttettiq e11er.
THE'GREAT EARTHQUAKE
from me Ne.g YORK Tribune.

2 The terrible earthquake which ha
just devastated Southern Peru and
large part ofthe State of Ecuador mus
be classed among the most terrible cor
vulsions of the kind ever known, an
the destruction of life and property al
tending 1t is not exceeded by that {
any similar catastrophe on the Amer
can conunent-at least since the perio
OF the discovery of AmericR-With tn
exception of the ruin which wa
wrought IN February 1897, when th
whole country between Santa Fe an
/ Panama, was destroyed by an earth
| quake, and 10000 people buried in Al
Instant, OF modern earthquakes, tn
| present one is surpassed in its destruc
tive effects by only two beside that Jus
meDtloned-the earthquake of Lisbon
in 1855, when 60,000 persons are be
ieved to have persisted in the shor
space OF six minutes, and that of Gala
bria, in the cod of the last century
when 40. 600 were destroyed. The earth
quake in the Kingdom of Naples IL
1857 WAS attended with the loss, 1t il
estimated, of fully &c, 600 lives. In tn,
number oftoWns which have ceased Il
exist, both in Peru and Ecuador, WI
are reminded Of the earthquake in thu
island of Java in 1772, when 40 village,
with all their Inhabitants were over
whelmed in one common ruin; and thC
startling fact that in Ecuador, where
the town OF Golacha stood previous t.
the earthquake, there is now a lake
brings to recollection the destruction
by an earthquake in the City of Pori
Royal, Jamaica, which instantaneously
sunk with the greater part of the build.
ings beneath the waves.
Earthquakes of tremendous violence,
working fearful destruction, have been
OF frequent occurrence in South and
Central America. In October, 1916, Lii.
ma and CallAo were demolished by one,
and 5000 persons buried In the ruins;
in April, 1905, the City OF Quito was de.
stroyed; in July, 177S. Guatemala, with
s. 600 of its inhabitants, was swallowed
up; In February, 1897, occurred the ter
rible earthquake above alluded to; in
March, 1872, the city of Caracas, the
capital of Venezuela, was reduced,
with all its splendid churches, to a
heap of ruins, beneath which 1000 of
the inhabitants were crushed to death;
on the I'd of-April, 1881, Valparaiso
was terribly shaken, and more than
400 houses destroyed; in April, 1854,
st. Salvador was destroyed; in June,
1S6S, the Valley of Mexico was con-
vulsed, and property to the value of
in March, 1885, Quito, in Ecuador, suf-
fered terribly, about 5000 persons
having Ibeen killed, and an immense
amount OF property destroyed; in
March, 1861, the greater part of the
City of Mendoza, in the Argentine Re-
public, was overthrown, and 1000
lives lost, and in December, 1862, $50
buildings and IA churches were de-
stroyed in Guatemala. Toward the
end of last year several shocks were
experienced in Central. America, but
they were unattended with any dam
age OF serious character.
The West India islands have also
from time 10 time suffered terribly from
these awful vlsitations. There was the
earthquake at Jamaica, in 1892, which
destroyed Port Royal; that at Martin
ique, in january, 1889, by which near
ly 700 persons were Killed, nearly half
the capital of the island destroyed, and
the whole island damaged; that OF May,
1872, at Cape Hayden, in HaYi, which
destroyed nearly two-thirds of the town
with from 1900 to 5000 of its inhabi-
tants; that at Guadaloupe in February,
1913. resulting in the entire destruction
of Point-a Pitre; and lastly, beside
several Inferior ones, that With which
the Island of ST. Thomas, and other
parts of the West Indies, were visited
in October OF last year, causing the loss
of property valued at several millions
of dollars. Tho St. Thomas catastrophe
was followed, in the early part of this
year, by the earthquake In the Sand
witch Islands, the details of which,
given the time by the Tribune, must be
still fresh in the recollection OF our
readers.
Earthquakes are not peculiar to any
particular portion of the earth. In
Asia, they have been frequent and ter
ribly destructive, especially in China.
In Africn many have occurred, Egypt
being the only country on that conti-
nenL that has not been several times
visited by them. They have been felt
in France. England, Germany. Hol-
land, and hungary, and In The south
ern portion of Europe they have been
both numerous and terribly destruc.
tive. Their frequency and violence in
such countries as Italy, Spain and
Greece, are attributed TO volcanic &C
ton in those parts; and, indeed. lob
servers OF volcanic phenomena have
noticed that every eruption in whatev-
er part OF the world observed, and
whether from a volcanic vent on 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 accompanied by vol
canic eEuptions, and of them often be-
ing stopped on the opening OF volcanic
vents" From the details above given,
IL will be seen that the American con-
tinent--e1cept in the northern lati-
tudea--is quite as subject TO earth
quakes of q destructive kind as the re-
gions of Northern Europe. In this
country, the only earthquake of inn.
portance OF which we have any record
is that which took place at New Mad
rid, below st. Louis, on the Mississippi,
in 1871. The phenomena attending 1t
were of very remarkable character.
Oyer an extent Of country 500 miles in
length, from the mouth of the Ohio To
that OF st. Francis, the ground rose
4 l. T., 49, n Lot nd
lakes were formed and were again
drained; the surface burst open in ifs
sures, from which mud and water were
thrown as high Us the tops of the trees,
and the quaking of the ground contin-
ued for several successive months.
The area affected on the occasion of
this last earthquake in South America,
it will be seen by reference to the map,
was an extensive one; but not near SO
extensive as that affected by the great
Lisbon earthquake, in which instance
the shock was felt on the one side as 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 India islHnds-an
area OF no less than z, SOC, 600 square
miles. An earthquake in Chilli in 1885
WAS felt at all places between the island
of Chloe, 40 degrees south latitude,
and Copiapo, q degrees south latitude,
consequently over 10 degrees oflatitude,
aud extended from the island of Juan
Fernandez to the town of Mendoza on
the east side of the range Of the Andes,
over 10 degrees of Longitude. 1t Is esti-
mated thai u or Is earthquakes, more
or less destructive of life and property,
occur every year, and that as many as
IS, OG0, 900 of the human race have per
ished-frOm these awful yisitations.
nApn MponmnApu