Prescott journal. [volume] (Prescott, Wis.) 1861-1871, 1868-02-08

A CARNIVAL OF The ELEnENIs.
Two Hundred FrfghIfuI Earthqua kes--
Hundreds Observation-Disclosures ouseIes
-mOu ntafns Covered with Ffah--An IsI-
and swept Away.

-MOuntafns Covered with tfah-An - l.
and swept away.
A correspondent of the New York
Tribune writing from Bey Island (one
of the Virgin Islands) gives the follow
ing account of the recent earthquake:
On Monday last, the 18th, We expe.
rienced the most awful series of earth
quskes ever known in this or any other
part of the world, SO far as the number
and duration went. About two O'Clock
l heard a tremendous report as If a
heavy cannon had been fred some dis
lance off; then came loud rumbling
noise like a number of iron carriages
drawn over a rough road by hundreds
of wild horses. l stopped my horse,
for L well knew what was coming when
the shock came. never shall forget
it. never had seen or felt anything
half so dreadful in all my life. The
hurricane was bad enough, but the
earthquake was ten times worse. 1t
was a very long shock, and / thought
the land would sink under me.
Earthquake after earthquake for
nearly an hour; and such dreadful
shocks. By-and by, we heard a great
noise and left them, and went up the
hill little. When l got high enough
TO see the sea, what a sightl The sea
had encroached, and the noise we heard
was from the power of the water run
ming back again. 1t continued to run
off until the rocks aud reefs were all
dry, and it seemed TO suck away the
water out of the bay and leave every.
thing dry. My attention was reused by
a similar noise on the other side of Tay-
lor's Bay, and there, too, the same thing
was going on. As ION as the water
would come in on the south sids, it
would go off on the north; and so il
continued for length of time. Dur
ing the whole time we had earthquake
after earthquake. Three hours had
now elapsed since the first shock, and
night coming On--what a night had we
before Us to be sure. Not an eve was
closed. We were all heightened half to
death, and expected every moment to
be swallowed up. 1t was 9 truly aw-
full sight, aud never to be forgotten.
We must have a had over 200 shocks
during the night, and some hours there
were over twenty. Daylight came at
last, and never was 1t more welcomed
by miserable creatures; We were COM
pletely worn out. OF course the day
before our dinner was forgotten, so we
wanted food, sleep and everything else
to make us comfortable. They had
lust made bread Mt the house when the
first came, and then it lay all the next
day, and it finally became leaveD.
When 1 found the shocks continued,
got some boat sails and made a tent,
but little distance from the house,
for the walls we're cracked, and we
were afraid to remain in the house, not
knowing at what moment shock more
severe might come and bring it down.
Since last Tuesday morning we have
lived in the tent. Fortunately for us
there has not been much rain. Severe
and frequent shocks continued up to
Friday; they ere now subsiding, but
every now and then we hear the re-
ports, but very little vibration. We
have had a week of earthquakes.
Just fancy, large fish were left on
the road to Little Mountain; the sea
brought them up, and when going off
left them entangled in the grass aud
DublEbs Vi bDC DulS are ClBau
gone. the sea running on the sandy
bay 80 to 40 feet wide. Everything
looks changed. Such a hurricane, and
such earthquakes. all within three
weeksl Hundreds of poor unfortun-
ates sent to their last home, and hun
dreds more have lest their all. Since
last Sunday, the 18th, all we have had
to live upon has been a piece of john
nycake III the morning with our coffee,
and the same in the evening with "a
little soup. We have been getting
fever since we have been living in the
tent; all the rest are we'll. 26th.--The
weather has changed, and the cold has
driven US out of the tents. On Guano
Island everything is swept away to the
bare walls of the house. This calamity
has finished TOrtola and all belonging
to it. 1t is painful TO contemplate the
state of affairs. On the 9th we had a
very unpleasant night of it, having had
four shocks during the night.