Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1868-09-15
EVENING STAR.
The GREAT EARTHQUAKE IN SOUTH

Admiral Turner, in his letters 20 Secretary
Welles, descnbes the situation OF affairs in
Scuih America as too horrible 20 contemplate.
Ten OF the largest citiss west CT the Andes are
now nearly extinct nothing left but heap OF
ruias. The Admiral. with the President OF
Peru, is doing all IN his power for the sick aud
wounded. The following were the sas & be-
longing 20 the Fredunia: Captain George W
Doty. Paymaster n. II. Williams, Surgeon p
l. Dubois, Master-at-Arms Cnarles Smith,
QualseimAster August Turner. These were
ashore al the time oflrhe disaster. The follow
inE Is list OF the lost on hoard the Fredonia
Acting Master Benz. Dyer and wife, Acting
Master l,avId Organ, Paymasters' Clerk Uhver
Cromwell. Writer r w Hun,rr. ano-he~srr
Rudolph Borcesedt, Il Mate Nicholas Schra-
resnIde, Captains Mate Geo. Blrdes. Woman
Chas. ~hite, ships Cook Sylvester Higgins,
OcNswain Augt Mailer, q usrierrnas,er SIMON
Turner. and sixteen saarnen The letters fr,n
Commando james h ellis 20 Admiral Tur-
nsr oe,ali 'he borriole acconnts already G. ven
The city of AriCuipa, with a populatIon 81
ninety thousand souls a I'D ST. O,UoI .OtO OF wealth.
is totally destroyed. IL Is about one hundred
miles plaud.
Arica wss one of the most fourishiur cite.
on the coast. There is no, house left stand.
ing IN or near the city. The d-ath % Mr.
Dyer and Mrs. johnson are confirmed in tue
ofhcial reports. writer from africa. when
Is on the ses coast. says -" The hour was tnAt
when by custom most Of the inhabitants had
Just closed their daily isbors, and were - their
homes. The instant the startling indications
of an earthquake were felt there was a general
rush for uncovered spaces, which were reache-
by many uninlured, but not by all. The streets
became scene OF terror. All the houses in the
city trembled like person affected with the
as ne. Then they surge3, and some Of them
fell TO pieces crash after crash. At this iunc-
ture, when the undulstions were active, the
earth opened In several places in long aud al
most regular lines The assures were from
one TO three inches in width. The sensation
was distinct, as though something was rolling
underneath. From every assure there belc he'd
forth dry earth, like dust which WAS followed
by sitting gas. Owing 10 the demolition OF
buildings aud the general destruction Of
all kinds of property, and the dust beIched
form, as well As that set IN motion by the
general tumult, a dense cloud formed over
the city and obscured the light. Beneath
the cloud was the gas, which severely or
pressed every living creature, and would
have suffocated ala these If il had fingered
longer stationary than It did. which WAS only
about ninety seconds. The fluctuations were
three in number. Each succeeding one was of
greater magnitude than the former. When the
fluctuations ceased, the cloud of dust assembled
and dispersed, and light was restored. Then
quakes at short intervals succeeded. As though
subteri anean explosions or collisions were
taking place. At this time. people from an
parts of the city fled 10 the hills amidst falling
stones and umbers, which descended from
swaying walls and broadly rent buildings
just on the eve OF crumbling into perfect ruin
Some We're struck down dead by the falling
materials, and others were manned, while all
were made TO stagger from side 10 side like
people In a state OF MODIFICATION MANY of borh
sexes carried Children IN their arms. and those
who bad not these conveyed articles of value
The ayarice of some was stronger than fear
even amidst this terrible confusion. and hence
there were those who dallied to collect val
uables, many of whom suffered for their
temerity, either by the sacrifice OF their lives or
otherwise. As the rush tor the hills coatinuad
and stones and materials of all kiads wen.
falling, and houses ard paris OF these Were
crashing, numerous people were struck down
and either killed or dangerously hurt"
Out at sea the waters doomed for a rush TO
complete the destruction Of the city. Lifted
by the tremendous conyulsIon, they presented
themselv s In a huge wave from forty TO fifty
feet in height, which came storming into the
bay. The march of this monstrcus wave was
terrible, yet sublime. As it Numbered towards
the shore NJ Wrenched vessels from their moor
lngs, swapping the anchor chains asunder as
If they had been bed cords. With from twenty
10 thirty men-of-war, merchant vessels, cor
Nettes, and smaller craft spinning and top
ling on its crest, the mighty billow then pre-
cipiiated itself upon the mainland Halt africa
and Its suburbs were sunk beneath the boiling
How OF waters. L he rest of n had already
tCppled to pieces. Not building-not even
the humblest-stood a monument. And five
hundred human lives Were sacrificed in the
wreck wrought by the tortured earth and the
The destruction of Areqmpa-a city number
ing 1fe,OO inhabitants, was, save the destruc-
ton OF Area and lquique on the coast. the most
appalling scene presented by the EARTHQUAKES
In Peru It's thus family described by an eye
witness:
IN. M.
Thursday, the 18th, a slight movement of the
earth was noticeable here by persons who
CHANGED TO be seat ed; there was no rumbIlng
In about eight 10 ten seconds more the move
ment became strong enough for persons not
seated TO notice. This movement gradually in
creased in strength until after about thirty Sec
onos, pieces OF timber began TO fall from the
houses. In about a minute all Were satisfied
that great earthquake was at hand Then
began terrible rumblmg, similar TO the noise
OF an ayalanche-evtry one ran to the opeu
SnaceS. as 4 he nth
open; the earth shook and every structure
swayed to and fro from north to south l.
seemed IN my own house as If the walls Were
about TO meet and smother us. In about three
minutes the soil shook so that IL was impossi-
BILE to hold ones feet. The strongest buildings
began to cast of stones, bricks, pieces of wood,
&C., and the weakest began TO fall, almost ali
OF them level with the ground. In about i've
minutes from the first movement the whole
city was enyeloped in clouds of dust and dark
ness, and resounded with the crash of falling
buildings. There is not one house left stand
ing IN Arequipa. The only church tower left
Is that of Santa Catalina, but 1t, like the Cath
edral, Will have to be pulled down. Santa
Domingo Church Is down TO the ground The
Portal de Flores is all down. as well as all the
surrounding blocks. Nearly all the inmates of
the pri ons and hospitals persisted. Many
persons are known 10 have been crushed TO
death in the streets. We are now living in
tent on the river bank. No one dares 60 to
TOW n, as the shocks still continue 10 bring down
what little is left standing. Tney occur at in
teryals OF half an hour each. This evening
some OF the shocks have been very violent
so FAR there have been about ssventy-six
shocks up to p. m. The river Paucarpata
has changed to three col0rs, which makes rs
believe that the volcanoes are at work EVERY
thing is confusion, and the cries and lamenta.
lions that We hear are heart-rending. Thus
the work of the AIequipenoes for three hun
dred years has been destroyed in a few min
utes; 1t will IA Ike five hundred years 10 do the
same over. The debris of the Jesuit church
was hurled TO distance of one hundred yards.
The picture presented by our desolate city is
sad indeed. God grant that our fears be not
realized. for Mount MIST is vomiting lava,
clouds of smoke and quantities of mud, and
darkness hides its belching from our view
We hear the constant noise OF falling rocks
ana earth, and the river Is impossible, owing
10 Its black color and sulphurous odor."
A MAN WITH A CHARMED LIFE-All great
cities are full of strange characters but pres
New Orleans excals n this n