The Hawaiian gazette., 1868-10-07
Earthquakes in south America,

lows. villages and ciLcS nave VSSU "
I stroyed in one common ruin, with loss Of
7 life fearful to contemplate. We may hope
I that the figures are over-stSted which plsee
I the number OF lives lost at Loo The first
earthquake was felt at Callao, at 5 ?. NJ, on
/ the 18Th Of August There was a continue
/ ton OF them up to the 10th. which was the
I most fatal day in Ecuador. An earthquake
I wave happened on the eoast-line south Of
I C4liao, doing great dSmzge; but 81 CallSo,
I snd other places north, doing little harm.
/ The duration of some Of the shocks Is stated
/ 10 have been from six to eight minutes, aud
TIE disastrous ones 10 have had tortuous
motion. The regular horizontal wave was
not so fearful The Ksu earthquake Of April
/ ID. on these Islands, was not over two min
uies in duration, but the motion was twist
I ing one. and the sea-wave it caused was
cutie as high as that in South America Had
{ our coast been SIS densely populated as theirs,
/ our record Of the loss Of life would have been
equally fearful Arequips, one Of the ruined
cities. was 60 or 20 miles inland, and the
places that suffered most in Ecuador We're
I farlrom the coast. The tidal waves at these
Islands on the 18th, 18th and 10th Of August,
were doubtless caused BY these earthquakes.
We compile from the papers the following
accounts:
We have no intelligence further south than
Cobija, and, from what We have sscertAiued,
the shock there was much the same as We
Z experienced in Csllao, the sea receded not
more than fiity ySnis, and gradually return
cd to its original level. At l9uiqne the town
Is completely swept away. Nothing but
mass q ruins remains The loss Of life must
have been very great; al present 20 estimate
can De given. BY next mail We may have
definite information.
The ports Of MeiillOnes, PisSEua. africa, 10
and C6sla, have likewise shared the unior-
tunaIe fate Of Iguique Arequipa, the Sc
coud city Of the Republic, Is levelled 10 the
ground not one house i LEFT standing. IN
les = few wooden erections on the out
skirts Of the city. The magnificent cathedral
is not completely destroyed, but the towers
are gone, aud the building Is, doubtless, in
vsry dangerous condition, liable 10 fall az
any moment.
Noouequa. in the neighborhood of Are
ouipa. i likewise oveTthrOwn. Tacha has
escaped with only the loss Of sixty houses.
AREoUIPA. August l6.-This city was CON-
pleIsly destroyed by az earthquake on the
18Th instzni-not = church LEFT siandiug-not
s house hSbitSole- The shock commenced
a. $40 in the afternoon and lasted six 10
seven minutes. The hOnses being sOlidly
built and OF one story resisted for about one
minute, which gave time for the people 10
rush into the middle Of the streets, SO the
mortality. although considerable, is not so
CREST - might have been expected II the
earthquake had taken plzce II night few IN
. -anH D. - IL -.fH kn Sc
As II i the prisoners in the c4rcel public
prison and the sick in the hospital have
persisted. The earthquake commenced with
an undulatinE movement, and Is the shock
eliminated no one could keep his feet; the
houses rocked a : ship in the trough Of the
sea aud came cTumblinE down The shrieks
Of the women and the crash Of falling ma
soury, the Upheaving Of the earth and the
clouds 81 binding dust made up 9 scene
that cannot be described
We had nineteen minor shocks the same
night, and the earth siill continues in mo-
ton. NSllinE has Is vet been done towards
disiuIerrinE the dead, but / do not think
any are buried alive, q certain death must
have been the fate Of all those who were not
able 10 set into the street
AEICA-A letter from AREA, dated the
10th, SAYS:
At5P. N. on the 18th 3 severe earthquake
visited our city. oyerihuowing most Of the
houses and lasting I've minutes. Cracks
opened in the earth; water rose through
them. the sea reeeded; smother strong shock
came, and the ruin was complete Then
cane the sea with a wave fffy feet high, in
yadinE the town, sweeping everything be-
fore It, and tearing vessels from their ancho-
raEe
TIE confusion was frightfuL Those who
were not fortunate enough 10 escape in time
were buried under the falling walls and
roofs, OF dGSi-ed by the waves against the
ruins. The earthquakes followed without
cessation: the water flowed over the site of
the city. aud many Of the houses not Under
water were on fire. The sky threatened I.
storm. and all the elements were in fury I
The aid which many would have willingly 4
given 70 the sufferers was impossible
Terror, hunger and des0laiion reign in 4
Area lis surviving Inhabitants have with I
drawn 10 the hills and valleys in the neigh I
borhOod. The ruins are visited only by 4
plunderers and BY persons searching for the /
remains Of their friends or fortunes
The Tabole OF africa have acted in shame 4
full manner, giving themselves up 10 idleness
and theft The physicians fed, and have
not returned 10 render any assistance 10 I
sufferers. The battalion OF artillery merit .
the censure Of public opinion and the punish
meut Of the Government.
From AREA we have the most graphic pic
ture Of the sad event The agent Of the
Pacific steam Navigation Company, IN bis
letter 10 the msnager, writes:
." Into other matters it is now useless to
enter, as I write under the shadow OF great
grief Area no longer exists AT about
I'VE O'Clock in the afternoon Of the 18th we
were visited with : tremendous earthquake.
! had barely time to gel my wife and children
into the street, when the V hole Of the walls
Of nv house fcll-fell Is hardly the word, as
they were blown out as If they were spit al
me, 81 the same time the earth opened, pro-
baby two or three inches, and beiched out
dust, accompanied with 3 terrible stencil as
OF powder; the air was daTkened and could
not see ny wife, who was within two feet
Of me with the children. II this had lasted
any time we must have been suffOcated, but
10 about a couple Of minutes it cleared,
and. collecting nv household gods together,
| then started fol. the hills. How We passed
through falling houses, where We saw men
struck down, some stone dead, Others MAIN
ed, is TO NE Z mystery. but merciful Provi-
3e1ce was over Us We wendell our sad
way q well as We could towards the hills
with the earth shaking, making Us stagger
ls drunken people, when great CRY went
up TO Heaven, The sea has retired
hurried on, and had barely got TO the out I
skirts Of The town when looked backward.
saw all the vessels in the bay carried out
rresistibiy TO sea, probably with a speed of
en miles an hour. In a few minutes the ! {
great outward current stopped, then arose az
mighty wave, should judge about fifty ,
eet high, and came in with fearful rush. :
arTying everything before it in its awful {
majesty. The whole Of the shipping came ,
lack With some turning in circles, but all
peeding on 70 an Inevitable doom.
. Meanwhile the wave had passed in, I
truck the mole into atoms, swallowed up ,
he Custom House, and rushing down the
ame street carried everything before il in I I