The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1868-09-30
S|llttllligcltter.
The Greas Earthquake in South
America.

0nc of the most terrible and hofiify'"g
uicees OF intelligence. says the New of,
leans Crescent, which it has ever been our
duty as journalists to record is that con
tanned in the recent news from South
America. Imagination stands aghast at
.il5 extent and swiftness of tho dreadful
caia,nity which has bet;lilcn the people OF
5|,e States of Peru and Ecuador-a calam-
ity uneqaaled by one of its kind since the
great earthquake atLisbon, in 1875, when
sixty thousand persons were believed to
lave perished in the short space OF SIX
minutes. The next terrible disaster OF
the kind occurred in 1912 ct Caracas,
which city, together with 1900 OF its IN
habitants, was entirely destroyed. In
1857, an earthquake in the kingdom OF
Naples destroyed large number of lives,
variously estimated at from $4,000 to ao'-
ooO.. A work pnbished'in 1858 complies
a,cataloguo of nearly 5000 earthquakes,
,,efsWhich the most disastrous was ono in
year 5e6,- at Antioch in Syria, when ac-
eording to Gibbon, 25o0oO persons are
said to have perished.
The following interesting details and
incidents of the great calamity in Peru
and Eeuador-is from the correspondence
OF the New York Times, dated Lima in
Peru, August ed, 1858:
In aprcvious letter I gave hurried
account of the severe shock, Of an earth
;. onake and the coming in of the sea at
Gallao,- as well.as the damage to the ships
living in Callao Bay. By the steamer from
Valparaiso oandintermediate points, which
arrived here the 10th, we have the most
fearful and appalling accounts OF this
same earthquake, proving it to be by far
: the most terrible and destructive of any
that has over visited Peru. Over twen-
: ty-three cities and villages are; destroyed,
some thirty silver and othermineral mines,
the ships greatly damaged lying at the
Chincba Islands, some ten houses shaken
down there, and all accounts so to show
that there has never been so fatal an
earthquake in Peru, not even one that de-
stroyed old Callao in 1746. This one has
marked it's way by death and destruction
all ND. and down the entire coast. But
for tie high point of Corrillas and the i'm
mense mountain and inland of San Loren
20. which formed an admirable breakwa-
Ter, Callao, and possibly Lima, would
been have again submerged. To add to
the general horror and freight of the
earthquake tho very day the steamer
sailed, (the 14th.) and the night immedi-
ately following the coming in of the sea,
there was a most fearful fire, which burst
out in a restaurant in the main street of
Callao. and SO sudden was the spread of
the flames, and SO violent the wind which
carried it along, that about fifty Of the
principal stores and Offices, the Club
house.. and all the buildings overhead,
used as dwelling houses, with million
and half worth of property. were de-
stroyed Many families lost everything,
and but for the timely arrival of two fire
engines from Lima, the whole street, with
al; the principal stores in the place, would
,iavc fallen On easy prey to the flames. a
..ew large stores, .croclery, hardware, &c,
e.. were assured. but (as fire is sci lon
known here) nearly all the sufferers lost
everything they possessed in the world:
Several Peruvian f:tmlies who owned
stores, and lived entirely from, the month
ly rents of the buildings, lost all their in
come when these stores were burned, as
they wero not insured. Tho street is
burned through quite to the waters edge,
and presents dcsoate appearance. But
the earthquake down the coast deserves
afull description, though no pen can por-
tray. It's horrors and the devastation it has
eaused
From the correspondent Of EINacional,
the leading paper in Lima, and himself
I'm eve witness OF most of the sad Incl
dents connected with the earthquake, ]
have learned the particulars And / am
also indebted To Mr.. Williams, PayrTaster
Of the South Pacific Squadron, for a full
and-eomplete account Of the terrible ruin
and ravages that have destroyed the cities
and towns OF the coast. Mr. Williams
came up on the steamer Of the Goth for
aid and assistance, and today the Pow
hatan, MS we'll rs the Peruvian and French
steamers, have gone with money, pro-
visions, and canvas for tents, 70 the suf-
fsrers. Mr. Williams, Captain Doty. and
three others are all the survivors of the
ill.fated Fredonia-about fifty were lost
.I=shall condense the particulars as much
as possible. All the entire south of Peru
is destroyed. Iquique, noted for its ex-
tensive saltpetre works, is one complete
mass of ruins. 1t is estimated that with
its fine custom house over s4,00O,000 are
lost. africa, lea, and Pisagua are in ruins.
and an immense volcano at lea, which
has not broken out for over thirty years,
has been opened anew, and is pouring its
fire lava and hot stones down into the
sea. An immense tidal wave, similar to
that at ST. Thomas. and fully sixty feet