Daily Davenport Democrat. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1864-1874, 1868-09-23
SOUTH AMERICA.
Graphic Account of the
Great Earthquake
in Perm


cent earthquake in South America, is from
the pen of 1t. Geo. Idc, of the United
States Navy, who 10 well known by many
Of our ci,izsns, be having spent several
years Al school in Davenport. He 10 nep-
hsw Of our esteemed fello. citizen, DIR. Z.
). Barrows
NEW YORK, Sept. 16, 1868.
nv DEAR PARENTS: Amer having been
associated for two years and Q half " III
people different by nature and ed, alton
from our ewn. I lind myself to dsy in our
great Metropolis, with scarcely to bs-rss.
trained inclination to stroll about the
streets and compare the merits and deusr-
its Of our own people with those of DOR
South American brothers. You have, pro.
badly, ere this, read numerous accounts Of
the appalling earthquakes that, like enor-
nous land waves, rolled along the coast
from Panama to Patagonia, consigning to
destruction cities that have stood the test
Of centuries Of time and cntoInbng thou
sands OF human beings. deep down in the
assures of the earth knowing that was
upon the scene Of these sad calami,ies you
may have feared my destruction with tho
rest. To apprisc you of my safe arrival 10
my object IN writing now. II must be done
hastily, however, ss time in New York is
too precious to be expended in let,er-writ-
ing
Fortunately for me, was at Valparaiso
at the time OF the earthquake. Atihat place
the shocks were very slight and did no
damage. Just before leaving Valparaiso, /
heard of the partial DISTRICT on Of Talcahu-
ano, a town about four hundred miles south
Of the former city Tho earthquake and
the accompanying inundations produced by
| the rising Of the waters Of the sea, pro-
ceeded along the coast from south to north.
l followed in their wake in the mail steamer
and had abundant facilities to observe the
disastrous effects upon the cities along the
| coast. As We proceeded northward from
Valparaiso the shocks seemed to have grad
ua''y increased in intensity, doing greater
or less damage. until upon arriving ct lqui.
que, We found that town totally demolished.
The loss OF life there amounted to perhaps
three tLsusaEd. Thence We proceeded to
Arici. A the story OF the destruction Of
Area will illustrate the manner in which
many cities Of greater and less size we're
| Destroyed. I will describe it ~ saw it
bpon going ashoIe, and as heard the sad
tale narrated by eye witnesses.
The last time had seen africa, it Was .
Furnishing little city, through which tho
commerce with the inland Bolivian towns
was maintained and (an anomoly Of this des
ert coAst) was surrounded by, and inter
spersed with. the fresh green foliage Of trees
Al a vines, and back to the foot OF the An
des, rolled waving meadows snamsled With
flowers Of variegatsd colors. The houses
and streets were clcanly kept, and every
thing about the city, gave evidence Of in
dustry and enterprise. Now, ~ We drew
near TO it. it appeared one vast scsne OF sad
aud silent ruin-a heap Of rubbish ~ il
the wrath Of God had swept it away from
tho face Of the earth.
The site Of the former city would hardly
have been recognized except for some con
spicuous land marks in its immediate vicn-
ity. Around the hsrhor several wrecks
were observation-disclosures dsmastsd and cap
sized, some lying deserted on the beach,
and ono American man OF war, the IVA
t0ee." standing upright, with her fac
flying, about 500 yards inland from the
beach.
| As soon a. could procure boat, went
ashore. Upon arriving at the beach, | be-
Il ~
vailed the atmosphere, arising probably
from the decay Of the dead bodies that had
been recently inferred, aud that hal lain
several days on the beach before The sur.
yiyors thought Of bury ing them.
The streets were filed with the debris Of
the fallen houses. and it was with great diff
fcul:y that found my way back into tn,
interior Of the ruined city. At length. By
avoiding the numerous pitfalls, climbing
over masses Of fallen adobes and ruined ar.
ticlcs of furniture that obstructed tho way
~ every step, | rescbed the site Of the old
Cathedral.
Here and there were the remnants OF
pianos, sofas, pieces Of sta;uary and bronze
mouldings, aud every conceivable article OF
ornament and utility that the mind could
suggest. Everything that | saw was SO
damaged as TO be utterly useless, caused for
the most part by the violent rush Of waters
to and fro throughout the city. Some off
however, seemed to have been done inten-
uonally, as if the city hal been ransackcd
by robbers, who, not content with taking
eyerytbine Of value that could be carried
CT, ruthlessly destroyed tho rest
did not see habiiable house in tho city,
There were few whose strong rails resist
cd the action OF the waters, but these were
either unro9ied or rendered so insecure that
nobody dared t. enter.
II was inelllhly sal TO contemplate this
vas. scene II d, solatou-to note the
mourniul countoasnccs el the passcrs "
that silently picked their way through the
ruin All seemed TO br suffering under the
shadow Of great grief that overwhelmed
them and rendered their lives almless for
all iu;urity. Many. after having toiled for
Years aud gained perhaps sufficiency Of
this worlds goods, had lost their all in .
single night. Others were trying to find
tho locality Of their former houses under
the ruins Of which some Of their relatives
lay buried
One poor woman was cndeavoring to
elsor away \ pile Of rubbish that seemed to
defy her weak efforts. Upon asking her
what she was doing, she replied II am
trying to find my house. Ny only child
lies buried here il this is it." There was
depth Of sadness-a mournful pa,hos il
her tones that touched me 10 the heart.
1t - impossible to estimate the number
OF lives lost; though il must have been
several bundled. Under . sturdy tree
, that lay PROSTATE near the beach there were
, seventeen bodies found. One vas the
corpse Of woman, whose long hair had in
soms mysterious wav wound itself around
tho branches Of the tree, and there she
hung.
The shocks Of the earthquake continued
at intervals Of few hours, for eight or te q
days after the destruction OF the city,
keeping the survivors in constant state oi
suspense that untitled them for any duty.
Here, - In many Of the cities along the
coast. the Inhabitants depended upon their
{ condsussrs for . supply Of fresh water
These condcnssrs were DESTROYED bv the
rising Of the sea, and many who survived
the general destruction a. firs., perishe1
eventually Of extreme thirst.
. As soon IS the catastrophe was known
steamers were dispatched from all parts OF
toe coast 10 the points that suffered most
and water and provisions were freely dis
: penssd to the sufferers.
An old sea captain, whose vessel was d.
s.royed, gave me his experience substan.
TALLY AZ fellows This frst shocks Of The
earthquake wero felt At about five o'clock
on the afternoon Of tho 18th Of August