Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1871-06-10
Terrible Destruction by an Earth
quake I'm China.

WASHINGTON, June 5.-Our Minister |
in China, Governor Lowe, has forwarded |
to the Secretary of State the following |
translation of a report of an earthquake in |
Bathang, in Szchuen, made by the Chinese |
Governor General of the province in which |
it occurred:---
81 have ascortained that Bathang lies on
very elevated spot, beyond the borders
of the province, about 260 miles west from
Li-tang, and more than thirty post stations
from the district town of Ta-tsieu, on the
high road to Tibbet.
"About II o'clock A. M. on the 11th of
April, 1870, the earth trembled so violently
that the Government offices, temples, grana-
rics stone and store-houses and fortifca-
tions, with all the common dwellings and
the Temple of Ting-Lin, were at once over
| thrown and ruined. The only exception
was the lmll in this Temple grounds called
Ta-Chao,. which stood unharmed in its
| isolation.
ga few of the troops and people escaped,
but most OF the inmates were crushed and
killed under the falling timber and stone.
Flames also suddenly burst out in four
. placs, which strong winds drove about un-
! til the heavens were darkened with smoke,
and their roaring wae mingled with the
| lamentations of the distressed people.
On the 18th the flames were beaten down,
but the rumbling noise were still herd un-
der ground like distant thunder, and the
Garth rocked and rolled like q ship in o
storm, at the mercy of the waves. The
multiplied miseries of the afflicted inhabi-
! tants were increased by thousand fears,
but in about ten days matters began to
grow quiet and the motion to cease.
''The grain collector at Bathang says that
for several days before the earthquake the
water had overnowcd the dyke, but after it
the earth cracked in many places, and black
fetid water spurtcd out in furious manner.
If one poked it the squirting instantly fol
lowed (just as is the case with the salt
wells and fire wells in the eastern part o.
the province); and this explains how il
happened Hlat Sire followed the earthquake
in Bathang.
"As nearly rs is ascertained, there were
destroyed two large temples, the Offices O
the Collector of Grain Tax, the local mag
istrate and the colonel, the Ting-Lin tenn
pie and nearly 700 fathoms of wall around
|. it, and 351 rooms in all inside; six smaller
temples numbering 221 rooms, beside 1S4!
rooms and houses of the common people
, The number Of people, soldiers and lamas
, killed by the crash was 220S, among whom
were the local magistrate and his secont
, in office.
: ang eastward to Pang-chah-muh, westward
to Nantun, on the south to Lin-tsah-shh
and on the north to the salt wells of a
tuntsz, ciralit of over 400 miles. 1t oc
| Cured simultaneously over the whole o
= this region. In some places steep hill
= split and sunk into deep pits; in others
= hills on level spots became precipitous cliffs
G and the roads and highways were rendered
= impossible by distractions.
s "The people were scattered and bcggar
= cd like antumn leaves, and this calamit
8 to the people of Bathang and vicinity wa
s really one of tho most distressing and dos
c tructivo that has happened. The Cover
G nor-Gcneral twice memorialized the En-
: peror respecting it, who granted aid t
i. relieve the misery, reopen the roads be
tween the post-hou5es, and rebuild or re
pair the Offices aud dwelling as they wcr
needed. Many are now resuming thci
occupations, and The roads arc everywher
passablc.