Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1871-01-07

EARTHQUAKE EXPERIENCE.
South American Reminiscence.

A writer in the Cleveland Leader gives
some interesting information about earth
quakes, His speculations as to their prob
able causes are worthy of notice; and he
writes with some authority, as he has en-
loyed closer acquaintance with these
phenomea nthan most5people.
''Land, the earth, terra firma, are our
| emblems of security, of solidity-some-
thing to hold fast to. From lightning and
tempest, from conilagration, from the
floods of rivers, and, measurably, from
the stormy pillows of the ocean, art has
enabled man to impose safeguards; but
when the foot stool itself is shaking. vi
brating beneath his feet the last refuge
seems gone; we feel utter helplessness,
and await in dread some crushing, over
whelming calamity The frequency OF
earthquakes, instead of famliarizing the
mind and diminishing apprehension, pro-
duces an effort precisely the reverse; and
a stranger, who is, perhaps charmed to
| experience the novelty, falls rapidly into
the custem of the country, and flies from
the danger of topping walls with the ear
liest rumble of the subterranean stream.
An earthquake is the action of a mement
it comes and is gone, heralded alone, and
that not in all cases, by a rumble as of
heavy laden cart rolling over distant
stony street. The earth is shaken, the
havoc done and all is over.
Yet such are the traditions and recollec-
tions in countries subject to them, that the
population, mindful of previous disasters,
and not knowing how severe the shock
may be, seek safety in instantaneous flight.
If the ground opens or tidal wave sweeps
| resistlessly over the land, their last reali-
zation is that earth is no security. and man
is but plaything in the hand of Nature.
Notwithstanding the frightful sensa-
tions caused by an earthquake, am of
opinion that a thunder storm produces in
persons apprehensive of their result great
er dread and nervousness. The sultry air
gives warning OF its approach, the clouds
gather slowly in black masses to the cul-
minating point, and the inevitable moment
is known to be at hand and seen when
timidity must be exposed to all its dangers.
SOUTH AMERICAN EARTHQUAKES.
The natives of South America have two
words by which they designate the phe-
nomenon-tembloreS and terremolos The
former are only partial agitatioas of the
surface, confined to very limited districts,
and rarely or never producing serious dam
or horizontal oscillations, extending many
hundred miles, when the destruction OF
life and buildings is proportionate to the
distance of the localities from the origin of
the disrupting force.
Observation has shown that beside the
waving or undulatory there are also ver-
tical, horizontal and circular motions.
The wave felt in this city was undoubtedly
hnriznnfaI xvhila tho Sinl-inu Of I,n !;
road track at the east was probably the
result OF vertical motion.
During residence of several years in
the republic OF Chile it was my fortune to
experience many, perhaps hundreds OF
earthquakes, from the faintest tenaJlor to a
fierce terrem0l0 that sent the bol,lest for
eigner frightened into the street. The
first shocks felt were not felt if such par
adox is allowable; the frightened natives
would rush out crying tem6lor, leaving
your correspondent aStounded at what il
all meant, the only apparent cause of their
fright being the swinging of picture on
the wall, the clattering Of the windows OF
cracking of the plastering, which else
where would not have been noticed OF
supposed to be produced by anything but
an earthquake. However, the universal
custom of sleeping with bed room doors
| open, lest the sleeper should be caught
like rat in trap by the jamming of the
door, wiies stretched in front of all glass,
ware in shops and saloons to prevent its
shaking off, and certain wide cracks in the
walls of old buildings, combined with the
style of building-low, heavily Walled
houses: for instance, the bonded ware
houses of the government had walls seven
| feet in thickness-led me to believe that
that indeed was land Of sudden up.
heavals and convulsions.
Occasionally in the dead of night, away
| from all producing causes in town
or lonely hacienda, the heavy rumble ant
| shock would send me flying to the door
Cracks directly overhead, shown me as
the result of 4 temblor, l have frequently
found widened several inches in the morn.
ing.
Curiously enough, the dumb creation
feel the shake even more than man Dogs
howl, horses neigh, fowls cackle. They
invite the company of man and seek his
protection; horses and cattle have been
seen bracing themselves with outstretched
feet, against the shock. Dogs, especially
instinctively scent the approach of an
earthquake, and, as at Conception ia 1885,
leave the town in advance.
| A SCENE IN CHILE.
The evening of September 2S, 1925,
we experienced the seyerest shock of an
earthquake that occurred during our resi-
dence in Chile. Your correspondent was
standing near a house twenty feet in the
rear of his home. when he heard rumble
coming rapidly down the hills from the
south. The house behind me shook terri
| fcally. l was almost thrown off my feet
then the shock reached the house in from
and passed onward, perceptible time
elapsing between the first admonition ant
when it reached me. rushed around tn,
corner to the front Of the house, the
ground coming up to meet my feet like ;
ships deck in heavy seaway. The noise
from the city below was like the hum o
Il vast swarm of bees, as seventy-fiv,
thousand people rushed out in the twiligh
and fell upon their knees. The dogs howl
ed dolefully, men cried out, womel
shrieked, houses shook, roots cracked
every door and window sash shaking fear
fully, as if they would break their tasten