The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1871-08-16
LErrER FRoM soUTM AMERICA
COTTC-pOldrnct OF IIE IHIVTTIHVHVvT'
VALPARAISO, Chill, July 10, 1871.

> void OF special interest uull TtuCuGl
/. africa, AT this point your many reader
G will remember that the fearful earth
quakes and rising of the sea did the mos
damage As three years have almos
passed since that awful catastrophe
> brieireview ola few of the incidents MAY
!, be of some interest. africa is small
town living ona low beach beneath laTgl
hill or promOntOry that extends some dis
! lance into the sea The town now has d
f; population of about three thousand. AT
I the time of the earthquake it had about
two thousand five hundred. The first
shock was felt at 5:l5 +. NJ, August H.
1868, and lasted for two minutes, The
, town was almost entirely shaken
down. A second shock occurred at
$50 and what few buildings remained
were cracked and shaken 10 a fearful eX.
tent The frightened inhabitants ran in.
to the plaza and open places to avoid
the falling buildings The sea receded,
leaving the vessels lying in the harbOr on
dry ground, and at 5:45 the first Il,
dal wave came in. This wave and
the three Others that followed com.
plGtely washed down and destroyed
the buildings. The wave was thirty feet
six inches in depth and extended for over
eight hundred miles in latitude. Two
large steamers, the Peruvian steamer
America and the United States steamer
Watarec, were washed ashore and left
there by the second wave. The America
lost twenty men and the vessel now lies
about fifty yards from the water The
Wataree lost only one man; she lies at a
distance Of about three.quarters Of mile
from the sea, and presents a curious spec.
tacle, sitting on the plain as II she were
about to steam out Of her difficulty. Six
men were on o small island in the harbor
used as fort, and when they saw the
water coming in they assembled to the
highest point and came within six inches
of being carried of, A great many peo-
pie lost their lives after the shocks by 20.
Ing back to their dwellings to try to save
property, and were OvertRken by the
water and drowned. Those that saved
themselves by running to the hills, a dis
lance Of mile and over, were exposed to
Il terrific rain storm that lasted almost all
night; their feelings and condition can be
~. i'''"S 'iIou ,i,"ll uVaCI'Ueu, lousc-
!eSs, anu many without sufficient clothing
70 cover themselves from the drcnching
rain, momentarlly expecting a repetition
of the terrible commissions, they sat until
tho welcome light of day gave them an
opportunity for seeing the awful desOla.
ton that surrounded them. The officers
Of tho Wataree furnished stores and such
articles as they had on hoard IN thu emf
lcIlng people, ana rellel came from other
quarters as speedily as possible.
m, IRON AREA we TAKE tue train for Tacna.
lhG ralIroaI Il ~ miles long, and was
nulIt III 700, lhesGehery along inc line
~ houhlaihOus-nOlhlng Dut desert.
iacna IS ABOUT the prettiest little city in
w. hGpIDllC OF fe[u. IL mas popnIa-
.ioI ~ hpout sN thousand, anu does q
! W,Iyg business business WIN NE coast and
d h;u6Vpc III aiPaSa Woolsi tllls Is the prln,
G,paI yHpoL, ny toWH IS well DulIt, anu
!, , sul Hi yeTy iilllG rom earthqlakes
d ~ was ulieG'y III 'lle ilne OF the ohG that
Wilt NJ W,i m.U"' Wua vsc"Pcu enllreiy,
o ms' ,i naoNvsua, % n Lowh on lhe
~"a o,moo, t ,",niiyy Ivy ienSueS us'aht'
A. Tnono 'J,y s I.sal"]'u' .-
shnck Of nar,S TNpoL,''''I ~ EeIy severe
when mIt o'yini"n; yih INV Ius' husl,eu
named With a rnwiiino no,ao LILY nceV
henvv ortiIIcry ,uS',nyS I nnss;r s,'.'n "
stony street irhc " ,SOIis ~ XIX "TII
trrmhleI and tho hoj S nSo;Ii,tnS ny Du, ,n
tbai /, ,vos SSin,, !u ,IN ,,ii 80 lluc
ios,sj Enr oSnn, a." ,Ie sui ~ SHOCK
mi rrshoj ~ ~ " IL seo i,ta sot up
into thc conr, yorJ III aL,o, ,'" ,ha W "
shGcL COVE I.n u snoHlu w scconq
saw Ihc -" 81 Syp oT t,,,d pI",nE 'Hls uooI, l
NJ ihn LS,oi C%s r r,lVu VIII, WIN Ilo sIess
as wa ielt M mora I'm, n;gS, o" Erom,
TncnS I returned IN Nri"o ond ,oni,
steamer, nnssed MciiIIianns ds Ro, iUA
neyl dov. tthiu noint tho poI;yian a."
eminent receives ,arga ysvor,,oa ta~ $50 80
Went on shore the neyt ioy a, SaL;iS
This il tho nrincinS, N0r, T%r Rats; o III
4 famed Tor riois "nd revolnIinrs Az
rived nj CHldnro Tho fir9t nor, In C,hiii
Two davs af,or CaIiora Los bosr a I;,,n
IL ii6lc tnwn I'M a. nrosom, IL liz, n.y.
3eriej Tho streets prn wiJc ond y yoo NC
and Inc pubiic Luildings s"ncri iV -
ANYTHING saw in Pep, '' Tho rooi
lcnis NJ Cbili ara dieoront c.,,,, . 70
N PERI Iavir% a hot,or Lnowto IUO opUS
Iusncss md Nor" ocI;vo ond om ",ortso,i ~
4 ine railroad conHoc, S I Wold Ce's V.,Si,
Japiapo INV miles inland T%a cor n
" hNye cxSe,lemt shnHS il taidosa amJ
10 an GOOD business CHrpving T %aSsnnr anu
rcigG,s md smnnIies ~ XII a ,nin1ss ~
tianlano Snd ihaP im,or,or W,rinn lnVs %
Ine IiiIie ciiv whi"i hoL Dap.ap9 Is 9
hon, o. mn H., % Iho nau IoPuialOn O
,ovSrej nj Ts 'c iiow NINE mines ia.ey
,o,,s,oS ~ :, oha 1 nave almost IN
ISntlai o oigniio une styihg Vfdeal Of Presl
md the excitement made thc io %"' n tJ /
lively The railroad extends from Capiapo \
Q point my miles further inland, where !
,n oin, Sn tnHG ing stage l0r inc mines