The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1872-01-26

The Buenos Ayers Standard of the Both
November gives further intelligence than that
reported by telegraph of the late disastrous
earthquake at Salta. On the 22nd of Octo-
Der, at eleven o'clock P. NJ, when most of
the inhabitants of the doomed town of Oran
had retired to their houses, the first shock
was felt The greatest terror at once prevail
ed, and the people rushed madly into the
streets; few had gone to bed, as for hours be-
fore dull rumbling noise had been heard in
the distance, and all feared that it portended
some unusual catastrophe. The shocks con-
tinued at intervals for nearly nine hours, dur
ing which time forty distinct movements of
was split open-now here, now there-and
the houses fell in confused heaps of ruins.
There is only one death to record, that of Sr.
Reyes, and some contusiOns to other persons.
Most of the inhabitants rushed out to the
camp after the first shock and so saved their
lives, but the the town of Oran may be con-
sidered as totally destroyed.
The following is the official despatch from
the Lieutenant Governor to the government
of Salta, announcing the dreadful catastro-
phe:
t"ORAN, Oct. 23-6.30 p. NJ.
Sir,-I write in sorrow and alarm to request
that you will inform his Excellency the Gov
ernor of the Province that the town of Oran
has disappeared, nothing remaining Of it but
ruins. The earthquake shocks commenced at
eleven O'Clock last night and continued until
eight o'clock this morning. Thirty-eght or
forty shocks were felt in all and it is feared
that more will follow. The unfortunate in
habitants are ON their knees imploring the
mercy of the Almighty. The losses and in
juries to persons are not yet known accurate
ly, but everything is being done to discover if
any persons have been crushed by the fallen
houses or are beneath them. His Excellency
the Governor must excuse me not sending
him a longer report as am busy aiding the
sufferers, and have only time for this short
note. God preserve you.
HnARIoN CARAsco.
To the Secretary-General of the Provisional
Government.
P. SIT is now known to a certainty that
only one person has been killed, a son of the
late Don Miguel Reyes, and a few others
slightly injured, all the rest of the inhabi-
tants beir 6 saved as if by a miracle"
Private letters from Don Julio Aguirre to
his father, of the same date as Mr.. Carasco's,
state that the whole town disappeared in ten
seconds, not stone remaining on a stone.
The inhabitants were huddled together with
out anything to shelter them from the burn
ing rays of the sun. and apprehensive of fresh
shocks every moment. There were two per-
sons killed. Don Aguirre had only left his
dwelling few seconds when it tumbled like
house of cards. News has been received
from Jujuy to the effect that the earthquake
was felt there with fearful violence, and that
a volcano has burst forth in eruption and it is
feared that subterranean movements may be
expected along the whole line of the Andes.
The people of Slata are making the noblest
efforts to relieve the sufferers.
Some confusion seems to exist as to the
whereabouts of the place at which this great
calamity has taken place, occasioned chiefly
by the town called Oran being situated in Ju-
juy, ON the Bolivian border, and not in Salta,
the province Immediately south of it. Oran
is or rather was, a small place on the VERNE
ia, close to the borders of Bolivia, within
which, indeed, it is placed by some authori-
ties, the boundaries of the South American
republics being extremely unsettled. The
clrief trade was with Bolivia, and the land
about the town is beautifully laid out and
wateled. The chief produce is cocoa.