The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1872-04-21

MY FtRsr EAarHouAKE.- "A month
after l landed in Sacramento ! enjoyed
my hrst earthquake. It was one which
was long called the great earthquake,
and it is doubtless 80 distinguished till
this day. 1t was just afternoon, on q
bright October day. was coming down
Third street. The only objects in motion
anywhere in sight in that thiokly built
and populous quarter we're q man in q
buggy behind me, and street car wend.
ing slowly up the. cross street. Other
wise, oil was solitude and Sabbath
stiffness. AS turned the corner,
around frame house, there was great
rattle Jar, and it occurred to mo that
mere was an item-no doubt fight in
IN that house. Before I could turn and
seek the door, there came really ter
rinc shock: the ground seemed to roll
unoer me IN waves, interrupted by q
violent juggling up and down, and there
was heavy grinding noise as OF brick
houses rubbing together. J. fell up
against the frame house and hurt my
elbow. knew what it wus now, and
from mere reportorial inntinct, nothing
else, TOOK out my watch aud noted the
Time OF day; at that moment third
and still severer shock came, and as I
reeied ABOUT on tho pavement, trying to
keep my footing, 1snw sight! The en-
tire front OF tail, four-story brick
building In Third street sprang out like
q door ana feli sprawliug across the
street, raising dust like great volum @
OF SID oke. Aud here came the buggy
overheard went the man, and in less
/ oil ~
distributed in small fragments along 300
yards OF street. One could hnve fancicd
that somebody had fred q charge of
CHAIR rounds and rags down the tho
roughfare. The street car had stopped,
the horses were rearing and plunging,
ana the passengers were running out at
both ends, and one man had crashed
hall way through glass window, on
Quo side OF the cur, got wedged fast, and
was ssquIrmlng and screaming like kan
impaled madman. Every door of every
house, as far ns the eye could reach, was
vomiting stream of human beings, and
almost before one could execute wink
and begin another there was n massed
multitude OF people stretching in enlless
procession down every street my posi-
lion commanded. Never was solemn
S"A - -So AIto I5euulub llIc quicker.
VI the wonders wrought by "the grcnt
earthquake. these were all that came
under my eye; but tho tricks it did
elsewhere, and far and wido over the
town, made toothsome gossip for nine
days. The destruction of property was
triiiing; the injury to it was widespread
and somewhat serious. The "curiosi-
ties OF the earthquake were simply end
less. Gentlemen and Indies who were
sick or were taking IL siesfa, or who had
disslpated till o late hour and were maxi
Ing mp lost sleep, thronged into the pub
lie streets in all sorts of queer apparel,
aud some without any ut all. One
woman, who had been washing IL naked
child, ran down the street holding it by
the ankle as if it were dressed turkey.
Prominent citizens who were supposed
to keep tho Sabbath strictly rushed out
of saloons in their shirt-sleevcs, with
billiard cues in their hands. Dozens of
men with their necks swathed in napkins.
rushed from BARRIERS shop, lathcrcl 10
the eyes, or with ono check clean shaved
and the other still bearing n hairy stnb-
BILE. Horses broke from stables, and n
frightened dog rushed up short attic
ladder and out on the roof, and when
his scare was over had not the nervo to
go down again the same way he had
gono up. A prominent editor flew down
stairs in the principal hotel with nothing
on but one brief undcrgarment.
Marx T,cuiu.