Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1872-06-06
Mark Twafn's First Earthquake

Mark Twain's First Earthquak
A month after landed in Sacramel
| TO, I enjoyed my first earthquake.
was one which was long called the gres
earthquake, and it is doubtless so di
tinguished to this day. 1t was on
which was just after noon, on a brigt
October day. I was coming down thir
street. The only object in motion an
where in sight in that thickly built an
populous quarter was a man in a bugg
behind me, and street car wendin
slowly up the cross street. Otherwis
all was solitude and Sabbath stiffness
AS I turned the corner, around a fran
house, there was a great rattle and jar
and it occurred to me that here was a
item! no doubtia fight in that house
Before I could turn and seek the door
there came terrific shock; the grount
seemed to roll under me in waves, in
terrupted by a violent Juggling up an.
down, and there was heavy grindinj
noise, as of brick houses rubbing to
gether. I fell up against the franz
house and hurt yielbow, I knew 'whal
I it was nov, and, from mere reportoria
instinct. nothing else, took out my
watch and noted the time of day; a
that moment third and heavier SHOCK
came, and as I reeled about on the
pavement. trying to keep my, footing
saw a sight The entire front offs tail
four story brick building in Third street
sprang out like ad6or and fell sprawl
ing across the street raising dust like
great volume of smoke. And here
came the buggy-overboard went the
man, and in less time than I can tell il
the whole vehicle was distributed in
sman. fragments along 800. yards Of
street. One could have fancied, that
somebody had fired a charge Of chair
rounds and rags down the thorodghfare.
The street car had stopped, the horses
were rearing and plunging, and psssen-
gers were pouring out of both ends, and
one had crushed half way through d
window on one side of the car, got
wedged fast, and was sqHirming and
screaming like an impaled mailman.
Every door ofevery house, as far as the
eye could reach, was vomiting forth .
stream of human beings; and almost
before one could execute a wink and
begin another there was aTnassed null
titude Of people stretching in endless
procession, down every street my
position commanded. Never was sol
emn solitude turned into teemilg life
quicker. OF the wonders wrought by
1.-THE great earthquake" these were all
that came under my eye; but the tricks
it did elsewhere, and far and wide over
the town, made toothsome gossip for
nine days. The destruction of proper
ty was trifing 1.-The injury to it was
wide spread and somewhat serious. The
''curiosities" of the earthquake were
simply endless. Gentlemen and ladies
who were sick or were taking siesta, or
had dissipated till late hour and were
making up a lost sleep; thronged into
the public streets in all sorts of queer
apparel, and some without any at all.
One woman who had been washing a.
naked child, ran down the street hold
ing it blythe ankles as if it were a dress
ed turkey. Prominent citizens who
were supposed to keep the Sabbath
strictly, rushed out of saloons in their
shirt sleeves, with billiard cues in their
hands. Dozens of men, with necksI
swathed in napkins, rushed from bar
bershops, lathered to the eyes, or with
one cheek clean shaved and the other
stiH bearing a hairy stubble. Horses
broke from stables, and a frightened
dog rushed up a short attic ladder and
out on a root, and when his scare was
over he had not the nerve to get down
again the same way. he gotup. A prom
inent editor few down stairs, in the
principal hotel with nothing on but one
brief under garment, met Q chamber
maid, and exclaimed: tsOh, what shall
1 do? Where shallI go9a She replied
with a naive serenity; aft you have no
choice, you might try a clothing storei
The L'slaOce'lts az Home. ,.,q.i ~ rn;ir
BLEEDING AT THE NOSE. Some two
way, New York, blood commenced
running from my nose quite freely. III
stepped aside and applied my handker-l
chief, intending to repair to the nearest
hotel, when gentleman accosted me-
saying Just put q piece of paper IN
your mouth and chew it rapidly, and If !
will stop your nose bleeding" Thank
ing him doubtfuIly, ] did as he sug-I
eested, and the flow OF blood ceased al
most Immediately. / have seen the
remedy tried since quite frequently and
always with success. Doubtless almost
any substance would answer the same
purpose as paper, the stoppage of thet
flow of blo0,f being caused, no doubt,
by the rapid motion OF the Jaws, and
the counter action of the muscles and
arteries connected with the jaw and
nose. Physicians say that placing al
small roll Of paper or muslin above the /
front teeth, under the upper lip, andl
hard on the same, will arrest
bleeding at the nose checking the
passage ofthe blood through hearteriesl
leading through the nose. Il Cbs1Strs
Gent. - q. .,.-
INSECTS. Now is thetime to prevent
canker- worms nom ascending the trees,
the warm days which often occur this !
month being favorable for this move
mart ThnfrA nsl.ank can be Tlartiailvl