Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1873-05-01
The Ruined City .

AAC INulnCo StSy
From correspondence n. Y. World.
All accounts agree in this, that the
shocks by which San Salvador was de-
stroyed were three in number, and
that they occurred at intervals ofabout
an hour between 2 and ga. N. One
Salvadorian gentleman, lawyer OF
great intelligence and of high charac-
ter, Senior Machado, however, tells me
that these three decisive shocks Were
preceded by another hardly less vio-
lent at about p. IN. He was passing
the night at his hacienda of La Hoya,
now called "New Cuscatlan," about
four leagues to the southwest of San
Salvador, ON the edge of the fertile
plain of modern deposits which ex-
tends on that side of the city, and
which gives way there to a formation
OF violet colored volcanic sands ana
pebbles. The place took its former
name of La Hoya from an extinct era
ter which abruptly opens to a consid-
erahle depth in the soil at that point
Mr.. Machado describes theshock which
came at one o'clock as sudden sharp
oscillation from the southwest which
woke the family. at was providen-
tial thing" he said, "for it set Us all
Oh our guard, and we kept the doors
open into the patio or court yard" AT
ga. m. came severer undulati0n, eX
actly resembling the rush of q series OF
ocean waves from the southwest to the
northwest. This was followed by one
of equal severity about half past 8, and
at 5 a. IN. by one more severe STILL
"The house was cracked in all direc-
tions, but it did not fall" Mr.. Macha
do fixes the focus of the subterrauean
disturbance at San Jacinto, small
volcano, suddenly silenced some
months ago, which stands about six
leagues to the east of San Salvador
This is in conformity with a theory
very commonly received in Central
America, for which do not desire to
stand. however, as sponsor. What
seems to be certain is fthat huge
bowlders of 100 tnnS and more in
weight were rolled down from the
mountain range of trachnitic porphyry-
to the west of the city into the roman-
tic raviuo road known IS the CallejOn
de Guarumel, between San Salvador
and Sousonete, making the road quite
impossible. At the same time great
damage was done in the village OF
IIopahgo, about five leagues TO the east
of the city. Soyapango, Santa Thom-
as, Santa Tecla, and other villages in
all directions upon radius of % miles
around the capital were all more Or.
less severely shaken. l have already
mentioned the shock which was felt at
CJrinto, 125 miles in Il right line to the
southeast of San Salvador. My friend,
Mr.. Gutierrez, formerly Minister of
Costa Rica at Washington, who was in
Guatamala on the 10TH, tells me that
the three shocks were distinctly felt in
that city, some 129 miles to the north
west ofSan Salvador, upon right line
both with San Salvador and with Co
rinto. On this point hope to receive
more full and minute information at
Guatemala, where in the Colejio Tri-
dentino more close and careful account
is taken of such phenomena than any
where in Central America, unless l am
to except the Meteorological Bureau of
Costa Rica established by Mr.. Streber.
OF fthe loss of life directly caused by
the catastrophe no accurate estimate,
of course, can yet be formed. Com
mander Kennedy reports about fifty
bodies as having been taken from the
ruins before he left ON the 9th, and
about $50 wounded persons as under
the care of the authorizes. He detailed
his own surgeon for duty in the aifiict- |
el city, and left him there. The ply
sicians in charge were most admirably |
seconded by those most excellent of
WOIiItll. tuC .piHtCl5 va Nhdi IL ID
pitiful detail Of the dreadful story that
OF the dead not few were poor crea-
ture5 lying in the hospitals, who were
too i'll or too crippled TO escape, and so
were crushed by the falling walls ere
they could be lifted out. Not even the
dead were left to their rest in this
shaken "vaIley of the Hammocks. -
The pantheon (as thav call the GENE
teries in Spanish America, one hardly
knows why.) was shattered and riven
open. and more than fifty corpses flung
cut of their tombs lay for days fester-
ing in the tropic suns, prey to the
horrible zopilotas, until they were
gathered together and buried.
An intelligent Aberdeen preacher
recently took for his text. adam,