The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1873-04-24

; .TAa. .p1sfaeq1Ior o1'sAs SALVADOR.
The history 81 the terrible catastrophe is
as follows:
The fist shocks of earthquake were
felt on the 4th OF March Last, which de-
sssoyad some houses and alarmed the in.
hsbitants sSan Salvador, the greater
PsEt OF whom took to living in the
squAres and open places. The shocks
contm0ed With more or less frequency
and force until the 10th CT the same
month. when shook came which laid
the whole otty in RUNE. Every town and
viiisge vithin . radius OF twenty miles
have suffered more or less. Fortunately,
o";3s &c the previous shocks having
frightened the greater part of che popu-
lation from living in their houses. the
losa OF life has not been. so great as it
would otherwise have BEEN. Out Of a
population Of 10000. which the city of
San Salvador was said to contain. the
number reported killed and wounded va.
ries from 80 to 900. The only buildings
left standing, though damaged, are the
Hotel del Parque aud the Government
palace. Ia the midst of the dust and
oonseernation, FIRE broke out in drug
store, but It was soon got under. The
Government funotionsries stood to their
posts and did their several duties in
highly creditable manner. The Presi-
dent GENT hie sem;!y to Santa Teola, and
established himself in the principal
square OF the capital, in tent, represaed
all attempts at disorder aid robbery, and
rendered assistance wherever it was most
needed. Any found carrying away pro-
perty not their own were shot. The au,
shorities still persist iu rebuilding the
c!fy on the same site. although this is
the eighth time within $50 years that the
city has been destroyed. Most of the
people, nevertheless, have removed to
Santa Tecla. The only building that
stood the shocks with the least injury
was building erected Of timber. The
impulse at present is to import timber
from California for the construction of
saoa osrthquake.proof houses. Aid and
money have been rendered and sent
from all parts OF the republic. Every
thing has risen to exorbitant prices. The
prisoners in the Jail we're removed to
other places, and the Sisters of Charity
have becn nssiduous in their attendance
on the sick and wounded. Capt. Ken
nely, of her Britannia Maiesty's ship
Reindeer, gave all the assistance he
could, and offered her for the use of Mr..
Biddle, the United States Minister. The
latter, as we'll as the Government, re.
turned letters OF thanks to Capt. Ken.
nedy.
Great fenrs are entertained that the
stoppage OF sewers, exposure md fright,
the dead bodies unrecovered from be.
meath the ruins, and other morbifio con-
ditions. may bring on an epidemic. A
ine bridge, lately built across river on
the road to Soyapango, was thrown
down. Other roads have been rendered
impassable by immense blocks of stone,
thrown down from the heights, some 100
tons in weight. Owing to the continu-
ahce Of the shocks, more than forty
bodies were displaced from out of the
inches in which they are placed in the
cemetery. The earthquake is supposed
to have been caused by the suppressed
volcano OF st. Thomas, one of the seven
volcanoes within radius of thirty miles.
Izalco is at present in falI blast, throw.
ing down its sides constant stream of
lava, visible at night along the whole
coast OF the Balsam region. The officers
OF the Reindeer report that the United
States Consulate was q mass OF ruins in
SIDE, though the walls were standing
MIR. Biddle, the United States Minister,
with his five little ones, had u narrow
escape. During the two days. three Of
hoers remained in San Salvador, and they
felt eight shocks. In some places the
ground cracked foot wide, and very
deep. at every shock, all the cocks in
the place began to crow, and pigeons
wheeled about wildly in the air. The
English. visitors consider it temptation
ct Providence to rebuild the city again
on the same spot. The crust below it il
evidently mere shell. The ear, placed
close to the ground. hears o noise like
running water, and the fall of heavy
stone produces hollow sound. The
Indians would never build on this site.
WILLIAM CULLEN BRYANT's TESTIMONY
TO GRANTS CIVIL SERVICE FRAUD. In
all my intercourse with the people OF the
South, although it has not bean very ex-
tenslve nor Of very long continuance, !