The Fremont weekly journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County, Ohio) 1867-1877, 1873-05-02
Correspondence of the New York World.
The Awful Earthquake at San Saliva

Correspondence of the New York World.
The Awful Earthquake at San Saliva.
dor.
ALI that We had heard of the dis
| nal fate of San Salvador, was but
too true. Commander Kennedy
spoke as an eye witness when he re-
cited to us the dreadful details in
the Office Of the American consul,
Mr.. Meade. On the 18th inst. the
Reindeer Was lying in the harbor Of
La Union situated about one hun
dred and twenty miles to the south
east Of that city, but to the north
ward Of direct line drawn from
San Salvador to Corinto. Nothing
unusual was observed there during
the night Of the 18th, but early in
the morning Of the 10Th came 4 tele
gram from the capital announcing
its complete destruction, anot q
mouse left standing" and calling.
urging for instant saccor. / have
had to relate some not very credits-
Bile things recently of English dipIo-
macy in Central America It's ny
much more agreeable duty now to
relate some very creditable thines
OF the British naval service in the
same region. Commander Kennedy
put himself and his crew at once into
the good work. he set up his whole
force Of marines to aid in the pres
erVation Of the public peace, ordered
all his disposable stores Of pro7is-
ions to be forwarded with them for
the use of the stricken people, and
huTied up to the scene Of suffering
himself. It is a long and painful
journey over poor roads from La
Union to San Salvador. Commander
Kennedy found the way choked up
as he approached the city, with
carts, wagons, fugitiVes on horse
back, on muleback, on foot. Not by
hundreds, but by thousands, the in
habitants of the doomed city we're
seeking refuge in the little towns
and hamlets, in haciendas or in the
open fields. They had all but one
tale to tell, "San Salvador had eeas-
ed to exist" One town lying west
ward of the capital, and some two
hundred feet higher, Santa Tecla,
which contained but 1900 inhabit-
ants on the 18th of March, by noon
Of the next day contained nearly
five thousand. And yet under the
houses of Santa Tecla itself rumbled
the same awful mysterious forces
which had shaken down San Saliva
dor into the dnst-literally into the
dust. When Commander Kennedy
reached what had been the city, he
found there 3 parched and horrible
place heaped with masses of stone
and adobe, over which hung like 3
pail, q vast cloud Of fine brown dust
floating like the smoke of q large
conhagrstion over the erumbling
ruins, but low and near the ground,
so that man and beast passing
through it were choked and stifed
as In the wake of a great army
marching over the dust baked roads
of Syria or Mexico. In the whole
city, which numbered between 15,-
600 and 10000 inhabitants, Com
mander Kennedy found but one sol
itary building standing uninjured.
This was q large wooden building
belonging to an ecclesiastical body,
and known as the Colosio Tridento,
or college Of Trent" Besides this
the wooden facade of the cathedral
stood erect. The body Of the church,
built of adobe, had fallen; the bell
tower, ofstone, had been thrown ont
of the perpendicular, and stood
leaning like another tower Of Pisa
at a considerable angle. The only
other edifces not completely leVeled
with the earth were the Government
House and the Hotel de Plaque.
both built of stone, and both, be it
noted, of two stories in height, the
rest of the city having been built Of
a single story, in accordance with
the old architectural tradition of the
tropics. Both of these edIfices had
suffered severely, but their positions
and outlines at least were recog1iz-
able. OF the rest not q de6nable
trace could be made out, excepting
where block after block the walls Of
hundreds of houses lay prone, one
lapping over upon another like the
rows of bricks which children pile
up for the pleasure of knocking
them all down again by q smart
blow struck at the last of the file.
Among those wastes and ruins the
authorities and many of the people
we're hard at work, saving al that
could be saved of public and private
property. Let it be recorded to the
credit Of this plueky little Republic
that the first order issued by the
General Gonzales, was 3
lecree authorizing aud requiring all
,itizens instantly to shoot down any
nan found with portable property
of which he could not give q salts
'actory account. Thanks to the en-
srgy and decision Of the Executive
he horrors Of this appalling scene
we're not aggravated by any such
outbnrsts of human deviltry and
awlessness as those which make the
Dlackest feature in the terrible story
IF the destruction Of Lisbon, 3 cen
.nry or more ago.
Management Of Hens.