Carson daily appeal. [volume] (Carson City, Nev.) 1873-1877, 1873-05-15
Tn1 San 0ALVAD09 4ABTD-
QUAKE,

Tn8 San aALvAD0a RA8T1-
QUAKE.
Aoogrespondsnt u tho New York
World writing from Acapults. 8 N
Salvador. under date Of April 8,
minutely describes some Of the incl
deats Of the late awful earthquake.
aad favors ~ with the following
facts among others:
The effect Of the undulation Vas to
throw forward vail upon vail. and tins
to overlap, - it were. house with house
from end to end Of the city; and this
made the oblitsration Of streets and
squares moe complete than it would
Otherwise have been. The tower Of the
Cathedral, which still stands leaning
out Of the perpendicular. bears witness
very curiously to the undulatory effects
of the shocks. The tower was first
shifted and thrown forward from its base
nearly twenty feet. the whole solid mass
of masonry retaining its conference, and
fitting where the earth wave LETT it. pre-
cisely n . vessel might which had been
thrown up by . sea wave on an inchning
beach. The general impression in Gen.
tral America seems to be that ~ rule
the undulatory earthquakes are less de-
struetive in their effects as well A. much
wider in their mango than the vibratory
earthquskes. This impression viii not
be fortified by the experience Of San Sal
vaGior in 1873. 1t would be difficult to
imag ne = vibratory earthquake doing its
work moro terribly we'll than this undu-
lstory earthquake.
Ali the descriptions have had from
persons Who passed through these dread
ful hours concur in this, that the shud
d-ring earth actually threw objects for
ward from their places precisely ~
waves of water might have done. ]
have already mentioned the case Of the
Cathedral tower-a small. rather insigni-
6cant tower. it is true, but no light thing
to be lifted bodily along the surface Of
the ground. In many cases heavy iron
safes we're shifted in like manner for dis
tances more or less considerable. One
person described his sensations to me by
saying felt the ground swimming away
from him. On y hillside near the city
stood posyerO. or grazing farm for cat
tie. When the owner went out to look
at it day or two after the catastrophe
hs could mot lind his land! The super
6ces Of the soil had been lifted up and
thrown forward. the grass turned upside
down. aud the roUts mingled with the
debris from the upper slopes prevented
to the astonished grazier an entirely un-
recognizable wilderness. an "sbomina-
ton Of desolati0n." This I received -
the exact truth from . respectable for
eiRn merchant Of San Salvador. The
account ve had in Corinto Of the se-
quence Of the shocks Was not quite &C
curste. 4 German gentleman who had
his wits shout him, for he made his e.
cape from his falling house in . most
surprising manner, gave me the follow
ing history of the movements: The first
shock. he said, came 1t shout two
O'Clock and woke him up. He lay for .
few moments uncertain ~ to what had
really 0ccurred. when there came . SEC
ond and very violent shock about ten
minutes sitter tho inst one. He then
spranx up and hurried into the patio
third shock came about fiftaen min
ntes Afterwards. which bryan to throv
down houses and walls; aud from that
ime forth the earth repeatedly shook
md vavered. until at i've O'Clock 4. u.
come the most violent conclusion Of Ill,
which brought down the whole Of the
rity which had not fallen before.
An American gentleman, we'll known
in San Francisco. Mr.. Hanks. . coffee
buyer in the Central American markets.
escaped destruction in the Hotel de
Parque in an astonishing manner. He
.as in bed in . large room Of the hotel
Ireputed the best in Central Americx),
md after the second shock made mp his |
mind that be had better dress and 20
,ut. He went out. his room mot falling
It all. into the patio. came back rr-as- |
'ured. and only on attempting to p,ss a |
title later iuto the street, discovered
hat he was in the midst Of widespread |