The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1874-12-30
The Terrible Earthquake in Guatemala.
DIR. J. Schuchmaker has given to the Pa

Dr. y. Ocnucnmaker mas gwen TO the ran
anna Star the result of his observations in
the region of Guatemala most affected by the
great earthquake of November 18th.
AS they (the Doctor and his companiou)
proceeded EDWARDS the effects of the earth
quake increased in the form of large cracks
and assures in the ground. Crossing the
path of another mud avalanche and pressing
onward through the bush, they came to some
huts nearly in ruins. The place was sur
rounded by hills which had lost their entire
coverings of soil and the trees growing on it,
leaving only the bare rock. The people
they met with at the said huts told them
that the shock at first was so strong as to
throw every one violently on the ground, and
the horrible din set up by the falling of giant
trees and the sliding down into the valley of
thousands of tons of earth, was dreadful in
the extreme, and perfectly deafening. Averse
to return by the same road they had come,
they asked the men if they could not pass
between the "Cerro del Tigre" and the vol
canoes, and 90 from alderas to Duenas.--
They were told the road was impracticable,
but offered guide to show them shorter
road over the Cerro del Tigre, leading d.
rectly to Duenas, which lay in direction of
south to east from where they were Their
offer was thankfully accepted.
After ciimbing 0sef : low hill they came
to the valley of Chimachoi, little prepared
for the terrible sight that burst on their
view. They had already seen awful cracks
and assures without number, and looked with
awe and wonderment on the depths where
thousands of trees had rolled down for many
miles into the valleys beneath; but the stu
pendous cataclysm now before them, over
whelmed their feelings with sensations indie
scribable. The whole valley, with houses,
cattle, men, women, and children living there,
had disappeared probably sunk down. The
mountains from every side fell together and
buried up everything forever out of sight,
God only knows how deep. Everything in
this dreadful valley was huddled together in
the widest confusion, and so changed in it's
general aspect that the neighbors can no
longer trace the least remembrance to the
valley the earthquake has filled up. This
terrible place our travellers had to cross on
foot, leading their mules after them, whose
feet every now and then would break through
the thin sun-dried crust that had formed on
the surface of avalanches of mud that crossed
their route.
They came to place where kind of up
heaval had been going on which threw down
great trees on all sides, but with their roots
all converging towards central spot, and
the trunks disposed around like the radii of
circle. 1t seemed to them that here the
subterranean forces had tried and failed to
break through the strata. In another place
tree of six feet in diameter had been snap
ped across at two feet above its roots, which
still firmly held into the soil, produced, no
doubt by the trunk and top acting and oscil-
latiDg like lever. This tree, and hundreds
of others laid PROSTATE, were covered with
living and gorgeous orchids, where botan-
ist might have collected with ease rare speci-
mems, which under other circumstances he
could only get at by the expense and labor
of cutting the trees down.
From such oOntemplations they had to
move onward, and entered the gloom of the
forests, Astounding every where with an i'm
monse variety of lyeopodiums, vines, orchids,
and other epehy'eh The sense of danger
prevented then G$rrying with them those
beautiful and rare denizens of this region of
damp and vege.able profusion.
On reaching the summit of the Cerro del
Tigre, they emerged into sunlight and a
more modest system of vegetation. They
found the whole of this mountain, or qerro,
rent everywhere and in all directions, the
cracks and deep assures crossing each other
in the most perplexing manner. 1t was only
with the greatest precaution that the ami
mails could be led over the ground. To the
right and to the left of them great avalanch-
es of earth had slid down into valleys two
thousand feet deep. Some smaller ones which
they had to cross still hung over the abyss,
held only by part yet adhering to the rocks,
trembling at every step the mules took overit.