American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1874-11-07
The Earthquake in Antigua.

The following is copy of a letter re-
| ceived by a lady of this city from her
husband at Antigua, Guatemala, telling
some particulars of the earthquake of
the Sd of September last in that city:
Until now l have been I'M
able to compose myself for the task of
letter-writing. OF the catastrophe of the
Sd inst. you will have heard before this
reaches you, and you will doubtless have
experienced much anxiety for my safety.
Where | reside, in the Gale de los
Princi2es, seven large houses were under
mined by the first terrible shock and cast
in ruins to the earth. AS far can be
ascertained thirty nine persons persisted
without warning in that direful vista
| ton. OF these over twenty were women
and children. One whole family, the
best respected in Antigua, have been ex-
terminated. The father, Mr. Albro, by
birth an American, came to this country
in his early childhood. He has accumu-
lated an immense fortune in the coffee
and cochineal trade, and will be doubt
less well remembered by leading mer-
chants in Liverpool and New York. His
eldest daughter had just returned from
school in Madrid, Spain. OF his three
sons, two were in copartnership with
their father, and the youngest, Alfred,
was physician of much promise, hav-
ing graduated in Edinburgh, Scotland.
Besides the three sons and the daughter
above named were three young girls, the
eldest of whom was only fourteen.
All persisted on the one terrible night.
l was sleeping on a lounge alter
reading paper from home when l
was awakened as from a most horrible
dream by a deafening crash and an
electric shaking of everything around
RE. My door, which stood ajar, was
slammed wide OPEN and for seconds l
1.,xr hat ,nt lI1o
what had taken place. On recovering
myself at once knew what had caused
the phenomenon. Presently the build
ings fell with an overwhelming crash,
and rumblings deep in the earth followed
at quick intervals the falling of the
houses. The women in my dwelling
shrieked and prayed and tainted. When
| reached the street door an appalling
sight presented itself. One elderly
woman, with an infant in her arms, was
convulsively clutching a cruciiix as she
knelt on the pavement and appealed
loudly to be saved from destruction.
Men, as they passed the gas-lamps, looked
pale and fearful. Many of them crossed
themselves at the renewal of the rumb-
lings in the ground. Vacant spo.s were
soon cfowded with people struck speech
less almost, uttering only prayers or
sobbing.
Next day we learned that scores of
dead bodies were found in the soil which
was strangely cast up from the Care del
Tigre. AT lima the coffee farm in which
Mr.. Parker was largely interested is but
a mere embankment of river mud. The
embankment reaches a height of about
100 feet, and it will cost as much as the
farm was worth to clear it again. Huge
old trees, some of them thirty inches in
diameter, were wrenched from their
roots and driven a considerable distance.
The beautiful church of Duenas has been
RACED to the earth; not u stone Is left
upon another. The costly statuary is
strewn around in fragments, and paintings
for which large sums had been paid IN
Europe are defaced and irrevocably
lost. The residence of the clergy
man in charge, Don Juan Jose
Margall was also cast on the ground,
and worse than that catastrophe
was the killing of the worthy pastor.
Guatemala had no more liberal Catholic
gentleman. 1t was rare in the land to
find priest of Father Margalls genial
temperament and respect for foreigners
of an opposite persuasion. Many an
hour | have passed in his noble company
disputing even on religious matters in a
spirit which never descended to bitter
ness nor rose to passion. His brother,
an organist, who resided with him, was
also killed.
"A prospective result of the earth
quake is famine, as large stores OF pro-
visions in many of the towns have been
destroyed and hundreds of families are
now shelterless and without food. l
learn to-day that at Chimaltenaug every
member of four families persisted with
their homes. Eighteen dead bodies not
previously accounted for have been dis
covered in the ruins here since | began
to steal time for writing you this. But
all of our friends, as far as | can ascer-
tain by letter and verbal inquiry, are
le."-Nao York World, Oct. %.