The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1875-07-16
The Late Earthquake in South America


and Venezuela, South America, commencing
on the 10th of May, was one of the most
terrible disasters on record. Private advices
respecting it have been received in New
York, which say:
The latest and most careful estimates place
the number of lives lost at $4,000. The
greatest amount of suffering is in Cucuta.
San Crlstobal came TO the ground entirely,
but there were not SO many victims. Urena
was completely destroyed, the walls falling
in such manner that only six persons were
saved out of the entire population. To give
give you the details of the disaster would in
yolve the telling of q never ending story. A
horrible putrd fever is raging wherever the
disaster extended.
An unprccedentedly dry period prevailed
before the earthquake and Just as soon as the
shock ended, a perfect deluge of rain descend
ed for short time. This was followed by
burning sun, and the result is that decom-
position set in, and the mass of human and
other bodies gave forth loathsome cfIluvia,
which soon ripened into pestilence that
spread death in every direction. Many per-
sons who went to the ruins to recover some
portions of their property fell victims TO this
putrid fever. Among them was Senior ].
Urquinaona, large coffee dealer, well known
in New York from the character of his
merchandise. 1t was thought that lie had
been burned TO death, but, having returned
to the ruins for his more valuable property
he was attacked by the pestilencc, and
died.
The losses TO the community of Maracaibo
are very heavy. Some persons lost proper
ty to the value Of 100000 in gold. The to-
tai loss is estimated at about $10,OO0O00 In
the communities which have suffered great
ly, the better class of people, living in sub
stantial houses, were killed, while the poor
classes, living in dilapidated or frame hou-
SEES, escaped. The result was that the vicious
classes soon had full sway. They pillaged
and robbed, and were guilty of other excess
es, until the authorities, arriving with suffi-
cient force, put summary end to all atroci.
ties by shooting the guilty persons on the
spot. One of the greatest of the evils inflic-
ted was the burning of the coffee warehouses
at Maracaibo by the thieves. In their search,
for plumber they set fire to the warehouses
accidentally, it is supposed, and 10000 bags
of coffee and number of the thieves were
burned 1t is expected that, rs soon as the
fever abatcs, the survivors will return to
their several places of residence to look after
their property. All the advices are very
gloomy, and it is expected that at least one
quarter of the coffee crop has been destroyed
The heavy rains finished the ruin that the
earthquake began.
Further details are found in the official re.
port of the Consul of Venezuela at Cucuta,
Maracaibo, as follows:
On Sunday, the 10th inst, at $50 p. m.
the first movement of the earth began, with
out any danger to the population. On the
following day, Monday, the 18th, at $50 a.
M, another shock was experienced, without
any lamentable consequence however. But
the following day, Tuesday, the 18th, at 1115
a. H., with clear atmosphere and an ardent
sun, the earth shook so rapidly and so sud-
denly that in four seconds the city was COM
pctely destroyed, not q single house, and
scarcely a single wall, remaining standing
while beneath their ruins were buried 5000
persons. Those who, by the grace of Provi-
dence, had their lives spared in that awful
moment, were nearly asphyxiated by the
dense cloud of dust that covered us to such
an extent that we could not distinguish On
object at two meters distance, until violent
gust of wind cleared the atmosphere and en-
abled us to respire pure air, and thus return
to life. A number of buildings in the city,
among them some apothecarics' stores in
stantly became ignited, but strong rain
controlled the fire somewhat. Then follow
ed series of shocks for six successive nights,
succeeding each other hour after hour, each
shock being preceded by one, two, or three
detonations very similar to that proceeding
from the explosion of a piece of artillery Of
immense caliber. So violent were these
shocks that it was necessary to lay on
the ground and, firmly grasping some object,
thus prevent dangerous results. The terror,
as depicted in the countenances Of the sur.
vivors; the mourning and desperation of
husbands, wives, and children, who, with
the utmost anxiety, solicited each other for
sympathy and tidings of the lost the cries
and groans of the victims expiring beneath
the ruins-ths is a picture which the most
vivid Imagination could not describe.
But the worst Of all was the presence
within three hours after that awful catastro-
phc, which in its terror and pathos would
have reached the heart of q hyena-of bands
of thieves who, with machete in hand, trod
under foot the bodies, and deaf TO tho cries
for aid of the sufferers still under the ruins
these men, n reproach to the human race,
ransacked the rains for the gold that the
honorable labor of many years had accumu-
lated. The Colombian Guard stationed in
that city, if they had been inspired by phil
anthropic sentiments, could have lent, by
their character, important services to the UNI
fortunate Inhabitants, saving many lives and
interests and elevating the national sentiment,
but with n conduct that | abstain from quail
flying they took up their march in "a hours,
by way of Pomplona. Most of the merchants
of San Jose de Cucuta, were Venezuelans.
Such of these as did not leave their bodies
under the ruins Of their homes and their
widows and children in mourning for them,
saw buried in the frightful ruins the fortunes
thew Ind accumulaip1