The Findlay Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Hancock County, Ohio) 1870-1881, 1875-07-02
THE EARTHQUAKE Nv SOUTH
AMERICA.

AuEhICd-
The New York TTiJune Of the 2Gth
inst. has the following description Of the
earthquake which destroyed cities in
South America, recently:
The region affected by the shocks
covers five degree of latitude, and Is 500
miles wide The shock extended in a
northeast direction, along the northern
range of the Andes. Ii was felt very
perceptibly at BogOta, the capital Of
New Grenada, thence seemed TO travel
north, gathering intensity as IL advanc-
ed. until It reached the south east
boundary line Of Magdalena, where the
work of destruction began, continuing
as il advanced along the eastern bound
ary of Magdalena, following the line OF
mountain range, and destroying in part
or whole the cities of Cucuta, San An
tonic, FL Bosario, San Cristobal, San
CavetanO, and Santiago.
The destruction was greatest in
Gramalate, ArbOledas, Cucutiilas and
Cucuta. Ofthe Il, 900 persons who died
from the effect Of the earthquake, only
about 200 were killed outright: the re-
mainder died in a short time from fever
aud lockjaw, which, in that region, near
ly always supervenes when severe inlu-
ries have been received.
The first premonition of the terrible
visitation occurred Oh the night of May
II. when a strange rumbling sound was
heard beneath the ground although no
earthquake occurred. 1t seemed as If a
huge bowIder had been propelled over
tie earth, causing a rattl.ing Of win
dows and doors and a atrembling of crock
cry. IL Travelled in the direction after
ward taken by the earthquake and last
ed only few minutes. 1t excited fears,
which soon subsided when no serious re-
suit followed. But on the morning of
May Is, a terrible shock occurred, which
brought CONSERVATION to all the inhab-
itants of Cucuta. 1t suddenly shook
down the walls of houses, tumbled down
churches and the principal buildings,
barying the citizens of the place i'll the
ruins. Another shock completed the
work of desolatiOn by throwing down the
walls that still remained standing. This,
with the shrieks of the wounded and
dying, and the pitiful cries of those who
had escaped. but who had lost their
whole families, made a scene which, in
the words of correspondent, was 1.-THE
realization of what Dante family out
lined in his portrait of the Inferno"
Three more shocks followed of equal in
tensity, but there appears to be no evil
dence that there were any openings in
in the earth, which, on similar occasions,
have engulfed buildings and inhabitants,
at least not in Cucuta. The shocks,
with lesser force, however, seems to have
I'll rlasnfa nf
the earthquake for two days afterward,
extending to Cartagena and the western
sea coast.
The scenes that followed the first
shocks are described as being most fear
full and terrible. In this hour of de-
struction, when men and women We're
praying for relief and mercy, Others who
had escaped, Immediately began an in
discriminate pillage, searching the ruins
for treasure, and i'll many cases robbinS
the dying and dead. The desire for
pIunder was so great in some instances
that the robbers murdered persons who
were caught in the falling timbers and
who could not extricate themselves,
though only slightly injured. The vaults
of the banking houses were penetrated
and large sums of money stolen. ''The
thieves were monarchs of the ruins"
said correspondent. Then, to add to
the horror of the calamity, the Lobotera
Volcano suddenly began to shoot out
lava in immense quantities, or as a cor
respondent writes to Mr.. GOgorzl, "It
sent out a mass of molten lava, i'll the
form of incanJescent balls of fire, into
the city," Some of these balls fell upon
the German drug stores of Thiers & Co.
and Van Diesel L. Co., setting them on
fire Immediately. The flames communi-
Gated with the adjoining dwellings. A
shower of lava set the ruins of the large
city in flames while the earth was still
quaking, and, writes ii correspondent,
''If a painter could have seen the occur
renee, and possessed the power to put it
OH canvas although he might mot paint
dying groanD, with the lurid flames
overhead, the convulsed city beneath,
its inhabitants perishing amid the ruins,
bombarded with fire from the LoboteTa;
if the painter could transfer the scene to |
canvas and call it "The Judgment Day. |
not Michael Angelo, nor any OF the old |
masters, would survive the fame of this !
artist of today"