The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1877-06-26
THE GREAT TIDAL WAVE.

A GRAPHIC PICTURE or THE PERUVIAN EARTH
QUAKE By THE CAPTAIN OF THE LOST SHIP
Aida.
Captain Colcy OF the ship Aida. whose vessel was
destroyed by the great earthquake which or
the Of Peru h. Just returned this
city HERALD reporter yesterday afternoon visited
tho Captain at the Office Of Messrs W. Il. Grace Co.
No. 65 Pine street, and gwen the following
graphic account OF the occurrence:-
HORROR.
ION the 9th OF last May safe The captain, 1--WE
anchored the port Of Pabcllon Pca The weather
WAS ane and nothing unusual was noticed. All OF
a sudden, about ton minutes past eight O'Clock
in the evening, we experienced very heavy
shock or csr,hauake The night WAS very dark,
bull simultaneously with the shock blush
cent light seemed 10 burst from the hilltopa Tue
earth appeared 10 have cracked open and be
forth fames The urst shpck was Immediately sue
ceeded by another st heavier, and this Was followed
by great tidal wave. The sight became once ter
rihc. There were twenty the harbor
ali dragging their anchors and floating about at the
mercy OF the waves The very high and
currents were running IN all directions ut the rate OF
eisht or nine KNOTS an hour No small boats could
Keep aioat The launches wcr. pat OUT but the sea
turned them right la less time than IT lakes TO
tell IT. an immense wave was bearing a TO tue
Our ship, tns Aida, struck the AcSs and began 10
break up very as There were eighteen iset OF water
depth Q! water The rocks about dfteen feet
twenty minutes ulterward l threw the lead over and
found this had Increased 10 ten iathonls. Tho length
OF tho wave might be calculated from these data
Seven other ships were driven along shore with us and
were lost All the Other vessels IN the harbor were
scriousiy-iamased. Fortunately, however, the crews
all got on safely.
IyE TOWN DEsrRofED.
"rhc people on shore lucky. The shocks
OF earthquake had llid PROSTATE all The buildings Of
the little town The Kerosene amps used 10 hight tho
houses had been broken and the began 10 barn
up Whnn The wave came II put out the cOniagration
and recedipg look with il all The houses stores
In TACT, everything in tho town, sweeping tho plncc
where " had stood rs cleanly as broom. Tho
Inhabitants who numbered about 900 had taken 10
tho mountains ut the hisi shock Of the earthquake
But the quick Tor some Of them ana
about 17u persons were drowned
NArURKS BURST ANGER.
"Tho blue flames rising from the mountains the
burning town. the nyinR Inhabitants AMI tho un man
ageable vessels In the Larbor made sight to
forgotten We had absolutely warning OF tho ter.
rble disaster The direction OF the shock seemed 10
be from norlh to south. volcano twenty eight miles
10 the north Of where wo vera, which had long been
quescent, broke out again. Tho greatest eicva-
ton oil the tidal wave that followed was
about sixty feet the highest part Of the
town. The place considerable depot Tor
totally destroyed. The actual loss must have
been very great anu the damage TO tho town will not
be repaired Tor many years We had twenty one men,
all told, on the Ada aud none wcro lost The Amer-
Consul III Cailao took charge o. us and sent us
home. For fortnight after the tidal wave had oc-
Cured there were severe shocks o earthquake along
the OF Peru. We often experience slight shocks
In sailing IN those regions. but never the like of
this before and never want to experience It again.