The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1877-06-12
THE SOUTH AMERICAN EARTHQUAKE.
Full Particulars Of the Most Fearful Catas-
trOphe that Ever Visited This
Continent.
Hundreds of Cities ana Millions of Prop
crty Destroyed by the Fire, the sea
aud the Earthquake.
Especial 10 the Democrat.I

of Panama, received to-day, has full details
of the disaster and destruction caused on the
South Pacific coast by the earthquake and
tidal wave Of May 20. The towns of africa,
! Iquique, Pontadelabos, Pabellon, De Plea,
Huanillas, Chanavaya, Tocapilla, Cobija,
Migillores, De Bolivia, Autafagosta and
Chanaralal were nearly all destroyed. About
600 lives were lost. The destruction of prop
erty is estimated at s2Oooo,ooo, and is con-
fined mostly to the coast, although the town
Of Farapaca, twenty leagues inland, and the
villages of Plea, Matilda and Canchall, far in
the interior, were more or less ruined.
The shipping of guano from the southern
deposits of Peru will be indefinitely sus-
pended, as all facilities in the way of launches,
chutes, wharves, water condensers, and other
| buildings of all kinds have been swept away
| by this terrible wave.
| The destruction Of and damage to the ship
ping has been very great and was attended by
very serious loss of life.
! At Mollendo the railway track was torn up
by the sea for at least three hundred feet, and
at Hoo the railroad was also injured.
| At africa the people we're preparing tenn
porary Notifications to repel the assault OF
the rebel ram Huescar at the very moment
when the roar Of the earthquake was heard.
The shocks were very numerous and caused
immense damage The sea was suddenly
perceived TO recede from the beach, anda wave
| from ten to fifteen feet high rolled on shore,
carrying all before it. Eight times WAS this
assault of the ocean repeated, and the four
miles of embankment of railroad melted
away like sand before these waves The loco
motives, cars and rails were hurled around in
all directions by the sea, like SO many pla y
| things, and left in a tumbled mass of rubbish.
| The United States steamer Wateree.
| stranded by the cyclone Of 1865 was lifted up
bodily and foated away nine miles north of
| her old position. The cable buoy was moved
one-guarter mile north. Merchandise from
the custom-house stores were carried five
miles distant. The damage done was greater
| than that Of the calamity of 1868. The earth
quake leveled the custom-house, railroad sta
| tion, submarine cable office, hotel, British
Consulate steamship agency and many pri-
vate dwellings, The people passed the night
on the hills. Thieves began at once to rob the
vacant houses. The troops were called for
and fired upon them, killing and wounding
several
Iquique built of wood and cane. tumbled
down at the very first onset; lamps were
broken and burning oil spreading over the
debris started general confagration,
which soon covered the whole town. Three
companies of firemen were instantly at their
posts, although it was difficult to maintain an
upright position, as shock followed shock
with dreadful regularity. In order to procure
water the two best fire engines were stationed
on the beach. just as this was done q cry
arose, the sea, the sea-" and the waves
rushed in, and the engines were carried out
by the reflex tide and wholly lost, and the fire
continued unopposed, there being no means
Of putting it out. The three elements of de-
struction were busy at one moment, fire,
water and earthquake.
The affrighted people, thoroughly panic
stricken, left the city to it's fate, and flying to
neighboring eminences, sought refuge from
these dangers The fire destroyed q large
portion of the town, the earthquake levelled
nearly all the rest, and water covered the
ruins, which it took out in it's reflex, leaving
scarcely vestige of the town behind.
| Four hundred thousand quintals of nitrate
at Iquique and the adjacent ports of Malle
and Pisaqua were destroyed. Comparatively
small loss OF life took place.
| In africa robbing of goods lying in the streets
was attempted, but a guard of citizens took
| such severe measures that the robbers were
speedily checked.
| 1t is estimated that the damage done In
| Iquique will amount to nearly $4,OO0000.
| Chanavaya and little town at the guano
loading deposit known as Pobellon de Plea,
with 400 houses, has only two standing. Here
the earthquake was followed by fire, and as
there is no fire engines in the town, the fire con-
tinued until the sea came in and extinguish-
ed the flames, but, as it retired, it carried off
| all that remained of the place.
In one of the guano cuttings thirty laborers
were buried by the falling earth.
| The earthquake was especially severe at
Chanavaya, where the earth opened fifteen
metres in depth, and the whole surface of
ground changed. At least 200 people were
killed. Their bodies were floating in the bay,
and pestilence is feared.
AtHuanillas, another guano loading station,
the damage inflicted was fearful.
At Mexillones the tidal wave was sixty-tive
feet in height and two-thirds of the town was
completely obliterated, and six persons
drowned. At Teocopilla little or nothing re-
mains of the town. A mine called La Pena
Blanca four miles southward, sank in, smoth-
ering 200 workmen, of whom 40 were Cornish
miners.
Cobiia, the principal town on the Bolivian
coast has lost three-fourths of it's houses. A
wave thirty-five feet high swept along the
main business street. and left it as level as a
desert.
AS soon as this lamentable intelligence
reached Lima the government chartered a
steamer and organizing relief committee,
! loaded the vessel with provisions and cloth