Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1877-07-20
A TERRIBLE Calamity.
THE LATE EARTHQUAKE AND TIDAL WAVE
IN SOUTH AMERICA.

Il
| VALPARAISO letter, May 80, to Boston AdyorliserJ
A few days before the events am about
| TO narrate took place, the volcanic noun
taius Of San Pedro and san Pablo were OBJ
served TO he sending forth high in air, from
| their lofty peaks, flames, stones aud ashes.
AT night tho reflected light illuminated the
! heavens, at tunes giving a reddish glalo TO
| passing aud ovefhinglng clouds, and would
gradually disappear. Now aud then glim-
mering, whltsh light would brightly be
reflected from some sudden bursting forth
of the flames at the craer's mouth, and
! with these frequent changes the night
would pass away. Daylight gave an APP
pearance of dense, smoky cloud hanging
high above and around the volcano. At
the foot hills of these mountain ranges
were situated the cities Of Calama, San Pc
dro and Chui-chui, all of which were laid
with the dust and destroyed brief period
after.
Wednesday, the OH day of May, 1877,
| was remarkable for the extreme heat and
suiIocating atmosphere-a cloudy day. In
the evening at $3.50, without any announce
ment by the usual rumbling, underground
sound preceding an earthquake, the earth
began TO shake, slightly at first, and then
gradually increased IN strength. For the
space of three minutes the motion of the
earlh's surface was undulating, rocking
aud uplifting (; it was distinctly felt from
Callao, Peru, along the coast of Bolivia TO
| Vadivia, 10 the southern portion of Chill,
lis central point of action and force being
in Bolivia. Upon the first commencement
of The shake the startled people of the pop
ulace of the many different seacoasl cities
hurried forth from their dwellings and
| found themselves scarcely able to maintain
their foolhold in the public streets some
there were who fell upon their hands and
| knees.
The darkness of the night, the grinding
of the walls Of the buildings one against
the other, the crushing, breaking, crack
ling sound of timber, the tumbing down
of walls aud clouds Of dust flying about,
the crash of household goods, crockery,
glass ware, etc, as they fell, the ringing of
the church and other bells with the sway of
the cart these, together with the cries of
despair and shreks of women and chill
dren, mingled with the loud prayers of
mercy, were buta slight portion of the hor-
rors of the passing moments. With dimin-
ished force for hours after, shake after
shake occurred, and, to add TO the mlsior-
tunes OF many of the cities, flames broke
forth from the ruined houses, bidding fair
to destroy the little that remained in condi-
ton after the heavy earthquake.
Bravely the men commended with the new
enemy, which was fast gaining the upper
| lie nc SIo M
ward were seen miles at sea on shipboard.
The light Of the connagraton upon The jag
ged shapeless ruins of buildings in the
fairgrounds and the reflection of The
flames upon the passing forms, the scared
pale faces Of the women as they hastily
passed 10 and fro, hunting some dear one or
anxious for the welfare Of relatives and
friends, gave perhaps but faint picture of
the last day" Amidst such sad aud
gloomy scenes the cry broke forth and was
repeated from every side, "the tidal wave ~
Men gave up in perfect despair, and with
the women and children, intent on self
preservation, they sought, maddened with
alright, the steep hill sides for safety.
Mothers were separated from their chill
dreu, husband from wife, everything was
confusion coniounded; the sick arose from
the places in which they had been left in
fanced security, and they too rushed on
+ with the rest, many Of them perishing in
the attempt The sounds of fear, terror
Q and grief resounded on all sides. Men and
: women acted as though mad and berelt of
thought and reason. The panic was at its
) height.
The sea gradually left the shore, and
falling back for at least one third of a mile
1 as if TO gain strength and velocity for its
e fearful coming leap, rising 60 feet in height
. it advanced, boiling, rolling and tumbllng
. over and over, with a deafenng noise, bear
r ing all before ii in its course; vessels, some
5 OF them sank in It's embrace, aud were new.
y err seen again; others chung TO their an
n choraee and for a time were buried in the
s wave, were liied up, and in safety swaylng
from side to side, settled at last in smooth
S wafer; many were dragged and hurried ia
O the land, where they were dismantled oil
8 broken in pieces. The tidal wave, gaining
y in force and power with its onward rolling
Q motion, seemed striving for the final strug
gle, and running its fearful course it soor
Il entered the thrice doomed cities, putting
$ out the flames of the burning buildings
e and raising dense column of smoke anC
y steam. In recedng the wave took with j
v all that remained undestroyed 10y the for
k mer calamities.
:, With the appearance of daylight was dis
h covered the wreck of what few hours be
fore had been flourishing cities, desolat,
d waste. An industrious, thriving peopl'
2 were now houseless and homeless, ant
l. soon to suffer the pangs of hunger auC
is thirst, of ruin and despair. The beach wa
Of strewn with the wrecks of their property
and the sea had destroyed their provisions
For five days the tidal waves arose ant
4. fell, growing each day lesser in force. 1t i
! supposed to be the most disastrous wav
ever experienced on this ccast, and to hav
a, been caused by subtcrranean earthquake
=, under the sea, and connected with the vol
> cano Of Ssu Pedro.
Cities az. = have been ruined, som
q of them nt,.. D he rebuilt in all probabil
ity. Among the places which have suffer
ed in more or less degree are Callao, Pts
Is aqua, Iquique, africa, CobUa, Calama, Sai
Pedro, PiscO, Chui- Chui, Tambo de Mora
:, Mollendo, Pabilion do Plea, Punto de Lo
- hos, Huanillos, TocOpillo, Mejilones d
- Bolivia, Antofogasta, Constitution, Taena
= Many of the mines have been sunk or bad
- ly injured, and the losses sustained by tn
people are incalculable. The Carmen min
fell out of plumb and buried lhirly-iy
=, miners and an overseer in lis ruins. TIL
- trading steamers of the coast took deck
= loads of suffering women and children /
u Coquimbo and Valparaiso, where they weT
l ffaF hNTQ ri toll 40 Il