The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1879-10-25

square, from balcony and housetop came the
cry "The water is risingw 1t was feariui
moment. The confusion was unparalleled.
Through gardens, vineyards and mulberry
groves, the Murcians were pouring III con-
fused, struggling mass, all with the one idea OF
quitting the town and outstripping the Hood.
before half the people could get out of their
beds, they had the water over the lower floors
of their houses. The church doors were soon
forced open by the food, which went on its
way laden with broken stools and altar
ornaments, with vestments of priests and
red TUNES of choristers. 1t invaded the
nunneries and hermitages, the oratories
and converts, sweeping from their inches the
carved images of saints. 1t poured into the
cavalry barracks, where the soldiers could be
seen running up and down stairs with their reg
imentals under their arms 1t skrted the great
Episcopal Palace and the colleges of st. Fulgen-
thus and st. Isdore Many Of the public build
ings and institutes it spared, as it swept on to
the railway station. Here it extinguished the
lights and lamps that were burning on the bare
ground outside, and carried away the small
open-air Bullets where fruit, drinking water and
ansctte were sold. 1t tore up the sheds and
embanlSments, destroying telegraph posts and
tearing up rails.
TERRIBLE NIGHT.
During this terrible night" said townsman
to the correspondent of the London Standard,
''our authorities and in particular, our admira-
BILE civil guards worked with will to rescue
women and children. They had to work by
such glimmering light their torches would
yield, and presented weird and fantastic APP
pearance as they moved to and fro through
the water. Sometimes they were knee
deep; more often they were up to their
waists in water. The gallant fellows waded
into the submerged streets, Selling such fugi-
tives as they met halfdrowned and frightened
out of their wits, calming others who were
those who rushed about wildly ON the house
tops, until boats, barges and even carriages
could be brought into use and the Inhabitants
saved from abodes that were momentarily
threatened with ruin. Several times during
the night was heard the crash of fall
ing houses and splintering timbers, and
above the noise rose the wailing shrieks
of unfortunate beings that could not
escape and were soon smothered in the ruins or
were performed by the authorities, the boat
men and the civil guards. One guard five times
braved the torrent, with the water up to his
chest. Each time he came back with child in
his arms. Then he started back on his sixth
voyage. He had left the mother in the
house with a babe at her breast. He fought
his way through the water rather swimming
than wading AS he neared the house he saw
it totter Before he could make another step it
was gone, and mother and babe We're swept
past him on the bosom of the flood. Nor
were the higher classes less generous in their
man in his carriage rescued them by dozens,
until his horses dead beat and half drowned
could no longer pursue the work of charity
And as fast as the rescued were brought in they
were carried either into private dwellings or
into the government house. The Bishop opened
his palace to several hundred, and set soup and
wine before them.
NEXT MORNING
When the day broke, with gloomy overcast
sky, the Murcians almost forgot the horrors of
the night as they gazed on the Vega (plain)
which the day before had been a lovely tropical
garden. As far as the eye could reach there was
seen level cxpanse of water. Where palm trees
waved their fan-like branches, and pretty white
villas lay amid bowers of orange trees. swollen,
muddy stream went hurrying along, carrying
the debris Of farms and cottages Where
vines grew as if woven over the
ground, and the landscape looked like
an enormous carpet, embroidered with
every kind of fruit, dead animals and not few
human bodies were floating in the turbid tide.
Villages and farms all shared the same fate.
No intelligence could be obtained from the sur
vivors, us the roads were impossible, the line of
railway was for miles destroyed and the tcle-
graphs had ceased to exist. While the towns
men were waiting for news from the country