The Portland daily press., 1880-02-04
Havana in Terror.
The Rocking City on It's Knees in Prayer
Calling for Mercy.
IN. Y. Herald.l

y. L. Heralu.i
HAVANA, January %, 1880.
Last night, for the first time in the recolec-
ton of living residents, Havana was reused by
earthquake shocks that made her massive
buildings shudder like shanties in storm. 1t
lacked ten minutes of eleven when the thea
tres were closing and the cafes full, when park
and prado were brilliant with lights, equipages,
beauty and music. The half moon shcne from
the zenith of steel blue, cloudless sky. Sud-
denly sound was heard as of the rising of a
mighty wind through the pines, and then an
Enthusiastically subterranean moan, while the
earth reeled with three unsteady, sickening
oscillations.
AMID SOUNDS OF REvELRY.
Stricken with momentary alarm the swarms
of people in the parks paused and reeled like
wise. The horses hitched to a hundred flying
carriages stopped and braced themselves in
dumb alright. Restaurant tables rocked and
spilled their liquids, and men started up from
their chairs at the Louvre with dread. Drug
gists' bottles were shaken from their shelves.
Dainty pyramids of bar glass tumbled to de-
struction. Senoras and senoritas gazed aghast
at the overturn of their toilet stands Besides
the crowds at the refreshment places, whole
families rushed from tleir homes into the
streets, and the stairways of some hotels were
crowded with guess hurrying blindly down to
the sidewalks. A place on the ground or pave
ment seemed preferable to most citizens, who
huddled in groups beyond the moonlit shadows
of the buildings they had deserted, and chat
tered of bivouacking for the night.
UPLIFTED WAVES.
Down in the bay vessels rocked at their an
chorage and groaned against the wharves, and
rusty cannon threatened to fall from their piv-
OTIS on the ancient Notifications of Cabana and
the Moro. Hours passed ere the apprehen-
sion caused by these first shocks was calmed In
general slumber. About four in the morning
was premontory commotion in the atmos-
phere so dreful that before the head could
leave the pillow ladies were already rushing
through the upper corridors of the hotel.
myriad of gigantic shuttes seemed to be weav-
ing ruin in the outer air Mems voices, tremu-
lous and unnatural, rose from the street be-
Meath Then came the words of those within,
cheering their wives and those ladies whom
even in those first five or ten seconds they had
encountered in the halls. Then came the sec
ond earthquake.
WAKING SENSATIONS.
Having first sprung up, fell back on the
pillow to enjoy or endure the motion. 1t con-
tinued but a few minutes. One shuttle-like
horizontal push and pull from side to side; one
lift and poise in the air, then settling down
to solid immobility, and all was over. That is
10 say, all was over except the wild increase of
terror among the people of Havana Guessing
from distant noises that the city was thoroughly
awake dressed and descended into the thor
oughfare. Nearly every room in the hotel
showed light Ladies having He'd 10 the par
lors in their night dresses were sitting with
their feet drawn up under them in the chairs,
looked like wraiths. The lower hall was
thronged with men, some OF them anxlously
inquiring the date OF sailing Of the next steam
er northward. The squares now had plenty of
permanent tenants for the night. The narrow
streets leading down through thesold city to the
bay though dangerous always at this dismal
hour invited curious traveller to inspect the
behavior of the ignorant, depraved and super
StitlouS populace.
THROUGH THE HAUNTS OF VICE.
Here were the dens and hell-holes OF Ha-
vana. Here its crippled, manned, diseased
and poor lined the foot-wide sidewalks Here
the most yillainous rabbe We'd with fanatics III
the constant toll of crossing themselves, telling
beads and rolling their eyes heayenward.
Mutterings of vulgar awe ana lear lntermlngleu
with calculations TO saints. Here and there
Young priest passed with a vessel, sprinkling
holy water on eager heads that bent to the very
dust in abaSement. Wild bursts of melody.
bodiny chants and occasional shouts OF appeal
and praise came from the quarter where the
negroes brought forth their wretched Idols,
images and charms. The cathedral and other
churches were approached at early dawn by
thousands who wished to participate i'll the
first mass Thther hocked women and men,
bearing in place of the various images and de-
vices in copper and German silver which they
are wont TO hang on the altar as propitlatory
offerings to the saints, hundreds OF lmprovlsed
globes of wood or marble, slgnlfyiDg prayers
that the earth might be kept whole from lur-
ther quakeS ana eruptlonS.
BOWED IN PRAYER.
The venerable church of the San Domingo,
which stands in the lower part OF the city, re-
celved an unusual influx OF worshlppers
Hard by the palace of the captain general,
placed only yesterday morning at the dlsposal
of the distinguished party OF Americans, OF
whom Gen. Sheridan is one, were Seen flicker
ing lights i'll the upper windows Beyond the
palace street leads down to a nelghborlng
wharf where, as the clock struck six, hull
dreds of boatmen dropped on their knees at a
signal, with their faces turned toward the bay.
Save, y God, the woild, was the burden
of PRAYER of q priest who had come down 10
bless them; "Let not Thy children be swal-
lowed in fire or be crushed beneath the ruins
of their habitations. 10 which prayer all
Havana Using up alter the nights double
threat of disaster, could almost be heard to
say "Amen!'