Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1881-03-13
THE GREATEST SEA WAVE
EVER KNOWN.


with us and shocks by which whole
cities are changed into q heap of ruins
are by no means infrequent. Yet even
in Peru, "the land of earthquakes" as
Humboldt has termed it, no such catas-
trophe as that of August, 1868, had oc-
Cured within the memory OF man. It
was not one city which was laid in ruins,
but whole empire. Those who per-
ished were counted by tens of thousands,
while the property destroyed by the
earthquake was valued at millions Of
pounds sterling.
It was at Arequipa, at the foot of the
lofty volcanic mountain Misti, that the
most terrible effects Of the great earth
quake were experienced. Within his
toric times MIST has poured forth no
lava streams, but that the volcano is not
extinct is clearly evidenced by the fact
that in 1542 an enormous mass Of dust and
ashes was vomited forth from its crater.
On Aug. -, 1868, Misti showed no signs
of being disturbed. So far as their vol
canic neighbor was concerned, the A, 900
inhabitants of Arequipa had no reason
to anticipate the catastrophe that sud-
denly befell them. At sos o'clock an
earthquake shock was experienced,
which, though severe, seems to have
worked little mischief. Half a minute
later, however, terrible noise was
heard beneath the earth; a second
shock more violent than the first was
felt, and then began swaying motion,
gradually increasing in intensity. In
the course of the first minute this mo-
ton had become so violent that the in
habitants ran In terror out of their houses
into the streets and squares. In the
next two minutes the swaying move
ment had so increased that the more
lightly built houses were cast to the
ground, and the flying people could
scarcely keep their feet. "And now"
says Won Tschudi, "there followed dur
ing two or three minutes terrible scene.
The swaying motion which had hitherto
prevailed changed into fierce vertical
upheaval. The subterranean roaring in
creased in the most terrifying manner
then were heard the heart-piercing
shrieks of the wretched people, the
bursting of walls, the crashing fall of
houses and churches, while over all
rolled thick clouds of q yellowish- black
dust, which, had they been poured forth
many minutes longer, would have suffo-
Gated thousands" Although the shocks
had lasted but few minutes, the whole
town was destroyed. Not one building
remained uninjured, and there were few
which did not lie in shapeless heaps of
ruins.
At Tacna and africa the earth-shock
was less severe, but strange and terrible
phenomena followed it. At the former
place a circumstance occurred the cause
and nature Of which yet remain mys-
terry. About three hours after the earth
quake-in other words, at about 8
o'clock in the evening-an intensely
brilliant light made its appearance above
the neighborihg mountains. It lasted
for fully half an hour, and has been
ascribed to the eruption OF some as yet
unknown volcano.
At africa the sea-wave produced even
more destructive effects than had been
caused by the earthquake. About twenty
minutes after the first earth-shock the
sea was seen to retire, as if about to
leave the shores wholly dry; but present
ly it's waters returned with tremendous
force. A mighty wave, whose length
seemed unreasonable, was seen advanc-
ing like dark wall upon the unfortu-
nate town, large part Of which was
overwhelmed by it. Two ships, the
Peruvian corvette America, and the
United States "double- ender Wateree,
were carried nearly half mile to the
north of africa beyond the railroad which
runs to Tacna, and there left stranded
high and dry. This enormous wave was
fully fifty feet in height.
At Chala three such waves swept in
after the first shocks Of earthquake.
They oyerfowed nearly the whole of the
town, the sea passing more than half
mile beyond Its usual limits. At Islay
and Iquique similar phenomena were
1t has been calculated that the width
of this wave varied from 100000 to
100000 feet, or, roughly, from 200 to
1000 miles, while, when in mid-Paci6c,
the length of the wave, measured along
its summit in widely curved path from
one side to another OF the great ocean,
cannot have been less than 5000 miles.
We cannot tell how deep-seated was
the center of subterranean action bnt
there can be no doubt 1t was very deep
indeed, because otherwise the shock felt
in towns separated from each other by
hundreds of miles could not have been SO
nearly contemporaneous. Therefore the
portion of the earth's crust upheaved
must have been enormous, for the
length of the region where the direct eff
fects Of the earthquake were perceived
is estimated by Prof. Won Hochstetter at
no less than 240 miles. The breadth of
the region is unknown. because the slope
OF the Andes on one side and the ocean
on the other concealed the motion OF the
earth's crust.
The great Ocean-WaveS swept. as we
nave salu, Ii all 01fecIOnS around the
scene of the earth-throe. Over large
part of it's course its passage was IN
noted, because in the open sea the Ell
1ects even OF SO vast an unduIatOn could
not be perceived. A ship would slowly
rise as the crest of the great wave passed
under. her, and then as slowly sink
again. This may seem strange, at first
sight, when it is remembered that IN
reality the great .sea-wave we are con-
sidering swept at the rate of 300 or 400
sea miles an hour over the larger part Of
the Pacific.
In somewhat less than three hours
after the occurrence OF the earthquake
the ocean-waye inundated the port of