Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1882-11-02
EARTHQUAKES AND sEA0UAKEs.
Experienced by One who Sailed the Occnn
biue---ilc Tells oT the shocks lie RE-
ccINcd In South American NNnIrr-

MI MdItln, Ciltl clerk OF the
auditors Office, was found hard mt
work at the pay-rolls, preparatory to
paying off the city employees, and after
few moments conversation the re-
porter asked if he felt the earthquake
IN the morning of the 9th.
Quite distinctly" replied Mr.. Mar
tin 'it woke me up out of sound
sleep, and for "A moment / fancied N.Y.
self back on the west coast of South
America, where they are exceedingly
common. The first one | ever rcmcm-
Der To have experienced was out in
Valparaiso, the principal seaport of
Chilli. There were three vessels of our
employ lying in the harbor at the time.
and as some of us had served together
on different ships in the East India
trade, We agreed to have Jolly supper
ashore for old times sake. | do not
know of mcrrier crowd that could be
got together than party of young
sailors who had been shipmatcs to-
gether for years in many different seas
and parts of the world, taking
life in sort of happy-go-
lucky style, rs we apprentices used
to do, and then to meet after few
years separation rs officers of differ
ent ships in a foreign port, thousands
of miles from home. with all our adj
ventures that had taken place during
our separation, and all our rccollcc-
tions of happy hours passed with each
other to go over again-all our dangers
by sea and our freaks ashore to recount
and the news of absent friends TO tell.
50 it was jolly party tina. landed that
night at the wharf. and long did the
dinner last; when the cloth was re-
moved, and the cigars and wine made
their appearance the yarns that were
spun would have done credit TO an
old forecastle hand. our room faced
the street, and from the windows was
a balcony. which took in view from
the bay right up the mountain side.
1t must have been about midnight
when, as We were all deeply interested
in story being told by one of the
party, we felt a slight trembling be-
meath the floor, and then the bottles
and glasses began to fall and break.
Hardly knowing what it was, we
rushed to the windows and out on the
porch, and then for the first time re-
allied what it really was-a regular
bona iide Chilian earthquake.
The glasses jinglcd, the houses
rocked at each other across the street.
the mountain seemed bowling to the
sea, and the very bay seemed 70 be
shivering in the moonlight, while MP
and down the street, As far as one
could see, were men, women and
children clustered together. rs far
from the houses on either side n
they could get, kissing crucifxcs held
in their hands, and praying long, loud
and most fervently. After two or
three good shakes nature finally sub
sided without doing any great damage;
the people once more returned from
anticipations Of another world. and
realizing in many instances that their
scarcity Of clothing was hardly con-
sistent with their proper appearance
in this one. rapidly disappeared. and
soon the street was as deserted and
quiet * il was before Dame Nature
deigned to draw our attention to
new phase of her life. Why. there is
hardly a town up and down the coast.
from the Straits of Magellan TO the
Isthmus Of Panama, but what has
some story Of earthquake or its nat
ural following. the tidal wave. TO tell
of. At Irica, for instance.
during an earthquake, a IL
dial wave swept an American
and French man-of-war far inland.
and when it subsidized left them high
and dry a mile from the sea, and at one
place along the coast, forget the name
just now, vessel was lifted up on TO
the cliffs which faced the sea, and when
the wave receded turned a somersault
back into the bay from which she was
lifted. Then there is Callao, in Peru.
one night dropped out Of sight in the
bay, and the only person who saw the
performance was an old fisherman
named Lorenzo lie was in a little boat
out in the bay (whether bobbing for
eels or trolling for mackerel deponent
saith mott, when he was very much
surprised to find himself rising out of