Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1882-10-13
NO 243.
A First Earthquake.

A private letter recently received from
Miss Fannie Snow, says the Rochester Demo-
crat, containing an interesting account of the
earthquake of July 10, in Mexico, is so full
of interest that we have been permitted to
make the following extract. 1t is known to
some of Miss Shows friends that she went
to the City of Mexico last October to be
associated with Miss L. NJ. Latmer, former
ly of Rochester, in organizing a mission
school for girls, under the Presbyterian
Board of Foreign Missions.
"MExIco, July l9.-This has been a day
to be remembered. This morning we invited
| the Q--'s to come up to tea tonight. After
school we sailed forth to buy clams for a
clam-chowder, cake, and various things.
We were walking hriskly along San Fran
| cisco street. in the hot sun, when felt my
self suddenly whirling-could not see. I
called out, frightened. why, Miss l.,
Tn dizzy" so am l., she responded; and
then think for moment lost my senses,
for had wild idea that ! must get some-
where under shelter. As | saw people all
around dropping on their knees, l did not
want to be the one conspicuous parsonage on
the street who could not kneel to the arch
bishop or the holy sacrament. Whatever |
thought, | staggered into shoe store, and
just as got inside it struck me that an earth
quake Vas in session. They were repairing
something or other in the store, and vague
ly felt through my dizziness that l must get
out from under the scaffoldng, and | some
how found myself in the street, standing on
the corner and clinging to building.
''By that time had recovered my senses,
and could philosophize on the subject. 1t
was very interesting to watch the people.
They poured out of the stores into the streets,
and very generally knelt. l took in the
height of the buildings around, and concluded
that should they fall into the narrow streets
one might as well be in one spot rs IN
another, so stayed in the shade. II was
very quiet-not word spoken anywhere.
don't suppose it lasted three minutes,
but il was the Queerest sensation imaginable.
For the moment that / did not know
what il was was dreadfully frightened, but
the moment it occurred to me that it was only
an earthquake, was as composed as if |
had taken earthquakes for daily exercise all
my life. was quite seasck for a little while,
and never was seasick at sea. l am actually
so dizzy now, at 10 o'clock, that can hardly
write. As soon as the undulating ceased I
set out to find Miss l., who had totally
disappeared. | looked into all the stores in
the immediate vicinity, and as she did not
appear | concluded she must have gone to
the common fort. two blocks away so l start
ed after her, smiling broadly all the way, it
had all been so strange. At the next corner
| came upon Mr.. IL. | asked him If he
had seen Miss L. No So he turned
with me. and together we searched for her.
Mr.. Il has been here three or four years,
but this was his first experience of u serious
earthquake. 1t was really an unusually
heavy shock. We went back to my corner
and turned down the Profesa; only few
steps down and we found Miss l. leaning
against a window. She had seen me plunge
wildly into the shoe-store, and thinking that
we had walked into some poisonous gas,
turned and fled. She staggered along a little
distance until she reached u drug store, went
in and sank into chair. all the time think
ing it was poisonous gas that had affected
her Some gentleman brought her water and
told her what was the trouble. but she had
never heard the word in Spanish and did not
comprehend. Never knew it was an earth
quake till she saw us, and we asked her how
she enjoyed it. Then we hailed a passing
COACH as Miss L said she could not walk
and started for the bakery, but the horse was
SO badly frightened we dismissed the carriage
and quietly wended our way home. Ofcourse
our girls had tale. They had been terribly
frightened and, although Mexicans, none of
them had ever been through an earthquake,
and VIC were told, most dramatically, how the
chairs slid around and the walls pranced
Mrs. O. says the beams cracked quite
loudly, and the iron railing in the corridor
shook