San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1882-01-05
A Peruvian Earthquake.
Boston Transcript

severe enough to cause moro than II
momentary fright, aud leaving l'n9er'
inc desire for sensational earthquake,
Int need it be said, which / could
enjoy mt n respectable distance as eye
witness only
Callao, more than a century previous,
had been partially destroyed by an
earthquake of great severity. Look
inc upon the old ruins and ont IN the
harbor at San Lorenzo, said by uadi'
t;on 10 have been detached from the
main land and thrown to its present
nosition at that time, l would endeavor
10 picture such an earthquake, and
wondered how it would seem with terra
firma become so unstable foundation.
NV curiosity was to be satisfied. AT
Ter several days of unusual heat, even
for the tropics, the sun rose one morn
inc in n sky like brass, and as the day
advanced the heat became almost in
tolerable. All objects had peculiar
yellow glare, and although the sun
shone brightly, there was II sensation
of darkness which cast n gloom over all
the city.
The strange appearance OF the at
mosphere was the one topic OF CONVEX
sation in all quarters Among a
superstitious population, some predicted
one calamity and some another; all
the Oldest of the inhabitants, however,
were unanimous in declaring it to be
the forerunner of fearful earthquake.
1t was about o'clock in the after
noon that, as L stood mt the door OF
the court yard, l seemed suddenly to
be falling forward.
Thinking the unusual heat had over
come me, / was about to call for assis-
lance, when the sensation was repeated,
but This time so forcibly that those
seated in the room felt it also. After
an instant of hesitation some one
gasped. "'rhe earthquake!" Had the
house been enveloped III flames we
could not have made more precipi-
tate rush for the street than we did on
fully realizing the startling fact.
The distance to the outer door SEEM
ed miles, but in u seconds time we
had reached it, and the next instant
found ourselves, with motley throng,
in the open square before the house.
What u sight met our gaze! Men, wo-
men and children, with one impulse,
had hurried into the open squares and
streets, and as shock succeeded shock,
causing the swaying buildings to fall,
and burying those unfortunate enough
TO be near in their ruins, their terrified
shrieks filled the air.
AS the sickening, swaying motion
increased, and the heated ground par
ted in wide rents, some became speech
less with terror, while others fell on
their knees and invoked the mercy of
the Virgin and all the saints. With
that deep darkness covering the city
like pail the great rents in the ground,
from which issued unearthly sulphur
GUS odors, the groans of the dying the
"weeping and wailing" of the living,
it is not strange that we thought
the prophetic "lastday" had come.
In the midst of this scene of dissolu-
ton and fright, one little incident &C.
CURED that touched all who witnessed
it. Among the crowd in the square
were two little children whose parents
we've few miles down the coast for
some weeks, having left them in Callao
with their nurse. AS the shocks in
creased in severity the little girl was
thrown to the ground. Not Il tear did
she shed, but, raising her little fear
blanched face, she said, Il only wish L
was with papa now!" Her brother, two
years her Junior, but n sturdy little fell
low. threw his arms about her, and
raised her from the ground; then, as
he Strengthened his little figure,
x,Dinn x.hila hic
cheek We'd with hers in hue, Don't
you be afraid, Lulu; I'll take care of
YOU" The child's courage seemed to
fill those near with fresh hope, and
in short time the shocks grew less and
less frequent, and finally ceased, leav-
ing only a low, continuous rumbllng
like distant thunder on the water of
the bay.
Several hours pa ssed with 10 further
cause for alarm, and we had Just retired
for the night, when loud knocking was
heard ut the door, and our worst fears
were aroused on learning that, from the
great commotion on the waters, there
was every appearance OF tidal wave.
Hastily dressing and throwing together
such vuluables as we could take, we
were soon on the road to the noun
tainS.
The long, long night passedin village
inn on the road to Lima will never be
eifaced from memory! 1t seems to-day,
on the looking back to that time, rs 1t
then did. like nothing but some terrible
nightmare. The figures of dishevelled
women carrying in their arms children
snatched from their slumbers, who
were but half awake and partially
dressed, passed and repassed before us
like the unreal form of a dream. The
cries of those who having lost their
dear ones in the earthquake were fear