The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1884-11-01
The Story Of the Collapse Of the City
of Conception.
San Francisco Call.

| vi OOICtpolou.
San Francisco Call.
There is at present stopping in thi'
city an aged gentlemen, who has
spent the greater part of seventy-five
years of an unusually adventurous
life abroad. The gentleman's name
is A. ID. HolcOmb, and he is now or
his way East to end his days, as he
says, amid the scenes of his youth
after an absence Of a quarter of can
tury. In view of the Interest recent
ly excited, in earthquakes i'm the
| United States, reporter visited MIR.
H0lcomb and asked him to relate
some Of his experiences during ( III
American shocks.
II will tell YOU" said he. "0f the
destruction of the city of Concepeior.
The day was burning one. In the
'sSta .soona slight sock Of earth
quake occurred, but nothing was
thought of it. AS night approached
the heat appeared to become more
intel.se. l retired to my hammock
early that night. / do not know how
long l slept, but l was awakened Ivy
the cries of many people. l arose to
find the city in confusion. l looked
al my watch. 1t was 1880. The
people We're preparing to leave the
city and seek the highlands. Great
distress prevailed among families ;
members were missing and were
sought for with walls and lamenta-
tons. The heat had become so that
it was like sitting in an oven and
undergoing a gradual baking.
81 remember | packed what avail
ables | could find in my valise, and
prepared to join in the general migra.
tion, But departure had been delay
ed too long. 1 had no sooner placed
my foot upon the main street Of the
town than there came a distant rum
bling from the west. 1t increased in
sound until it resemb!ed the approach
of a band of horsemen over wooden
bridge. AT the same moment the
earth seemed to me to rise UP perpen'
iicular Y and crush against the sky.
| heard the shrieks from the fleeing
people as l was tossed like a bauble
ny the rocking earth. recolIect no
more. When | recovered conscious
ness it was yet night and | heard tn
groans of wounded people in agony
all about me. Even as opened my
eyes the earth trembIed underneath
me with the restless motion of the
sea.
"All that night lay in that spot,
agonized hy fears and terrors in1e-
scribable. 1t was useless to move or
attempt to do anything in the dark
ness. There were shocks of more or
less severity every few minutes, and
AS each shiypr passed heard groans
Of pain and expressins Of fear on
every side. | hailed the first flush of
dawn in the east with a fervent
prayer Of gratitude. The sun rose
over the Cordileras like circular
plate of brass and revealed dread
ful scene. The town of Conception
lay in ruins and hundreds of its peo-
were dead. Great fissures and open
ings in the earth were visible here
and there, from which volumes of
gaseous matter poured forth. How
many were swallowed up in the tis-
sures and openings will never be
known.
1.-THE suffering and destruction at
the city of Conception was only a
mite in comparison with what took
place in other parts of the province.
At Telcahuana, the seaport OF the
province, some seven miles distant
from Conception, tidal wave over
forty feet in height rolled in from the
ocean and deluged the place. Thou.
sands were swept away. The follow
ing day the shore was strewn with
corpses and masses of dead fish.