The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1884-10-24
a QUAKE THAT WAS a QUAKE.
The Stony OF the Collapse OF tho CHI Of Con
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The Stony OF the Collapse OK the Cii' OF Con.
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sgL Fjc1e SEQ C1r. Es!i l1N-Fl'ar 'E
There is atprrsent stopping in tl's'city
an aged gentleman; who has spent tlle
grc.,ler put OF sevcrty.iive yeals OF on un-
usually adventurous lie abroad. ii The
gentleman 8 name Is A. y. llocomb, and
lie is now OH his way East TO END his
days, as he says. amid the scenes OF his
youth, after an absence OF IL quaster OF u
century. In view OF the interest recently
cxcilcu in earthquakes, in The United
States, Il reporter visited Mr.. Holcomb
and asked him to relate zone OF linn TX:
periences during Soull, American shocks.
81 wiIltell you, "said he, ''oi the lcsruc.
tionof the city Conception. The daywns
Il burning one. In the afternoon u slight
shock OF earthquake occurred, but moth.
ing was thought OF 1t. :, sniglltapploich-
ed the heat appeared 10 become more in.
tense. | retired 10 M: hammock! c..rly
that night. do not knowhow long slept,
but | was awakened by the cfiis OF many
people. l arose to find the city in yon W.
ion. I looked ut my watch. 1t was 1850.
Tie people were preparing 10 leave the
town and seek the his GLANDS OF the noun.
talns. Great distress prevailed among
families; members were missing and were
sought for with walls and lamentations.
The heat had become so that it. WIS like
sitting in an oven and undergoing a
gradual baking. s.fls 4,
II remember ] packed what availa-
bles ! could find in my valise, and pre-
pared to join in the general migration.
Eutdcparture had been delayed too long.
| had nosooner placed my loot ION the
main street Of the town thun there came
distant rumblinS from the wet. q It in
creased in sound until it rescmbled the
approach oil Il band Of horselnen over a
wooden bulge. AT the, came moment
the e;"th seemed to me to rise up perpen-
dicnlarly and crash against the sky.
heard the shricks that went from the flee
! ing people rs l was tossed like ! banble by
HE rocking earth. :, rccollect no more.
When recovered consciousness it was vet
night and I heard t!e groans OF wounded
people in agony all about me. Even as |
opened my eyes the e.u.h' trembled I'm.
derncath me with the restless motion Of
the SEA. s:.,l.,5 ;4f.rE. .s3l :, n ~ 3
san that night lay in that spot, ago
nized by fears and terrors indescribable.
1t was useless to move or attempt to do
anything i'll the darkness. There were
shocks Of more or less severity every few
minutes, and as each shiyer passed l heard
groans OF pain and expressions OF fear on
every side. I hailed the first flush Of
dawn in the east with ielvent PRAYER OF
gratitude. The sun rose over the Cordil-
!eras like circular plate Of br,lss and re-
ycalcd q dreadful scene. The town OF
Conception lay in runs and hundreds OF
its people were dead. Great assures and
openings in the c;uth were visible here
and there, from Which volumes OF gaseous
matter poured forth. How many! wcr,s
swallowed up i'll the assures and OPEN
ings will never BE- known. ;',i, a5}1 80
1.-THE. suffering and destruction at the
city oil 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, a tidal
wave over forty feet in height rolled in
from the ocean and delused the place.
Thousands were swept away. The fol.
lowing day the shore was s,rown with
corpses and masses OF dead fish," ,5tSigy,g.C