Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1884-08-19
EARTHQUAKE ECHOES.
TRAN0EMOTIONSo FTgEEaRrg
Characteristics Of Earthquake. Which ,,n,.
saused Great Desiruc,,o, os,,o.

wind ane sea are elements Of danger. bu.
the earthquake alone tcrrorizes ali na,uro.
from the most Intelligent man 10 the sim.
| nlest oil the brute creation. r. was Hum.
boidt VINO sald, "When we feel the ground
move beneath us our deceptive faith In the
| Tepose OF nature vanishes, aud we feel our-
selves fransferred into a realm OF unknown
and deceptive forces. Every sound. the
| iaintest motion OF the air. arrests attention.
| To man The earthquake conveys the idea Of
unlimited danger"
There Is something about the phenome.
non that alarms the most experienced. Tho
| theories concerning these terrible outbursts
| are numerous and perhaps satisfactory.
| but there Is yet much 10 explain concern
ing them. The power that sets the co,st
undulating and ncaving for thousands OF
miles. lifting weight that the human mind
cannot begin 10 appreciate, is appalling to
contemplate. With the exception Of Ischa,
no earthquake has created great deyasta-
| ton for quite a numbered years.
One Of the most frightiul in late wears
occurred in 1868. in Peru. The shock
seemed to concentrate is power between
the Andes and the Pacific. long known as
fayorite spot for such phenomena. with
such suddenness did this disaster fall upon
the people that thousands lost their lives.
literally dying before they knew what had
happened. Fora length Ok fourteen hun
bred miles the ear,b was tossed about like
rough sea, and in few moments three
large and populous cities were destroyed
and every building hurled TO the ground.
DESTRUCTION OF AaEQuIPA.
The most important Of these was Arequi-
pa. that had population OF over 10000
persons. In q single second il went to
pieces. The second previous the people
were in perfect quiet; then, without the
slightest warning. the ground seemed to be
blown or lifted up from below, the buld-
iugs lit,rGliy tumbling IN ruins. Those
that lived IL low wooden houses rushed into
the .ircct screaming with terror, only 10 be
crushed by tie falling o; Larger buildings.
A. usual, what lives were spared by tie
falling Of walls were destroyed by the ter
riblc advance OF tue sea.
The first elect Noticed Of the litter was a
sudden agitation OF the water; then it be-
gau 20 rcccdc, running out rapidly until
i5r OFT 10 sea The red was laid bare, the
hulksoi wrecks were exposed. and iish Left
dry upon the mud. This Was only the Do
rinniag. however. The sea seemed to be
rcircatine 10 Gather force. ain, in short
time It was seen coming IN again, this time
in tie form OF an enormous tidal wave that.
fits or -iXiy feet hiyh, swept upon the de-
Voi Il cities. completing the ruin. Large
ships 90 thc hrrbor, were overturned like
TOYS: others were caught y the wave and
rolled over and over like log, and carried
far into the country beyond the city.
ENoruoUs TIDAL WAVES.
These enormous tidal wave. that seemed
10 thrca ca tine very Andes Themselves
were found 20 have crossed the entire Pa
elite ocean. and were also felt ~ far away
a. Australia % few hours ,tcr-:hus having
rolled hlif around the world in les. tuln
four hours-a telling evidence or the WON
Grous power at work. IN taiS earthquake
thomot'0n was i'm different WAYS. bat IN the
f9mou, ole that occurred ia a province Of
Eclmdor ir 1891 tie shocks were vertical,
- II explosion, were occurring beneath
the ci'y, 50 that towns were not only
wrecked. bat buildings were actually
tossed into TIE air. The town Of Riob1m-
ia va. not only ruined, but va, ground 10
aVoWdcr and not 4 living thing escaped
10 tell The story Of the horror, OF the time.
Many Of the bodies were hurled one hun
dred feet into the air.
ihc Bay II pgiac, near Naples. was the
most remarkable. 'fnc iir,i siZls were
nollccd on the 29.h OF september, l5l'.
when withGu: waning the earth began 10
rock violently to and fro, 30 that every
thing. animate aud inlnluHtc. vas almost
Immediately thrown 10 the ground. ana
man and beast We're made sick, %. II on !
heavy soa. THIS terrible motion Wls not
in the form II = wave oT shock. but va,
CONTINUOUS fer several day. - that al the
end q that time not building remained,
and wh.u it dA cease ncW terror ap'
reared 10 render the scene more appalling.
Nrai what Was known r. the baths Oi
Nero The ground opened an vast 2u.iies
aud Clacl>. lrom which Issued great
sheets Of l1Wc. The earth began D rise,
until finally "a ligh hili Was formed, which
finally burst like ioicaGO. ana from IN"
crater, with Ip4r :Jit could be- heard Tor
mil ashes, mui. ~ Hen rock. steam, AID
ea> were projected into The mir Win -rc2,
violence. The volcano gradually increased
In >iZe until u was one thousand ftCt high.
and 20 remained, bcing called the New
Nounteiu. or Mount NucvO. A. the pres
ent date j. j. eight thousand feet in cirrlun-
ference. md about five hundred feet from
TIE water. II h1s been observed tha' there
j. evidently some connection between This
mount.in end NcsWius as they seem -
get Is ,aicty valves 10 one 1nOihcr, both
never lein. violent n the same time.
mE MOST uJkE.BLE LlHlhQrAEE.
Probably the most horrible catastrophe
ever ur,cipilat,d by au earthquake was
that Of Lisbon on November !. Loo. The
inhabitants fir,t experienced 4 Slight rum
bling, something Ike that heard after N
firing of heavy artillery. They started up
in alarm AL over the grcIl city, out before
many could reach their doors t.,rc cum
q terrific shock ih3t hurled tbe largest ana
strongest buildings - tle ground, kll.iug
iLosc in the streets th2t lad escaped TIE
ll.t ..ocA. The effect OF tie disturbance
Was noticed ~ q remarkable Wy on the
water. Almost Immediately th' sea with
drew. leaving the large h3rDJr dry; then,
m a wall Ui sixty or seventy irft. u cim'
rushing in Win tremendous force. Como
IN. and roaring it dashed upon the ruins
and terrified crowds. and IN % lew moments
over sixty thousand hodic were carried
OUt % Sta OF lot liirlc-, among the RUNS.
Many d ore We're drowned IA ;h' lower
Irt 81 lhc city, that had settled 50 tiat
houses v ere covered permanently with over
SIX hundred feet OF water. This earthquake
was icif over the entire con.lncn. OF In
rour. and the tidal waves thai it caused
swept across the Atianil; IN 4 few hours %
The Yves Indies. Occl,ioniug damage ON
those shoes. Careful calculation has shown
ihlt the aTra allotted ~ Tie disturbance
tuIallcd 10, 100000 cubic miles,
TT2 TERRIBLE FEATURES.
one Of the most terrible features ri such
certhquakes i, the sudden opening and
closing Of the earth. ensulGng man and
/ beast. This was particularly feature o.
4 the earthquake Of C0la5ria in l's3. Tha
/ earth crust seemed strained in terrible
manner. and suddenly to give way until
/ enormous cracks and t-sures appeared,
/ into which rivers poured and large LAKES
were absorbed, 50 that entire tracts Of conn
/ inv were changed and " holly unrecoSnizt'
bic. Some OF these chasn- were miles IN
extent and seemingly bOtiOinc.s. ana closed
tneether with terrible noise. Besides
these chasms well-like opening appeared
/ filtv or sixty feet across. with curiou'
| assures extending away from them. and
| often containing water and mud that boiled
M with great energy. The ground was 81
To- .ed about tcat the surface land in many
cases had actually changed places. 50 tla
fields OF corn we're found where some othe
Grain had been planted. Duriag this earth
quake over 100000 persons were killed
nany being destroyed by the assures, tn
ground opening beneath. The tidal way'
caused by il IN the Mediterranean rushe,
upan the city OF Messina and utterly de
.troycd it..
THE CENTRE or TROUBLE.
Though some terrible earthquakes Occu
IN Europe and Asia, South America seem