The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1886-09-09

Inmber. household and Office furniture, in all
kinds of buildings, which had fallen ont, leaving
furnishings in instances intact ,.
The most alarming feature or the present conGi-
ton of affairs rests in the shay condition or Dullu-
inps Nine tenths of the brick structures are
cracked through and through and threaten 70
tumble Chimneys which have not actually
fallen are badly careened and would fall if touched
Not single substantial building suffered material
Nv from the shock Most of the shattered build
ings have not been touched as shock at TINS tlHe
wOuld be more disastrous than all those already
experienced, and the buildings could easily be
shaken to atoms. Examination OF material from
wrecked structures shows them to have all been
frail. $3.50, e
Charlestonians in different parts of the country
concerning the loss of life. Search for the dead Is
progressing but il is believed all the bodies have
been found. This morning the employees OF the
southern TELEGRAPH company returned to the com
mOdious main office on Beach street, cleared up
DELAYED work and resumed service.
THE RUINED CITY.
CHARLESTON. S. c., September Although it
IL now impossible to make any approximately &C
rurate estimate of the property destroyed, it be-
comes palmer with every days developments the
blow is one from which the city will not recover in
many years. Although but few buildings are abso-
uely leveled to the ground, 1t is not extrayagant
to say fully twOthlrds of all here VIII have 10 be
either torn down or entirely rebuilt or SO nearly
30 the difference in cost will be but triiing. The
very heart of the city seems utterly shattered and
wrecked. 1t looks as though it had been
literally riddled. honeycombed by bombshells from
ahundred batteries Lofty church spires, hanging
in the air by mere shr;ds, the masonry of great,
massive pOrticOs, with lettering pillars, broken,
ali askeW trembl no beneath their burdens at
every lar: whole blocks with fronts shaved clearly
down living sprawling in unsightly heaps of brick
and mortar in the street below, with furnished
rooms which so lately were a shelter aud home
now all bare to the light of day; bent and broken
palings, awning rods lamp posts, twisted into all
conceivable shapes, and standing at all possible
angles-that is all that is left of what a week ago
was one of the most picturesque and beautiful OF
southern cities.
WHAT M'GEE THINKS.
CHARLESTON, S. c., September 4-Professor N.
g. McGee of the United States geological survey,
arrived this morning from Washington. 81 came,
said he to ascertain the origin of this earthquake
is the effect of little moment to science, or Is II
of great interest to the entire scientific world
"People want to know the condition of the earth
under which earthquakes occur!'
SIT seems to be the settling of the earth.
"HOw do you account for the absence of tidal
wave!'
"By the fact movement was from west to east,
thus carrying its wave out to sea-
"IIad the movement been in the opposite direc-
ton there would doubtless have been heavy tidal
wave to the land. AS II was there was nothing but
a rebound or relapse OF the outward tidal wave.
This rebound was caught by the broad shoals for
over goo miles along the Atlantic. In this re-
zion there is a shoal of sand half mile in wilt
This would break tremendous tidal wave, but
hardly as heavy a one as that which went to sea,
when the heaviest shock came Tuesday night
Tidal waves are likely to come at any time in this
region from this settling of the earth, and there is
danger of submersion. In New Jersey forests
have been sunk beneath the water along the coast
SIN. trees are yet growing n ath Ait,
CONFIDENCE IMPAIRED.
CHARLESTON, September Last nights shock
has greatly impaired confidence. The slightest
Use, such as the jar OF a door, Will empty any
house of its inhabitants 1t is still very difficult to
deliver kilograms, as few people can be found OF
their usual places. at this morning the Western
Union company succeeded in clearing business
with all cities for the first time since the earth
quake.
ACCOUNTING FOR THE SHOCKS
CHl RIEsToV, September 4.-The News and Cou-
rer SAYS there can be no doubt the various earth
quake shocks had their origin in the islands OF the
Mediterranean, and Greece and Italy, On August
90 there was reported the occurrence of destrtuC-
tive earthquake throughout Greece and Italy that
there had been two eruptlons OF yesuVlus, and the
volcano was still very active. These eruption5
gave vent to the internal motions which had pro-
duced quaking of the earth in their vicinity, but
the shocks being communicated to the earth nave
travelled in various directions In some with more
violence than in Others as they were felt the same
day throughout Egypt but doing little damage.
The shocks seem to extend westward with the most
rapidity and more volume than any other dlrec-
ton, the vibration of the particles of the
the sea at a rate of about one hundred miles an
hour occupying about seventy-two hours in travel
ing a distance of 6,505 miles
Before reaching the western shores of the Allan
tic travelling as it did almost due west One of the
first points of the shore was the coast OF South
Carolina But we see it was felt along the entire
coast as far north as Boston, and spread across
the continent with diminishing force, as various
more solid and rocky portions of the surface crust
retarded the vibrations until it seems to have been
almost entirely stopped by frict on in the extreme
northwestern states. The reason why the shocks
were more violent in the vicinity OF Charlest"n Is
there is more of a soil of a soft Welding nature
in the superficial or upper strata which conducted
the vibration, and the forward movements of the
earth wave, meeting with less resistance than
from hard substance further in the interior of the
earth, were more rapid and jerky, and shook the
surface with more violence. The presence OF Ill
Vulnerable assures observable in the city and
country, AS far as Summerville and beyond, is &C
counted for by some soft material Yielding rapidly
to the pressure of the earth waves, which pushed
up the thin crust and squeezed out the water and
sand subject to the pressure
The blue sand and yellow sand thus eJected are
found in the upper strata, and that it came from
near the surface is proven by the fact that no mar
is found in it, and il begins from 10 to 9O feet below
the surface and extends nearly 100 feet deep.
To shaw still more conclusively that the above
motions were confined to a very limited depth be
meath the surface it is only necessary to state tina
none of the shallow, or 4, feet artesan wells, are
at all affected: nor is there any change noticeable
in the flow or Quallty OF tue water from tne wv
deep artesian wells, as would have been the cast
if the cause of the earthquake had been local o
deep SCI ted
This statement of communication of land waves
TO an enormous distance is fully verified by obser
yaions of previous earthquakes since, and even he
fore the Christian era The absence OF tda
wave proves concusively that the cause of the dis
turhance was confined to the land, and the jerk
motion communicated to vessels, as reported, wa
caused by vertical vibrations, intermediate betwee
the rapid forward transmission GHd slower oac6
ward jerks.
FRIDAY NIGHTS SHOCK.
| CHARLESTON, September i.-The earthquake
shock last night caused great alarm on account o
the shattered condition of the nerves of the people
| Those persons who had ventured back under IN
no is hurried into the street, which presented, 10
| a few minutes as tragical an appearance as Iue'
! day night But little actual harm was done ny IN
| shock Two untenanted houses are reporte
! fallen together, with part of the coping OF TN
! charleston hotel. The vibration during the shoe
| was not especially great but the moaning an
| bowling sound was sufficiently alarming Gfat
| ually the people had come to the conviction III
! shocks were at an end, and the disappolntmer
was agonizing. -
| The sensation to-day Is the falling of showers G
pebbles in the central part of the city. Inc mr.
| fall WAS at 80 this morning, and the second
about H. They appeared to fall in a slanting q
| rectien from south TO north. There are pieces {
flint among them, and all are plainly abralded an
worn by action of water. Some few have shar
fractures and have evidently been recently broker
The fact of the fall is vouched for by several rus
worthy persons The bulk OF the pebbles fell
tN.NtVYf w.,lt...