Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1886-09-06
EARTHQUAKES.
CHARLESTON. S. c.. VISITED AND TER
RIBLY STRICKEN.

tOht ~ ~ Oh ttiC vi august
3lst, shortly after ten, causing more
loss TO property and far more loss of |
life than the cyclone of the year be-
fore. The city is wrecked, the streets
encountered with a mass of fallen |
bricks and tangled telegraph and tel
ephone wires, and up to an early hour
it was almost impossible to pass from
one part of the city to another. The
first shock was the most severe
Most Of the people with families
passed the night in the streets, which
even the next morning were crowded
with people afraid to re-enter their
homes. More than 60 people were
killed and wounded, chiefly colored.
Among the whites killed and fatally
injured are; M. j. Lynch, DR.. R.
Alexander Hammond, and Ainsley
Robinson. Fires broke out in differ
ent parts of the city Immediately af-
ter the earthquake, and some are still
burning, but there is no danger of
their spreading.
Another earthquake shock was felt
at 5 10 p. IN. Sept. 1st. The situa-
ton of things is horrible, worse even,
it is said, than when Gen. Gilmore
bombarded the city. 1t is cut off
from communication with the rest of
the world, and haunted by the pros
pect of immediate death. Women
and children are running about in the
open air greatly agitated- No trains
have departed or arrived in "a hours,
and lines leading into the city are
said to be crippled. 1t is reported
that all the railway tracks are twisted
like snakes. There are 3 to 4 steam
ers in port including the buoy tend
ers, and many inhabitants are provid
| ed with berths on these boats. For
tunately the weather has been good
and the hardships are not as severe
as they might have been. There are
not half dozen tents in the city,
and for the night of Sept. 1st many
heads of families constructed rude
shelters out of bed sheets, awnings,
and any other material handy. Three
fourths of the city will have to be
entirely rebuilt if the houses are to
be inhabited. The city is literally in
ruins and people are living in open
squares and public parks. Telegraph
communication is cut off with the ex-
ception of one wme of the Southern
Telegraph company, which is crowd
ed with anxious private messages
Not single place of business IN the
city is open, save one drug store
which is busy preparing prescriptions
for the wounded. II is impossible
also to give any correct estimate Of
the killed and wounded, as bodie:
are constantly being disinterred from
the debris. One undertaken states
he had furnished eight collins up tt
noon Wednesday. Many of the deat
lay unburied, principally the poore
classes of colored people. Their
were in all five shocks diminishing il
, violence from the first. The side
walks in the streets were dotted witt
mothers, daughters and wives wit
their protectors waiting in anxiou
expectation, still another agony. TIL
air was thick with horrid rumors, ant
the livid glare of fires but heightene
the general ruin.
, Again at 3 40 Wednesday morn
ing another severe shock occurred
Everybody remained in the streets a
night. Few if any slept. The ne
gro church bells were tolled an
thousands of colored people congrt
gated there and remained all night.
1t is estimated that 80 to 40 pei
sons are killed and over hundre
injured. The loss to property WI
reach 1O,O0O,OOO Three-fourths
the city will have to be re built. |
i. Beaufort II miles from here the
were II distinct shocks of the cart
quake during the night.
Mayor Buckley of Hartford, Conn
has telegraphed the mayor of Charle
ton an order of $1,000 in aid of Il
; earthquake sufferers.
- A dispatch from Cincinnati, Sep
- lst, says: A singular effect of la
: nights earthquake was the very &c
. eral feeling of dizziness that it eau
ed nine people out of ten to imagi
- they were sick, and many did n
know till this morning that the di
turbance was in mother earth. Pro
:. ably 20 to 80 meetings of lodges al
:. societies were broken up without m
ton to adjourn. The shock was &c
~ eral through the state, and almost
the same instant at Cattellsburg X,
- and Huntington, W Va, the sho
b. was very severe. People rushed @
of their houses with children screa
- ing. The swaying motion seem
to indicate the houses were fallir
The following bulletin was rece
"a ed by the Western Union Telegra
i Company in New York on the mo-
,st ing of Sept. I'd.
.'There was another shock at
700 m. to-day. kilograms sent here L
night could not be delivered on
:. count of the general confusion,
~ people being camped out. Every
:, fort. is being made to deliver tn
- this morning. we hope to have te
-, graphic communication fairly re-