Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1886-09-03
CHARLESTON FRUSTRATED.
The South Carolina Metropolis
After the Great
Earthquake.
Three Fourths OF the Build
ings Must be Rebuilt
A Local Newspapers
Account of the
A flair.

:
Necessarily the description that can be
given of the disaster which has befallen
our city consists of the narration of
experiences and observations OF individ-
uals, and the subject being the same and
the experiences of all being nearly alike,
the story told by one careful observer
may well stand for hundred Others,
with slight variations. Probably the
| best idea that can be had of the character
OF the disturbance, therefore, may be
obtained from o narration of the events
and scenes OF Tuesday night us they
were presented to single person.
| While engaged in his usual duties in the
second story room of the News and
| Courier office at the time of the first
shock, the writer's attention was vaguely
attracted by "a sound which seemed to
come from the office below, and which
was supposed for u moment to be caused
by the rapid rolling of heavy body, as
an iron safe or o heavily laden truck
over the floor. Accompanying the sound
there was perceptible tremor, of the
| building, not more marked, however,
than would be caused by the passage of
| obiSCp Sea Va uiuJ aiouS tuS SbltSps l. VI
two or three seconds the occurrence
excited no surprise or comment. Then
the sound deepened III volume, the
tremor became more decided, the ear
caught the rattle of window sashes,
gas fixtures and other loose OBJ.
jects. The men in the office, with per-
maps Simultaneous fash of recollec-
tions of the disturbance of the Friday
before, glanced hurfiedly at each other,
spfang to the,i feet with startled ques-
tions and answers. "What is that ?"
| 'Earthquake?" And then all was be-
wilderment and confusion. Then the
loud roar deepened and spread into an
awful roar that seemed to pervsde at
once the troubled earUh and the still cir
above and around The tremor was
now rude. rapid qnlver that agitated
the whole lofty, strong walled building
as though it were being shaken by the
hand of an immeasureable power with
intent to tear its joints asunder and
scatter its stone and bricks abroad as u
tree casts its over ripened fruit before
the breath of the gale. There was no
iptermission in the vibration of the
:. mighty subterranean engine. From the
first to the last it was a continuous jar
! only adding force at every moment, and
} of it's N manifestation, it seemed for few
terrible seconds that no work OF human
: hands could possibly survive the shook
The floors were heavlng under foot, the
surrounding wells and partitions vlsibly
swayed to and fro, the crash of falling
: stone and brick and mortar was heard
overhead, and without the terrible
) roar tilled the ears, anC
, seemed to fill the mind and heart
] dazing PERCEPTION, bewildering though
and few painting breaths, or while yor
/ held your breath in dreadful anticipa
i. tion of immediate death, you felt thai
: life was already past and waited for tht
3 end as the victim with his head on tht
j block awaits the fall of the upIifted ak
} 1t is not given to many men to look il
!. the face of the destroyer and yet live
j. but it is little to say that th. group O
9 strong men who shared the experience
above family described, will carry will
them the recollection of that suprem,
moment to their dying day. None ex
Y pected to escape. A sudden rush wa
/ simultaneously made to endeavor to at
? tain the open air and flee to place o
/ safety, but before the door was reaches
;, all reeled together to the tottering wal
i and stopped, feeling that hope was vair
r that it was onlya question OF deaf
o within the building or without to b
|. buried by the sInking roof, or crushet
: By the toppling walls. The uproa
;, slowly died away in seeming distance
{ The earth was still, and oh, the blesse,
relief of that stiffness but how rudely th
silence was broken. As we dashed dow
the stairway and out into the stree
q already on every side arose the shrleks
:. the cries of pain and fear, the prayer
= and wailing of terrified women an
o children, co-mingled with the hoars
l. shouts of excited men. Out in the stree
3, the air was filled to the heIght of th
10 houses with whltish, dry, stlhing dus
c. from the lime and mortar and shattere
a masonry which, falling upon the pave
Is ment and stone roadway, had been re
e duced to powder. Through this clous
p dense as fog, the gas light fickere
% dimly, shedding but little light, 80 thi
q, you stumble at every step over the pill
Sc of brick, or become eptangled in tt
e: lines of telegraph wires that depende
o in every direction from their broke
y supports. On every side were hurryin
forms of men and women, bnreheade
partially dressed, some almost nude an
many of whom were crazed with fei
sn or excitement. Here woman is SUI
Id ported half fainting in the arms of b,
o. husband, who vainly tries to soothe ht
of while he carries her into the open spac
at the street corner, where present safeI
or seems assured. There women lies O
u the pavement with up-turned face ar
" out.stretched limbs, and the crowt
~ pass her by, not pauslng to 81
~. whether she is alive or dead.
u sudden light flashes through
es window overlooking the street, it b
u comes momentarily brighter and G.
BY of fire resounds from the multitude.
rush is made towards the spot. A II:
IS Is ssen doubled up and helpless again
Ip, the wall: bat this moment out at sc
ha overhead, deep in the ground, is hea
Gu again the low ominous roll which
sts already too well known to be mistake
w 1t grows louder and nearer, like t
growl of a wild beast swiftly approac
y ing his prey, and is forgotten again
the frenzied wish for the open spa
by where clone is the hope of security. I
di- tall bindings on either hand blot c
,od the skies and the stars, aud seem to oy
80 hang every foot of ground betwe
'in- them. Their shattered cornices a
vir- capings, the tops of their iFowaing ws
in seem piled from both sides to the cen
7er- of the street. 1t seems that tor
would send the shattered masses do