The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1886-10-27

products OF their own mines vas the
city aud its inhabitants. IL plaza was
adorned by the magnifcentpalace ofthe |
Viccroy and cathedral of rare stlen'
dor. BY fountain supported by brasen
lions and range Of public boildings un-
surpassed by any structure in Europe.
Nor was there . gayar metropolis.
The houses were low adobe dwellings. |
inclosing court, which . fountain
and tropical folisGs made like dream
of the orient. There, under the splen.
dor of the summer sky. the dance. and
song, and music of the mandolin be-
guied the perfect nights,
The fair Peruvians were famed for
their superb dresses Of lace and elk.
their orn aments of pearls Embellishments
were in accord ance with the wealth
and good fortunes OF their fathers and
husbands. Nor were they pe1ligent OF
the devout observance OF the Roman
religion. SO that the tide Of their
mirth and their occupations flowed
on necessarily in tranquil stream day
after day. n g s 81
A road Of six miles in length led
down to Callao. the seaport of Lima.
The town was upon slope of the low
shore and numbered about hve thous-
and inhabitants. 1t was gay and
busy place. with o good harbor that
was scarcely needed for the shelter OF
vessels, so peaceful was the sea. For
the languid waves of the quiet Pacific
scarcely rippled against the shore. The
town had its palace and public build
ings that, while they were not equal In
spIendor to those Of Lima, filed the
hearts of the seaport townsmen with
pride. The road that ran back to Lima
was lined with gardens and villas, aud
was usually flied with merry muleteers
and the wealthy citizens driving in
their calaches. Such were Lima and
Calla0 in October, 1746. Earthquakes
h ad come. gone, and been forgotten.
The people of Lima had built their
grand structures and repaired all traces
of formed disaster. and the inhabi-
tapts of Callao slept by the side of
their tranquil sea in dreams Of peace
and perfect security. g&
1t was on October 90. ut 1880 at
night, when the cities of Lima and
Callao slept, a calm and starlight
night when the shock came; instantly
the people rushed forth from their
dwellings, and the cry of :" the earth
quake came from pale and terror
stricken people as they rushed wildly
about, no! knowing where to 60 for
shelter and safety. Four minutes
served to shake Lima to the ground.
and of the three thousand buildings,
not twenty were left standing. The
whole city had crumbled into dust,
The churches and mon asteries, the
palace of the Viccroy, the pleasant
adobe dwellings, had fallen and
crushed their inmates in many in
stances, and those who had sought
escape in flight were overwhelmed by
the falling structures that buried over
q thousand victims beneath their
ruins, and there, amid the desolation
of destruction, the cry of the dying
and bereaved, the survivors awaited
the coming of the dawn. With the
dawn came the terrible tidings that
Callao had been swept away by a
tidal wave, and only waste Of sand
filled the site OF the flOurishing sea-
port, with its harbor, its ramparts,
and places beside the peaceful ocean
that had risen in its might and swept
it with wave after wave from of the
earth. The new Callao that was after
ward built was on different site, far
away from the terrible memories OF
the past At the time of the
great earthquake, in 1885, Lisbon was
a far more important city than it is
now, with u remnant of its past glory
when it had been the center of com.
merce and culture in the sixteenth
century. 1t was then more the
peer Of London or Paris than any other
city in Southern Europe. hose who
noticed the course of nature just be-
fore the earthquake at Lisbon had OBJ
served that in several years the land
had shown various signs of volcanic
action. The weather was dry and Op.
prcssive. springs had ceased to Aow
where they once existed in abundance,
and the earth had frequently trcmbled
with slight shocks. Yet never had
|, Lisbon been more needless of danger
than at the moment of its destruction
For more than century and a half 4
had known no catastrophe. The tai
houses, four or five stories high, with
, their open balconies stretching ovel
the narrow streets, had stood to shell
ter generations. The royal palaces
richly adorned with furniture q
, gold and silver. and stored will
gems and diamonds had been bull
, with no expectation of their de
struction, and its churches, NOR.
elaborate still than its palaces
were dccked with the spoils of tn,
Indies. In its two great squares wert
palaces and public buildings and tn,
magnificent Church of the Dominicans
, The corridors and dungeons Of thu
, Holy Inquisition marked the greater
. circuit of them. The Ruccio wa
, placed in the center of the city, and i
was here that some of the most fata
accidents of the earthquake occurred
u The morning of November l. 1855
{ broke fair and warm over Lisbon.
, soft east wind blew and the sky wa
, cloudless. 1t was \ high festival q
, the Roman Church, the chapels an,
$ cathedrals were filled with .hrongs O
, worshipers. The English merchant
1 had not yet gone 10 their counting
, houses, and the royal family were still
in the palace. Suddenly roar wa
4 heard like the peal of countless thun
t der-bolts. a terrible shock struck tn
e city, and it fell. The royal family ha'
, time to leave the palace ere it fell il
{ dust and remnants. The magnificen
: churches swayed backwards and for
: wards ere they fell upon tho worship