The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1886-09-10
CHARLESTON IN RUINS.
THE CITY NEARLY DESTROYED BY
THE EARTHQUAKE.

Negroes Who Claim to be Too Fright.
ened {, Work-Good Demand for
Labor, and High wages-Money Con
tributions-The Mortality Record-va-
rious Notes.
CHARLESTON, s. c., Sept Am earth
quake, such as has never before been known
In the history of this country, swept over
Charleston Tuesday night shortly after 10
O'Clock. The city was wrecked, the streets
were encountered with masses of fallen
bricks and tangled telegraph and telephone
wires, and up to late hour it was almost
impossible to pass from one part Of the city
to another.
Many people were seriously, if not fatally,
injured. Broad street presented spectacle
Of utmost horror; even women armed with
hatchets fought valiantly to rescue the i'm
prisoned unfortunates. Meeting street,
from Broad to Hazel, was a wreck, and
lined with unfortunates To add to the
horror of the scene, many fires broke out
and were Intellectually fought by the fire
department.. The night was hideous with
howls of the dying and groans of the
wounded. There have been II or Is shocks,
only the first being destructive.
WASHINGTON, Sept. A heavy shock of
earthquake was reported at II O'Clock last
night simultaneously from Columbia S c.,
Charleston, s. c., Augusta, Ga, Norfolk
and Richmond Va. Charlotte, N. c., and
A prominent real estate agent says that
while some of the wooden buildings are hab-
liable under fair circumstances, most OF them
are badly wrecked, and there is scarcely
safe brick building in the city. The same
man estimates the loss and damage of real
and persdnal property in the city at from
$1O,OO0,00o to $15,OO0,OOo.
There are now in the hospital 119 pa
tients, 100 of whom are there suffering from
injuries sustained Tuesday night About
half of them were bruised by falling build
ings and the others are Frustrated by the
excitement. The bulk of the earthquake
sufferers are being cared for at their homes.
There is considerable sickness among chill
dren, resulting from exposure and sleeping
out at night.
What most sternly confronts the people
is the future of the city. If these buildings
are not rebuilt or repaired the city can
never be what it was, and may be ruined.
OF the $4,000 buildings here, 5000 must be
rebuilt Many of the owners of those
buildings cannot get the money to rebuild
and u.less outside aid is given, at least
1000 vacant lots will stand where buildings
were ON last Tue sday.
CHARLESTON, s. c., Sept. 6. "A party of
scientists headed by Professors Mendenhall
and McGhee have returned from an explor-
ing trip north of the city. They visited
Ten Mile Hills, Summerville and Lincoln
and do not bring back cheering news. At
Summerville they felt nine distinct shocks,
and say the populace are terrified and are
leaving that section of the country. Some
very strange freaks of the quake were found
and photographed.
A large number of geysers were found of
large proportions, some of them ten feet in
diameter and nothing has been found long
enough to probe their depth None are
spouting now but all are full of water.
Summerville has Jared worse than any
other part of the country hereabout and will
be almost depopulated.
CHARLESTON, s. G., Sept 7.-There have
been more slight shocks but they were un-
10 iced. In fact the public have concluded
that shocks are to be felt as natural se
quence of what was experienced on last
Tuesday night and that "there is no use to
get excited a)out it."
Over 5000 people were given transporta-
tion out of the city yesterday. The rail
road companies in the south and in portions |
OF the north have either sent pass books in |
blank or notified the relief committee that |
its orders will be honored for free transpor-
tation. Through the Danville syndicate
passes are issued as far north as Baltimore,
while many of the refugees 60 to Atlanta,
Nashville, etc. The members of the COM
mittee say the best solution of the question
of aiding the sufferers is found in sending
them out of the city
A United Press reporter was told by
member of the relief committee that there
are 10, 900 negroes in the city who claim
they are too much frightened to work. Ths
committee is growing impatient of this ex-
hibition Of weakness and is suspicious of
much feigning by indolents.
Hundreds Of property owners are tearing
down their shattered structures All the
laborers available find ready work for this
and thousands more could find lucrative
employment if they would come In some
instances as much as $3.50 day for COM
mon labor is paid.
CHARLESTON, S. c., Sept. 7.-The NOR
tality for the week shows total of MI, -
eight deaths in the city, of which
five were white and sixty-eight colo.,I.
Thirty six deaths had been caused by the
earthquake up to the 4th inst, of which
eleven were white and twenty-seven black.
There have been several additional deaths
since then, caused by exposure and wounds
in the shocks Of Tuesday night.
CHARLESTON, s. c., Sept. 8.-Evidently
the subterranean disturbances are working
themselves out, and hour by hour more
thought is given to the needs of the present
and the wants of the future. There is
feeling of sturdy self reliance that is highly
No one doubts the ability to
pull through The pluck of the people
rises beyond the hight of the &C asion
Mayor Courtenay's return puts everybody
in better spirits Long before the usual
office hours he was hard at work systematic
ing and arranging relief measures and as
on his own account the extent of
The calamity. One of the first steps was to
constitute as the relief committee the Joint
committee of the chamber of commerce,
merchants exchange and cotton exchange
appointed by the city council. The several
exchanges are represented on the committee
md Mayor Courtenay will be chairman
There were slight shocks at irregular in
'ervals of from one 70 three hours all yes
;erday. The most distinct ones were just
before and at 1882 O'Clock p m
The contributions 30 far received from
parts of the country for sufferers
amount to s97, 1856