Middletown transcript., 1886-09-09
be neesed at a low rate to rebuild and repail

Religious services were held in the public
squares on Sunday as the various church
edifces were considered unsafe for occupancy.
The negroes were almost crazed with fright
and held religious services eyerywhere and
at all hours. The general government has
sent army tents to the stricken city to shelter
the homeless people.
The tents were mostly put up in the park
facing the Battery and overlooking the con-
fluence Of the Cooper and Ashley rivers lead
ing out to the bay. Forts Sumter and Moul-
trie, of rebellion fame, are plainly In view.
AS the sun peered through the scrub oaks
and into the tents this morning, and the in
habitants responsively turned out to greet
their first Sunday morning since the disaster,
q thrilling scene was presented. Scores Of
little children were seen gamboling on the
the green, mothers were making the toilets of
their infants, servants were preparing break
fast over oil stoves, and men were in groups
like soldiers after battle discussing the past,
present and future. Within q space 300 feet
wide by 1900 feet in length probably one
thousand people were camped. This is one
of the most aristocratic portions of the city,
and the campers were ofthe best families. A
number of births have occurred, twins in two
cases. This has been an exceedingly warm
day in Charleston. The streets were dusty
and hot, but the breeze made the atmosphere
tolerable in the shade. Had it not been for
the arrival of two excursion trains bearing
1900 people from Savannah and intermediate
points, and the religious services in the open
air, the day would have been an exceedingly
quiet one. 4
With the full blush Of the morning, how
ever, arose the voices Of the negroes in the
public places. They got up singing and
shouting. By 1890 o'clock services were in
progress at dozen points. In Washington
Square hundreds of splended voices blended
together in perfect harmony. The singing
could be heard at the distance offs mile. A
number Of men and women gave their tex
perionces' after the general sermons. There
was perfect din of rejoicings. A greater
revival was probably never witnessed than
the one in Washington Square. At4 o'clock
there was general mass meeting at the cor
ner of Broad and East Bay streets, near the
city post-ofice. Thousands of people at
tended, and eloquent sermons were preached
by volunteer ministers. The singing was
beautiful and touching, and the teachings
impressive, while the. surroundings of the
meeting were thrilling. On every hand are
three story buildings, the highest, with very
few exceptions, in Charleston, the city having
only small number of tall structures. All
in the immediate locality, except that occu-
pied by the Carolina Savings Bank, are
wrecked more or less, and some of them
frightfully SO, more than dozen fronts have
fallen into the streets. Several had bulged
50 heavily that the window shutters swung
open and threatened to fall at any moment.
On heaps of debris, for nearly a square, in
every direction, people were congregated.
A party of scientists, headed by Messrs.
Mendenhall and MCGEE, returned tonight at
o'clock from an exploring trip north of the
city. They visited the Ten Mile Hills, Sum-
merville and Lincoln. They give no cheer
ing news. At summerville they felt nine dis
tinct shocks, and say the people are terrified
and leaving that section of the country.
Some strange freaks of the earthquake were
found and photographed. Most of the three
hundred houses at Summerville are wooden
buildings, and, as consequence, the damage
is largely confined to their interior. Of one
building the foundation had been affected on
one side to an extent that the structure had
toppled over in a half-reclining position,
while the remainder of the foundation of both
sides of another house, it was found had
parted and shot outward, permitting the
structure to drop to the ground. On many
houses one chimney had been destroyed and
the other left intact A large number of gey.
sers were found, some ten feet in diane
ter, and nothing has been found long enough
to probe their depth. None are spouting
while all are full Of water. Summerville ha!
Jared worse than any other part of the coun'
try hereabouts, and it will be almost depop
ulated.
Professors Mendenhall and MCGEE taxi
friendly issue as to the cause of the earth
quakes. Prof. MCGEE maintains that theI
are the result of land slides, while the former be
lieves they are the result of re-adjustment
the earth's crust to the basin Of the earth, fo
q conforming of the exterior to the interior o
the earth, and points to the geysers as evi
deuce that the earth is settling and the sur
face lowering. Prof. Mendenhall anticipated
another shock tonight between 1890 and
A. n, when the tide, which rises here to
height of six feet, is at full food. b
thinks the weight of the water along tn
shore line of Charleston, which is over iv
miles in length, is the immediate determinin
power or cause of earthquakes. The fact
the tide being in and the pressure of th
co,.st line, he says, might also provoke
shock.
Prof. Mendenhall created some amusemeu
in the Charleston Hotel last night. Th
building is four stories high, stucco an
brick, and of antiquated architecture wit
very high ceilings throughout. he was ge
ing up the stairs to bis room when the lal
shock of the night came. The porter, wh
was showing him up, stopped on the fair
approach of the sound, and when he decide
what it was, dropped a pitcher
water. went leap-frog fashion over Ii
Professor and dashed down stairs. Professe
Mendenhall rushed down and into the stree
Later he called carriage and was driven
the Battery, and slept on the seat of the veh
Gle till daylight.
Earth tremors are reported on the san
date as above from various points througho'
the south.
A despatch to Tuesdays San, dated MOI
day, says: The seventh day since the fir
shock dawnsd very gloomily in Charleston
Just before daylight it began to rain, ar
con nsternation reigned among the $4,000 pc
pie who were camping out exposed to Il
weather. Fortunately, the showers, althoue