The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1886-09-09
THE EARTHQUAKE!
CHARLESTON, s. G.,
I'M RU I'm ST
OTHER LOCALITIES


Octalis VI tue COuNulSiOus, WHICH
we briefly noticed at the hour of going
to press last week, reaching from the
Atlantic to the Pacific, and from the
Gulf to the Great Lakes, also extend
ing to many points in the Eastern
Hemisphere, confirm the fears enter
tanned of the destruction of life and
property. The daily papers have since
been filled with variations of the ter
rible experiences of residents in local.
tiles where the shocks were most Sc
we're.
Ravenna felt very little of the dis
turbance, especially in the northern
and central portions of the city; in
the southern limits its effects were
noticed, though slight, and our rciti-
zens generally We're first apprised of
the disturbance through the morning
papers.
The shaking up was quite general
throughout the State. In Cleveland
it caused a stampede from the printing
offices, theaters, public houses, and
apartment residences, many fearing to
reenter them for several hours. Gin
cinnati, Columbus, Dayton, Canton,
in fact the entire State felt the shock
more or less severely. Happily, no
casualties resulted.
The force of the disturbance was
felt most severely in the Southern At
lantic States. At Charleston, 8. q, :,
it was terribly disastrous. What q
week ago was beautiful city ,teeming
with life and activity, is today mass
of ruins. wrapped in gloom. A cloud
of sorrow rests over the beautiful
homes. that but yesterday were the
abodes of happiness. The buildings,
taken as mass, are wrecked. Few
that are left standing can be occupied
with safety.
The following is q condensed ac-
count of the catastrophe and the situ-
alton since communication with the
stricken city was reopened by wire
and rail. The first shock occurred at
$50 o'clock Tuesday evening. August
81, completely cutting off telegraphic
communication, and it was not until
the next night that word was sent to
the outside world of the awful calam-
ity that had befallen the city. Up to
10 o'clock Wednesday there had been
ten distinct shocks, and others at 1:3O
and 5:l9 in the afternoon.
The first shock was the most severe
AS the houses began to sway and fall,
men, women and children rushed
frantically into the streets. The scenes
were terrible. Men wrung their hands,
women prayed, and children cried.
The groans of the dying and the
screams of the wounded filled the air.
The streets were blOckaded with the
debris of fallen houses, telegraph poles.
ETC., rendering them impassable. The
frightened people could do nothing,
therefore, but stand huddled together
in groups, praying for the dawn. To
add to the horrors of the situation,
many fallen buildings took fire, threat.
ening to consume what was left, and
burned all night.
Later dispatches say half the brick
houses, which comprise the largest
number of the buildings of the city
have the top story more or less demol-
ished, but those houses that escaped
that are perhaps worse Oft, for it il
noticeable that nearly all that escaped
the roof demolishment, are cracked q
little in their front and at the middle
| window of the middle story, which
shows that they are all shaken from
their very foundations, and loosened
in every joist and joint. Certainly
not a third of those shaken can be re.
paired. They will all have to be pull
ed down and reconstructed from the
very cellars. The loss is variously
estimated from $4,000, 900 upwards,
but no living man eau estimate il
within $5,00O,0OO. The plan to help
the city that is talked about tonight is
to get a loan of $l0,OO0,OO from tn {
Federal treasury by act of Congress
l
houses reconstructed. The following
are the prominent buildings damaged
st. Michaels Church, st. Phillips
Church, st. Luke's Church, st. Phil
lips Church Home, Confederate House
Bethel M. L. Church, Scotch Presby.
terian Church. Cathedral. Catholic
Chapel, st. Mary's Catholic Church
German Church, Unitarian Church
Sailors' Home, Hibernian Hall, Mar.
ket Hall, N. E. Railroad Passenger
Depot, =. q. Railway Office on King
street, Gas Works, Washington st..
fire proof building Postofiice, Citadel
Academy, Bagging Factory, Military
Hall, Langley Factory, Park House
Mills House, Charleston Hotel, Pa
vilion Hotel, Windsor Hotel, Waverly
House. st. PauPs Church, Roper Hos.
pital, Medical College, Charleston Jail
Graft School, Friend street buildings
of Our Lady of Mercy, Queen street
A dispatch of the I'd says Every
park and square in the city tonight is
filled with men and children sleeping
under tents. imprOyised from counter.
panes, quilts, sheets and canvas, stretch
Ell upon poles erected at short notice
Everyone is afraid to trust to houses,
lest at any moment another tremOr
should return aud envelope them in a
mass of debris, plaster and timber.
The whole city presents the appear
ance of u tented field, upon which are
resting human beings an xious to know
what the next moment may bring
forth
On Suilivan's Island the shock was
severe, but comparatively little injury
was done, and no lives lost. On James
Island the earth was cracked in many
places, and from the assures issued
large bodies of cold water, mixed with
sand and blue mud. At Mt. Pleasant
there was a general shaking up, but
no loss of life. There are many fis-
sures and cavities from wi ch fresh
water and mud have come. Fine mud