The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-09-08
CHARLESTON'S EARTHQUAKE
Termination of Seven Days and Seven
Nights of Suspense and Anxiety.
An Emergency for Which Chivalry Makes No
Observation-Disclosures Recover Their Pluck
and Are Not Scared by Little Quakes.
Special to the Indianapolis Journal.


horror of the seven days, comprehend the
demolition of the city at this time. The Drawer
men of South Carolina have been completely
demoraized as the weakest woman 1t has been
demonstrated that the common chivalry does
not apply to emergencies of earthquakes, and
that no rule of gallantry or courage known can
be utilized or depended upon in events like
those which have transpired here during the
past week. The brave and weak, the white and
black, the good and wicked people have
all Jared alike. and have been
upon the same level. Everybody has
appreciated most thoroughly that fellow
feeling which makes us wondrous kind" and
will continue to do so in moderate degree for
weeks to come. Charleston is in ruins, but she
is not so demoralized tonight as she was twenty
four hours ago. There has been steady growth
of confidence for two days. and the people begin
to see the silver lining. Few are those who now
believe they are not reasonably, if not wholly,
secure from danger.
The work of clearing away the debris to-day,
which has employed minds and bodies of men,
has done much toward restoring confidence and
bringing about better condition of the public
pulse What has been especially needed here
since Saturday was something to draw
the minds of the inhabitants away from
the quakes and direct them towards
hope of retaining the city. This has
been found work of progression. It will take
three weeks to clear away the accumulated de-
bris, and buildings will be in the process of be-
ing torn down for months yet, the first esti
mate-that more than half of the brick struct-
ures and one-fourth of all buildings here will
have to be torn down-seems to have been wisely
made. More new building material is in the
streets at the present time-material for repair
ing onv-than has been seen here during the
past year, and more will be used during the next
six months, if very large proportion of the city
is rebuilt, than has been used for half century.
Strong as the pictures have been drawn of the
destruction done by the quake. the reporter has
not seen any material exasgeration. The cor
respondents and local press men have confined
their descriptions to facts for the reason that
they have had enough of facts and no peed of
fiction or fancy. Few instances are known in
American journalism where better reportorial
work has been done than on this occasion.
Probably thirty transient correspondents have
visited here during the past week. The writer's
have confined themselves to plain matters of
fact A great city lay in ruins before them 1t
was to be described and 80 many facts of inn
portance existed that no fancy writing
could be INDUCED in. The street
car service has been badly deranged,
and is disorganized now. The telegraph service
was ruined there were no messengers, few avail
able hacks, and the only way left for the news
producers was to walk, walk, walk, and write.
write, write. For sixty hours it was not a oues-
ton of how much could be written. but how
much could be got out by wire. The best
newspaper talent the country affords has been
here, and in reviewing the weeks work no class
deserve more praise than the which has
withstood hardships of almost continuous labor,
with little sleep and little to eat, and which was
expected to reproduce faithful picture to the
world of catastrophe which was beyond the
power of pen description.
There have been slight shocks here at rregu-
lar intervals of from one to three hours all day.
The most distinct ones were just before and at
1882 o'clock. AZ some places the men at work
tearing down buildings and occupying delicate.
if not dangerous positions, paused and looked
significantly at each other, but no interruption
was experienced and no panics ensued In look
ing back over the terrific and destructive shocks
of week ago tonight, the inhabitants are con-
tent to regard present shakes as harmless in
comparison. and declare it will take very posi-
tive quakes to cause fear.
Some surprise but great deal of pride is ex-
pressed by the average Charlestonian at the es-
cape of the custom-house building This
structure of granite is much the handsomest
and most valuable of any in the city An ex-
animation by government officers fails to reveal
any serious injury. Tie quakes appear to have
moved this building about an inch, and the only
effect noticeable is in a very few cracks at the
joints, rather gaps between the granite blocks.
The hotels are nearly all open to guests now,
but only a small proportion of their rooms are
suitable for occupation, the plastering being off
and the furniture dusty and dirty. Most of
them are now being renovated, and have the car
pets up and the floors bare. The hotel service
is yet very defective Travelling men have be-
gun to come into the city. There are a good
many visitors here tonight and signs are ap-
pearing of renewal of the ordinary activity of
Charleston.
At 3:45 P. NJ, while the rain was drizzlne
down in disagreeable quantities. an immense
crowd of sufferers all colored, gathered in front
OF the supply wareroom and clamored for their
rations. They were pitiable lot of people,
ragged, gaunt and sad. The rations consist of
half pound of picked pork, quarter of pound of
tea, half pound of rice, quarter of pound each
of sugar and coffee. half pint of syrup and
loaf of bread or pound of crackers.
Six deaths were reported to-day from the
effects of the quakes They were: Isabella
Grant. colored, one month DID, congestion of the
brain from exposure; Julius Irwin, colored, five
months old, bronchitis. exposure; W. F. Thomp-
son, colored, thirty-fv years, hemorrhage,
from shock; Mrs. Tennill Burrows white fifty
seven years, heart disease, superinduced by
fall; Ella Knocks colored four years exposure
measles; Mary Jane Smalls, colored, six years,
fright, exposure, congestion of the brain.
Seven births-four black and three white
including twins, have been reported during the
week. The health officers say there have been
several more, however
Up to p, NJ the contributions received from
different parts of the country for earthquake
sufferers amounted to $97, 1897. OF this amount.
S8862 came IN drafts, checks and money: $40
974 was received by authorized drafts and $39.-
$50 was received since banking hours this eve
ming, $40, 900 of which came from John Crosby
Brown treasurer of the New York Chamber OF
Commerce, and a$l5, 600 from Drexel g Co.,
bankers, OF Philadelphia received from contri-
buttons. The following committee has in ac-
cordance with the request of the City Council,