Huntsville gazette., 1886-09-11

cutting the direction OF Government
architects sent by the Treasury Depart
ment.
Some very dangerous work is being
performed in tearing down buildings,
and it will be remarkable if many serious
accidents do not occur. The steeple on
ST. Phillips Church is about two hum
dred and twenty-five feet high; seventy
five feet of the upper portion is above a
platform lookout, and is sustained by
seven pillars and a central iron post. The
shocks of earthquake broke down four
OF the seven pillars, and people wondered
how the steeple could stand. 1t seemed
that nothing held it up. The citi-
Zens demanded that the up
per portion of the structure
should be pulled down, as it was so heavy
It might do great damage were it to fall.
Yesterday morning local contractor and
builder made many hearts beat fast by
going up to the broken columns and max
ing critical examination. When he de-
scended he announced that he could save
the steeple by pulling out the debris and
building four new pillars. He found that
the steeple was kept from topping over
by the center post, although the shake of
removing the debris or the pressure of
gust of wind might make it fall. Ger
tainly such an accident would
mean death to all at work above
the building. At this writing the debris
building the new pillars has progressed
finely. All day great crowd removed
the wreck from the streets and people
were made to shudder as they contem
plated the danger of the men on the diz
zy height, walking and hammering tot.
tering and honeycombed steeple seventy.
five feet high beginning seventv-five feet
from the ground. and weighing many
tons.
More danger is anticipated from vino
than anything just now. A stiff breeze
such as would make windows in firm
buildings rattle, would send crashing tc
earth hundreds of buildings IN this cit,
which are now cracked and racked.
Architects say that but very few of the
BRICK buildings can be repaired, az they
| are so old that the brick and mortar are
| rotten. Not five per cent Of the buildings
| are less than twenty years old, while
majority are over fifty years.
| third of them are quarter Of
a century of age, and number
| were construed far back in the eighteenth
| century. There is little new paint on
| buildings here. Like meerschaum pipes
and "bourbon," they are valuable accord
| ing to age. a gentleman upon being ap-
| preached yesterday in reference to the
| sale of his residence, said: "The house
| is forty years old; it cost $4,000. l
| will take 81 1000 for it since it is dam
| aged" The ages of buildings, like the
pedigree of blooded animals, always go
with transfers, and owners never lose
sight of them.
Great concern is yet felt for the welfare
of that ancient landmark, st. Michacls
church. A gentleman who has nvesti-
gated its condition, gives an encouraging
account of the state of affairs in the old
church, in that it was found the damage
which it has certainly and evidently suf
fered, will not necessarily involve the
| demolition of the famous stecple or per-
haps of considerable part of the rest
Of the building.
Right Rev. w. B. Howe, Bishop
of South Carolina, has issued All appeal
for help to repair the Episcopal churches
here damaged BY earthquake. He thus
sums up his needs:
ST. Phillips Church and church home
both much injured. st. Phillips IS the
mother church of the diocese and parish
since 1915. st. MichaePs Church, col
onial church built in 1851; the damage is
very serious. St. Paul's Church, the
largest in thc city, built in 1916; very
badly damaged. st. Luke's not seriously
injured but needing repairs. Colony
Church, free church for colored people,
seriously hurt. st. Timothy's Church
needs rebuilding. Yesterday we wor-
SHIPPED in the open air. With their own
houses not habitable, how can these peo-
pie repair their churches? Amy money
sent to Bishop Howe for the above pur-
poses will be distributed according to my
best judgment, unless otherwise direct
ed. | think we need at least one hun
dred thousand dollars"
The Columbia (S. C.) Board OF Trade
have appointed a relief committee to 20
to every train from Charleston and Sum.
merville to meet refugees from these
stricken cities and take them to comfort
able quarters. There are about SIX hun
dred refugees in Columbia, but the citi-
Zens invite many more to come.
S. G. Pinckney, who lives in South
street, few doors east Of Grace Church,
was in New York when the earth
quake came. He states that on
his return he found his yard filled with
new kind of soil. geyser had opened
In the yard from which warm water
spouted to the height of five feet.
Mingled with this was quantity of blue
sand such as came from all other assures.
Since then the fissure has closed, and the
spouting OF the water has ceased. 1t was
also ascertained that on Wednesday,
morning quite a number of cellars in all
parts of the city were unaccountably
filed with water where there had never
been water before.
One of the most positive indications Oh
the return of confidence and a wearing
off of fear of a repetition of strong Guakes,
is the large number of drunken men on
the streets. The police are taking them
in rapidly, and declare that drunkenness
and fear from earthquakes do not 20 TO-
gether. A census of sheltered people in
the city just completed by the police re-
lief committee shows that 10000 out Of
the 10000 people here are under tents.
AUGUSTA, Ga, Sept. 7.-One of the Gu.
rious results of the recent disturbances
here is the change in the topography OF
the country. Many houses on the
sand hills. the aristocratic portion
of the atty, which before could
not be seen from the city,
are now in full view, while other