Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1886-09-03

from the body of the church, and the build
ing mas been cracked in four places. One
crack in the north wall extends from the
caves to the lower window, two in the west
face of the church extend the entire hight
of the building, and one on the south wall
also extends from the caves down almost
to the foundation. These cracks are all
Immediately under the steeple. which it
seems almost impossible will stand for any
length of time. The hands on the top of
the clock pointed to. five minutes Of 10,
which must have been the hour of the first
shock on Tuesday night.
The buildings between Meeting and King
streets are all more or less damaged, the
effects of the earthquake being the same in
nearly every instance. The front wall of
DR.. Desausseur's residence has been thrown
down, leaving the attic floor exposed, and
several buildings on the south side of the
street have been similarly treated. West
of King street the most serious damage is
to the Episcopal residence.
What a scene of desolation the fashion
able boulevard Of Charleston presents.
Commencing at Broad street, one passes
through block of burned houses. The
fire starting at No. 2lS, the third building
from the corner Of Broad street, OIL the
east side, consumed the entire route of
buildings as far north as Tully's old stand,
next to the graveyard. The few houses
left on that side OF the street are more or
less shattered and Quilted. A few houses
on the west side, north of Broad, have not
escaped general fate, though the damage is
not as general as in the other portions of
the street. The immense vacant lot on the
west side of the street is occupied by the
families who lived in the burnt houses,
and who are camped out on the sward,
with few household effects saved from the
flames. From Queen street to Horbacks
alley almost every house is shattered, the
tops of the walls near the roof being thrown
down. Robbs lot, on the east side of the
street, is occupied by several hundred peo-
pie camping out The Victoria Hotel ap-
pears to have escaped, and the Academy of
Music shows no signs of the earthquake.
From Market to Hazel street the damage
done does not seem TO be as great as in
other portions of the city.
SURROUNDED By YAwNING cHAsNs.
CHARLESTON. September 2d.-A special
report from Mount Pleasant, opposite
Charleston, says that sink near the Ger
man Church, which on Tuesday was per-
fectly dry, is now full of fresh water Near
Shell street there is a cabin, occupied by a
colored man, that is probably surrounded
by yawning chasms extending through the
earths surface for ten feet and over. All
around this there are sinks of fresh water,
and masses of mud with queer-looking
soft substances that have never been seen
before. 1t is contended by many
that the mud and other substances
found around the village are volcanic mat
ter. Just after the first great shock on
Tuesday night there was decided and
distinct smell of sulphuric acid gas over
the entire village. The smell lasted
throughout the night, and was distinct in
those localities where cavities i'll each were
most numerous. Some say portions of the
mud thrown up by the water-spouts were
strongly impregnated with sulphur, and
that small portions of sulphur can be
found in the mud.
Not far from Charleston, on the road to
Summerfeld, extensive mounds of clay
were thrown up, and hillocks of sand in
most cases in the shape of inverted cones,
the hollow part of which had evidently
been formed by the action of the water re-
turning to the depths from which it had
been raised. In many cases the erupted
matter has streamed away from the breaks
in tie surface of the earth to distance of
from twenty to fifty feet, and in other places
there were assures that almost invariably
extended from north 10 south. These
cracks were not wide, and extended down
ward always in slanting direction. The
matter that was thrown of was OF dark
slatish color. 1t was mixed with gravel, and
there was also shale and q general
mud resembling that which is thrown
from the bottom of phosphate pits along the
river. The water in some places has the
taste of our artesian water, but in many in
stances it was just rs clear and limpid as
from Il mountain spring. These evidences
of the great convulsion are not sporadic,
and extended far and near in every direc-
ton, from the city limits of Charleston to
Summerville. AT the latter place it was
found, from trustworthy information, that
cracks and assures are everywhere visible
for miles and miles around. Strangely
enough, some of these were in active oper-
alton, and constant shocks that were felt at
Summerville sent the water out of these
issures in Jets to the hight of some fifteen
or twenty feet. This was evidently the re-
suit ofthe cracks being filed with water and
then the sides opening and closing by each
succeeding shock. These appearances were
of course suggestive of still more violent
eruptions, and there was constant dread
everywhere that there would be general
inundation caused by some extraordinary
force of the earthquake. Not only was
water emitted in low places where it might
be expected to exist at the time, but on the
tops of higher elevations mud could be
seen. This latter fact indicated that the
force was being exerted at rather more
depth than was at first thought to be the
limit of force.
FATAL RAILROAD ACCIDENT.
Near Ten-Mile Hill fatal accident oc-
CURED on Tuesday night The down Col
umbia train jumped the track. Engineer
Bruno, and fireman Arnold (colored), were
badly injured by the tremendous leap
which the train took in the dark under the
unseen influence of the shock that dis
mantled the road. 1t is said that the earth
suddenly gave way, and the engine first
plunged down a temporary declivity. 1t
was then raised on the top of the succeed
ing terrestrial undulation, and, having
reached the top wave, by the sudden
swerying force to the right and left, was
hurled down the embankment. How it was
done was plainly indicated. In many places
along the track of the South Carolina and
Northeastern Railroad there are spaces sew
eral hundred yards in width. The dreadful
energy of the earthquake was expended in
two particular wavs. First, there were in
tervals of a hundred yards or more, in
which the track had the appearance of
having been alternately raised and de-
pressed, like line of waves frozen in their
last position. The second indication was,
when the force had oscillated from east to
west bending the rails in reverse curves,
most of them took the shape of a single
and others of a double letter S,
placed longitudinally. These latter
accidents occurred almost invariably
at trestles and culverts. There were
not less than five of them between
Seven-mile Junction and Jedburg. In
other places the tracks had the appearance
of being kinked for miles. The train at
the time OF the earthquake was running at
the usual speed, and when about mile
south of Jedburg, it encountered the terri
BILE experience. 1t was freighted with
hundred excursionists returning from the
mountains They uere nil gay and hnnnu