Omaha daily bee., 1886-10-05
THE LOSS OF THE FREDONlA.
Horrors Of a Tropical Quake Thrilling Ex-
perienoe Of Major Williams at AFRICA
Seven Thousand People and Fleets
of Vessels Swept Away in One
Awful Night.

| with headquarters on the steamship
! tredonia, anchored of Area, city OF
5000 inhabitants at the foot of the Andes.
| The evontful day was peculiar with
| atmospheric effects, but soft mild and
| hazy. There was a little fctc of some
! sort going on aboard the Frodonia, and
| the captains wife had come on board to
| grace the feast and to temper and tone
down the too hilarious atmosphere by
| her refined presence. The young officers
were dressed in their best, little dream.
| ing, poor fellows, they had shroudcd
! themselves for death; little dreaming, as
| they waltacd aronnd so morriy, each
| claiming his turn with their fair guest,
| that they were dancing over their own
| gravcs AT O'clock they sat down to
| dine, and the dinner was not of "hcrbs, y
| by any means. Tho first glass of wine
| was being poured when 10! the dccantcrs
| and glassware began to clash like mad
| dened dice, and the ship to trCmble and
| sway in strange vertical way. With
| the ready instinct of the sailor they knew
| 1t was no ordinary "ship-roll,' and all
| rushed upon deck TO behold II sight most
| appalling on shore, and to hear the
smothered rumbling of Il coming earth
quake.
ht ill w luil VI llSlIiSS utlSl, Sltil
rocks and trees were looscned and came
crashing down the Size of the Andes and
plunged in the boiling sea, and the white
StucCO houses of Arlca, one after another
crumbled and fell into themselves, as it
were, like egg-shels and everything on
land seemed to be crumbling to dust.
Maj jor Williams, in this hour, with des-
truction around them and surely on its
way to them. remembered a certain little,
old, well-thumbed book belonging to his
sCant library when boy, in which
chapter on earthquakes gave the fact that
Il tidal wave always followed such Wis
itations, if it occurred near the sea coast, "
and he was not long in deciding to 60 to
shore when the shocks had subsidized, and
begged those around him to take to the
boats at once; but they refused, and no
persuasion could induce them to leave
the ship. Each shock on shore was fol
lowed by tre1nblc in the sea, and he
knew the old Frcdonla's hour was nigh
at hand, and grew almost frantic at the
obduracy of his brother officers and
friends. They had lived for years as one
family, and it was terrible to leave them
to- fate Sc. certain and sad The cap
tain's wire nau IeIt two lovely young chill
dren at Calloa, but she clung TO her hus
even for the faint hope OF reaching those
poor little waiting children.
Major Williams, finding his efforts of
no avail, turned to Surgeon Dubois, who
had recently saved his life by his skill and
caro- during an attack OF yellow fever,
and pleaded with him. Two seamen
were waiting to row them to shore, but
Dubois, like the rest, preferred to take
his chances on the ship, but Elaior Viii
liams dragged him TO the ships side and
fairly forced him in. They were rowed
to shore safely, and landed on the least
precipitous slope of the mountains, but
the two poor seamen were lost ere they
again reached the ship. Rocks and trees
continued rolling down the mountains,
and, almost blind with dust, Major Will
liams and Surgeon Dubois reached a
place of comparative safety, the shocks
still continuing, but at longer intervals.
Below lay africa ir ruins. and out of
its 5000 people about eight hundred had
sought the slope. Many lay dead in the
ruins, others remained to project what
valuabes they had left and some to care
while many, falling prey to that spirit of
plumber said to be engendered by earth
quakes the world over, renamed to rob
and carry to places of concealment what
ever they could find of sufficient value.
Our refugees from the sea had scarcely
selected and settled themselves in their
place of safety-if such thing could be
they beheld the sea, like Il mighty sheet of
glass, rise and fall seven times, then
into thousands of watery assures. The
old Fredonia was borne up and down like
toy, then the lips of q great tissure
opened and closed around her, and she
was seen no morcl The night that fol-
lowed was of the blackest darkness-so
dark that a white handkerchief could not
be seen foot from the eye. The com
motto II of the earth and tremblings still
kept up, beginning at some far away
point over the Andes, sounding at first
like some great spinning wheel, growing
louder and louder as it neared, until in
an agony of dread and suspense the
poor overwrought creatures gave
won't to the most piercing shrieks when
the crises came. Mothers were hunting
their children distractedly, orphaned
children calling through the darkness to
their parents, and the mountains reycr-
bcrating with the awful commoton that
came with each shock. 1t was night
that can never be described. When day
light dawned scene of wide-reaching
ruin and desolation met the eye. The
pretty strip of coast was though pulver-
verized, not living, moving thing was
to be seen and the sea was shorn as with
Il scythe of all the white sails and stately
ships that so thickly dotted the harbor
The English shipping was destroyed, and
OF the united States vessels not one sur
vived the calamity except the Wateree,
which was landed high and dry on "A
shelf OF the Andes, where she lies to-day
converted into some government pur-
pose.
Relief was soon sent 10 the survivors
from Callao- the 800 who had sought the
mountains. Those who remained IN the
town of africa were swept away by the
tidal wave which rushed over the coast
after the upheaval IN the sea. Major
Williams was walking along the shore II
few days after, looking for some momen-
TO from the Fredonia, when he saw some
thing fluttering high up in palm tree,
which looked familiar, and which proved
! to be a small plaid shawl that he Kept in
his state room thrown across his berth;
| he secured it with some difficulty, and il
| is now in my keeping, covered with sea
stains and dark spots, A friend once
SAID to Major Williams: 81 would give a
| fortune, major, for your experience in
| that earthquake" "And / would give u
fortune if you had it instead OF Its a
! nightmare and horror to me always" he
answered. The dispatches of that date
| from Callao read; "1he Fredonia lost
But two souls saved, through strange
| Providence-the paymaster and sur
| geon." 1t might have added Thanks
to a little old primer and Il good mem