The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-09-12
schools, and if they had more industry and

schools, and IL they had more industry and
money, would develop great city.
The dispatches which have pictured the ruins
OF the grand old residences mansions of the
Aristocracy,S have been exaggerations. There
never were o dozen handsome homes in Charles
ton The residences are all very old and very
unattractive. outside and inside. Paint and
wallpaper dealers have no trade to speak OF there
Some of the most valuable and best furnished
homes saw in Charleston had not been painted
since from twenty to fifty years, none under ten
years, and many or them have never had wall
paper within their doors. The walls are bare,
or If papered the work was done many years ago.
A craze for old things exists there that have
never seen or heard of elsewhere. 1t has no
reason. Men and women prefer old. inconven-
lent houses to new, bright ones, and speak OF
the ages of their residences with all the pride
imaginable. Not person Is there In the CITY
who cannot tell the age of the house he or she
lives in, and they range from twenty TO one hun
dred and fifty years in age-I mean the houses.
The age Of building, the way it is considered,
ought to carry in deed. but since 1t does not,
as part of the description of location, am told
1t develops In the title abstracts some way.
The absence of paint makes the city look dingy
and appear to have no life.
Citizens have generally accepted as correct the
theory advanced that the cause of the earth
quakes is a settling of the earth, an adjustment
of the surface to the interior. The geysers
would indicate that the face of the earth has
sunk Where there were assures. in
many places, water spouted out for sew
eral hours after the great shocks on
Tuesday night OF last week, and wells which
were dry were filed with water The actions of
the earth's sinking can easily be demonstrated
by partially filing pail Of water, then taking
piece of wood with hole in 1t and which fits the
vessel and pressing it down upon the water. 1t
will be found that the water will gush up through
the hole, and if the pressure is great and sudden
the water will spout up as If from an artesan we'll
Every amateur. as we'll as professional scientist
who did not leave Charleston through fear of be-
ing engulfed, began experimenting. simple
experiment to ascertain the direction and extent
Of shock made by filing a goblet full of
water and placing it on a corrugated board or
piece of metal. When the shocks came the wa
ter was spilled out, caught and retained where it
fell, and thus something of an idea of the move
ment could be secured.
Many Of the scientific investigations were
made ia cemeteries. The moldered or moss-
covered monuments showed the slightest move
ment and gave decisive traces. In some in
stances a monument moved six or seven inches
in one direction and then came back half the
distance by the rebound, then turned and went
four or give inches in still another direction.
Men who were in position and sensibiity to see
the motion said objects acted just as if they were
on a sprlngboard and that the feeling was very
similar to the spring board toss.
Most of the illustrations in the public prints
give very comprehensive idea of the scenes in
Charleston all of the latter part of last week.
Inc ruins could not Oe over depicted But the
camera cannot photograph nor the pen describe
the horror which prevailed there. The condition
of the human and animal mind was terribly ap-
paing The superintendent of the city hospital
said that nearly score of people have died
there OF the effects Of fright-two or three going
off in hysteria. several by heart disease, and
more than half a dozen by congestion of the
brain, all superinduced by fright The phys-
clans have had heartrending experiences. They
report affections from fright the most compl-
Gated and difficult to treat of any they have
had Like the earthquakes, the patient Is liable
to develop and unexpected symptoms at
any time, and one never knows the extent of the
Injury.
The Charleston earthquakes are among the
mostsevere record and will make one of the
most vivid and lasting chapters in the history of
this country.