St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-09-02
AN EYE WITNESS
Tells the Story of the Horrors of
Tuesday Night.

Tuesday Night.
CHARLESTON, S. c., Sept 1.-The
compositors of the News and Courier de-
cline to work to night, expecting fresh
shocks of earthquake, and the paper can
not. therefore, issue tomorrow. The fol-
lowing article was prepared for publication
| in the News and Courier, and is tele-
graped almost in the writer's own words:
Necessarily the description that can oeSiven
of the disaster which has befallen our city
| consists in the narration of the experiences
and observations of individuals, and the sub
! ject being the same and the experiences or
all being nearly alike, the story told by one
| careful observer may well stand Tor hun
dred others, with slight variations. Probably
the best idea that can be had OF the character
of the disturbance therefore may be obtained
from Il narrative of the events and scenes OF
Wednesday night as they were presented to q
single person. While engaged in his
usual duties in the second story
room of the News and Courier Office at the
time of the first shock, the writer's attention
was vaguely attracted by sound which
seemed to come from tine Office below and
which was supposed for a moment to be
caused by the rapid rolling of heavy body,
as an iron safe or heaYily-laden truck ovec
the floor. Accompanying the sound there
was u perceptibie tremor of the building,
would be caused by the passage OF
street car or dray along the street.
For perhaps three or four seconds the occur
renee excited no surprise or comment. Then
by swift degrees or perhaps all 1T once, it IS
difficult to say which, the sound deepened III
volume, the tremDr became more decided, the
ear caught the rattle of windOw sashes, gas
fixtures and other nose objects. The men in
the office, with perhaps simultaneous flash
of recOlIectionS of the disturbance OF the FRI
day before, glanced hurriedly at each other
and
SPRANG TO THEIR FEET
with startled questions and answers. What
is that! Earthquake? and then all was be-
wilderment and confusion. Then the long
roll deepened and spread into a roar that
seemed to pervade at once the troubled earth
! and the still air above and around. The ire
| NOR was now rude, rapid culver, that ag-
| itated the whole lofty, StrOng-walled building
as though it were being shaken by the hand
| of an Unreasonable power with intent to tear
| its joints asunder and scatter its stones and
| bricks abroad, as tree casts casts its over
ripened fruit befoee the breath Of the gale.
| There was no interHisson in the vibration OF
| the mighty subterranean engine From the
| first to the last it was continuous jar, only
adding force at every moment, and as it APP
preached and reached the climax of its mani
festation, it seemed for a few terrible seconds
that no work of human hands could possibly
survive the shock. The floors were
HkAvING UNDER FOOT.
the surrounding walls and partitions visibly
Swayad o and fro, and the crash of falling
brick and stone and mortar was heard over
head, and without the terrible roar filed the
ears and seemed to fill the mind and heart,
dazing perception. bewildering thought, and
for a few painting breathS, or while you held
your breath III dreadful anticipation of imme-
date death, you felt that life was already
past and waited for the end, as
the victim with his head on the
block awaits the fall of the uplifted
axe 1t is not given to many men to look in
! the face of the destroyer and yet live, but it
| is little to say that the group of strong men
who shared the experience above family de-
| Scribed, will carry with them the recollection
of that supreme moment to their dying day.
| None expected to escape. A sudden rush was
| simultaneously made to endeavor to obtain
the open air and flee to safety, but before the
| door was reached all reeled together to the
tottering wall and stopped, feeling that hope
was vain, that it was only question of
DEATH WITHIN THE BUILDING
| or without to be buried by the sinking roof
! or crushed by the topping walls. The up
| roar slowly died away in seeming distance,
the earth was still, and oh, the blessed relief
! of that stiffness. But how rudely that still
ness was broken. As we dashed down the
stairway out into the street. already on every
side rose the shrieks, the cries OF pain and
fear, the prayers and wailing
of terrified women and children,
commingied with the hoarse shouts of ex-
cited men. Out in the street the air was filled
to the height of the houses with a whitish,
dry, sitting dust from the lime and mortar
and shattered masonry which falling upon
the pavement and stone roadway had been
reduced to powder. Through this cloud,
dense as fog, the gas lights flick
cred dimly, shedding but little light
| so that you stumble at every step
over the piles of brick, or become entangled
in the lines of telegraph wires that descended
in every direction from their broken sup
| ports. On every side were hurrying forms
of men and women, bare headed, partially
dressed, some almost nude and many of
whom were half craZed with fear or excite
i meut. Here woman is supported half
fainting in the arms of her
husband, who vanly tries to
| soOthe her while he carries her
where present safety seems assured. There
a woman lies on the pavement with upturned
face and outstretched limbs and the crowd
pass her by, not pausing to see whether she
is alive or dead. A sudden light flashes
through window overlooking the street. 1t
becomes mementarily brighter and
THE CRY OF FIRE
resounds from the multitude. A rush is
made toward the spot. A man is
seen doubled up and helpless against the
wall, but this moment out at sea, overhead
deep in the ground, is heard again the low
ominous roll which is already too well
! known to be mistaken. 1t grows louder and
nearer. like the growl of a wild beast.
! swiftly approaching his grey, and is forgotten
again in the frenzied flush for the open space
| where alone is the hope of security. The tall
buildings on either hand blot out the skies
and the stars and seem to overhang every
foot of ground between them, their
ctNnf nlrn oy16 nnrliN1 fl,f.
tops of their frowning walls
seem piled from both sides to the
centre of the street. 1t seems that touch
would send the shattered masses down upon
| the people below who look up and shrink to-
gether as the tremor of the earthquake passes
over them and mysterious reverbrations swell
| and roll along like some Internal drum beat
summoning them to die; and it passes
| away and then again experienced the blessed
feeling of release from impending calamity
which it may be well believed evOkes a
| mute but earnest offering of mingled PRAYER
and thanksgiving from every heart in the
thrOng. Again far along the street and up
FROM the alleyways that lead into it on
either side, is heard that chorus of
wAIIING LAMENTATIONS.
which though it had not ceased, was scarcely
| noted a moment before. 1t is dreadful
sound. the sound of helpless horror-stricken
humanity, old and yonng, the strong and the
feeble alike where all are so feeble, calling
for help from their fellow creatures and raIs-
ing their anguished voices in petition for
| mercy. 1t is not a scene to be described by any
| mortal tongue or pen. 1t is not scene to be
forgotten when once witnessed, and when the
witness has shared all the danger and feels
safe. The first shock occurred at 953, as was
| indicated this morning by the public clocks
| the hands of all of which had stopped at that
fateful hour, as though to mark the end of
| time for so many who had heard the preced-
ing hour struck by St. Michaers chimes
| The
| SECOND SHOCK
| which was but faint and crisp echo of the
first, was felt eight minutes later. AS it
| passed away, the writer started hOmaward to
! find the scenes enacted on Broad street
around the Union and Courier office repeated
at every step Of the way. st. MichaeIs steeple