The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1886-09-08

other hose ob)e1s. The men in the office,
with perhaps a simultaneous flash Of reoci-
lection Of the disturbance of the Friday he
fore, glanced hurrissfly at each other and
sprang to their feet with startled questions
and What is that 7 = Earth
quake, and then all was bewildennent and
confusion.
A MIGHTY qUAKIzG.
Then the long rli deepened aud spread
into an awful roar that seemed 10 prevade ut
once the troubled earth and the still air
above and around. The rremor was nov a
rude. rapid culver that agitatcd the whole
lofty, strong walled building as though il
were being shaken by the han of an inn
measurable power, with intent to tear Its
brick around, a. a tree casts its over-ripencd
fruit before the breath OF the gale. There
was no intermission in the vibration of the
mighty subterrsnean engine. From the first
10 the last il was a continuous jar, only ad-
ding force at every moment, and as II APP
preached and reached the climax of its mani
festation ii seemed for a few terrible seconds
that no work of human hands could possibly
survive the shock. The floors we're heaying
under foot. the surrounding walls and par
of falling masses of stone and brick and.mor-
tar was heard overhead, and without the
terrible roar filed the ears and seemed 10
til the mine and heart, dazing perception,
bewildering thought. and for a few painting
brea;hs, or while you hold your breath in
dreadful anticipation of immediate and cruel
death, you felt that life was already past
and waited for the end II the victim with his
head on the block awaits the fall of the up
lifted axe.
TIE RUSH FOR THE STREETS.
IL is not given to many men 10 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
described will carry with them the reeoilec-
ton of that supreme moment TO their dying
day. None expected To escape. A sudden
rush was simultaneously made to endeayor
10 attain the oped air and flee to a place of
safety. but before the door was reached ali
reeled together to the t~ottering wall and stop
ped. feeling that hope was vain, that ii was
only aqucstion of death within the building
or without to he buried by the sinking roof
or crushed by the topping walls. The up
roar slowly died away in seeming distance.
A. we dashed down the stairway and out
into the street already on every side arose
the shricks, the cries of pain and fear, the
prayers, wailings of terrified women AID
children, mingled with the lloarse shouts of
excited men. Out in the streets the air was
filled To the height of the houses with a
whitish cloud of 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 a fog, the gas
lights fiiekered dimly, shedding but little
light, 10 that you stumbled at every step
over the piles OF brick or became entangled
in the lines of telegraph wires that depended
in every direction from their broken sup
ports. On every side were hurrying forms
of men and m bareheaded, partially
dressed, some almost nude and many of
whom were crazed with fear or excitement.
Herea woman is supported half fainting in
the arms of her husband, who vainly tries
to soothe her, while he carries her into the
open space at the street corner, where pres
ont s.,f.t.- so.us .ssured there a woman
lies on the pavement with upturned face and
outstretched limbs and the crowd passes her
by for the time, not pausing TO see whether
she be alive or dead.
THE FEARFUL ALARM OF FIRE
A sudden light flares through "a window
over looking the street il becomes momei-
tarily brighter and the cry OF fire resounds
from the multitude. A rush is made to-
ward the spot. A man is seen doubled up
and helpless against the wall but at this
moment somewhere-out al sea. overhead,
deep in the grounds heard again the low,
ominous roll. which is already TOO well
known 10 be mistaken. 1t grows louder and
nearer, like the growl of a wild beast swift
ly approaching his prey, and all is forgotten
again in the frcnzied rush for the open space.
where alone there is hope of security, faint
though il be. The tall buildings ON either
hand blot oui the skies and the stars and
seem 10 overlang every foot of ground be-
tween them. Their shattered cornices and
eopings, the tops of their frownins walls.
seem piled from both sides 10 the centre of
the street. II seems that a touch would now
send the shattered masses left standing down
upon the people below, who look up TO them
and shrink together as the tremor of the
earthquake again passes unde them and the
mysterious reverberations swell and roll
along like some internal drum-beat sum
moning them 10 die. II passes away and
again Is experienced the blessed telling of
deliverance from impending calamity. which
ii may well be believed viii provoke 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 alleys that lead into it on either side. is
heard that chorus of wailing ms lamenta-
ton which, though it had not ceased, was
scarcely noticed a moment before. II is a
dreadful sound the sound of helpless, horror
stricken humanity old and young, the strong
and the feeble alike, where all are 50 fee
bic, calling for help from their ~fellow-crea-
lures and raising their anguished voices in
petition to heaven for mercy where no hui
man aid could avail. 1t is moi a scene to be
described by any mortal tongue or pen it is
not a scene to be forgotten when the witness
has shared all it, dangers and felt all its
agony
AMIDST THE CRASH or BUILDINGS.
The first shock occurred at seven minutes
Of ten, a. was indicated this morning by the
public clocks, the hands on all of which had
stopped al hat, fatal hour,as though TO mark
the end oftime for so many who had heard
the preceding hour pealed forth by ST.
Michael's chimes without a thought but of
long and happy life. The second shock,
which was but a faint and crisp echo of the
first, was felt eight minutes later. As it
passed away the writer started homeward,
to find the scenes enacted on Broad street.
around the Ners and Courier Office repeated
at every step of the way. st. Michaels stee-
pile lowered high and white above the gloom
seemingly u%ninjured. The station house, a
massive brick building across the street, had
apparently lost its roof. which had fallen
aroundi it. A little further ON the roof of a
portion of the Hibernian Hall, a handsome
building, in the Grecian style, had crashed