The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1886-09-10
Unhappy Charleston.

The earthquake on Tuesday night of last
week, at Charleston, has been followed, at in
tervals since, with smaller shocks, one of
which, last Friday night, threw down two
buildings and caused the death of a white
woman, who was caught under falling
wall.
More than 5000 structures will have to be
rebuilt, requiring an outlay of &C. 0O0-
The death roll from the effects of the earth
quake numbers about 60. About 10000 per-
sons are encamped in the parks and other
open places, with such rude shelter as they
can obtain. The government has sent them
number of tents, but many more are needed for
the homeless ones. Some have improvised
tents of bed-clothes. Several deaths have al
ready occurred from exposure.
Hardly church in the city is considered
safe for occupancy, and public worship was
held on Sunday in the open air. Earnest
prayers were made that God would avert
further disaster. Much danger to life and
limb still exists from the unsafe condition of
many of the houses, which may be toppled
over by another severe shock or by the wind
The people of Charleston have gone brave
ly to work to retrieve their misfortunes, but
they need aid from outside. Their condition
appeals strongly to every sympathetic and
generous heart Money is being raised for
them in Baltimore and other large cities, and
the most pressing temporary wants of those
who are too poor to procure bread and meat
are being relieved Capital from outside will
doubtless be provided to rebuild the city.
1t is gratifying to see that the great disas-
Ter to the beautiful city of the South has
awakened pity throughout the North. In
Brooklyn, N. Y, a hundred members of the
Grand Army of the Republic have volunteer.
ed to 60 there to aid the local authorities in
protecting property and alleviating distress
1t is also worthy of remark that the colored
people, who constitute so large portion of
the population of the city, are not disposed
to take advantage OF the dsordered condition
of the place. Many touching instances are
told of the manner in which they have chung
TO their white friends for protection in their
common calamity.
Summervlle, % miles from Charleston, ap-
pears to have received the first and most severe
shock. Most ofthe three hundred houses in the
place are wooden buildings, and, as con-
sequence, the damage is largely confined to
their interior. OF one building the founda-
tion had been affected ON one side to an ex-
tent that the structure had toppled over in
a half reclining position, while the remainder
of the foundation of both sides of another
house, it was fonnd, had parted and shot up
ward, permitting the structure to drop to the
ground. On many houses one chimney had
been destroyed and the other left intact. A
large number of geysers were found, some ten
feet in diameter, and nothing had been found
long enough to probe their depth. None are
spoutlng, while all are full of water.
Summerville has Jared worse than any
other part of the country, and it will be al
most depopulated.
1t is estimated that the earthquake was felt
over an area of 900, 900 square miles.
On the 2Sth of August, three days before
the shock at Charleston, an earthquake de-
stroyed several villages in the Morea and the
neghboring island of Zante, Greece, 300 lives
being lost. ."rr-
Two more shocks were felt at Charleston,
on Tuesday, one of which threw down a scat
fold, burying five or six workmen in the
ruins, one of them, colored man, being
fatally crushed. The others were only slight
ly injured. A heavy rain set in, on Tuesday
afternoon, increasing the discomfort of the
people. The list of earthquake victims con-
tinues to increase at the rate of three or four
adsy.