Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1886-09-08
EARTHQUAKE SHOCKS.
Charlie stOn, 8. c., In Rufns-Nearly the
Entire City Wrecked--Many People
Killed or Injured-A Night of Terror
The Shocks Felt all Over the Eastern
and Middle States.

and Middle States.
The night OF the 31st ult. was the
most disastrous in the history of
Charleston, S. G. Dispatches report
that not even during the lombard
ment of the city by Gen. Quincy A.
Gilmore in the civil wal, nor at the
time of the great cyclone a year ago,
was there such havoc wrought. About
10 O'Clock in the evening when the
streets were being gradually deserted
and most of the city's inhabitants
were preparing to retire for the night,
the earth shook violently. Business
blocks and public buildings swayed to
and fro and crumbled into ruins.
Even private dwellings were shattered,
burying the inmates in the debris.
The streets were filled with masses of
fallen bricks, timbers and tangled tele-
graph and telephone wires, making
progress from one part of the city to
another almost impossible. Practi.
cally, the city was laid in ruins in the
twinkling of an eye. To add to the
horror Of the situation, fire broke out
in various parts of the city, and about
twenty houses were burned before
the fire department could check the
flames. The people were terror
stricken, and all who were able rushed
wildly into the streets. Men werefran-
tic with fear, women screamed and
tainted and children sobbed. The
groans and shrieks of the wounded
were heard on all sides. The skies
were brightly Illuminated from the
burning buildings and it seemed as
though what the earthquake had
spared would speedily be devoured by
the flames. About two-thirds of the
buildings in the city are in ruins. The
balance are either entirely wrecked or
SO badly damaged as to necessitate
tearing them down and rebuilding.
The loss OF life cannot be definitely es-
timated, different statements placing
the figures all the way from so to 200.
The loss by fire and earthquake is
placed at $5,OOO,OOO.
The remainder of the night after the
first shock was spent by the people in
the streets and vacant lots of the city.
When daylight came the people gradu-
ally recovered from their fright. It
was found then that St. Michael's
Church; St. Phillips Church, Hiberni-
an Hall, the police station and many
other prominent buildings were either
wholly or partially destroyed. There
was much injury to mansions on the
east and south battery. The portico
of the Ravenal Mansion is down.
Hardly house in the city escaped in
jury, and many are so shaken and
cracked that hard blow would bring
them to the ground. Broad Street
presented q spectacle of the utmost
horror. Even women armed with
hatchets fought valiantly to rescue
the imprisoned unfortunates. Meet
ing Street, from Broad to Hazel, was
a wreck, and was lined with unfortu-
mates. Business was entirely sus-
pended.
During the early morning q number
of slight shocks were experienced, but
no damage was done worth mention
ing as compared with the ruin wrought
by the first shake. A later dispatch
says three-fourths of the city will have
to be rebuilt. The damage is now
placed at $1O,OOO,OOO.
Slight shocks of earthquake are re-
ported from all parts of the country
at about the same hour as the first
shake at Charleston, and also during
the night and the following day, but
no loss of life resulted, and but little
damage to property.
The vibrations were also felt in
Europe, slight shocks being reported
from different points on the continent.
A London dispatch says: A severe
shock of earthquake was felt at Ante
guerra, near Malay, yesterday. The
inhabitants fled, panic-stricken, from
the town. There was no loss of life.
At Smyrna several well-defned shocks
OF earthquake were felt between 10
and IL o'clock last night. No damage
was done.
The damage caused by the earth
quakes at Peliatra, in Greece, amounts
to about 100000.
The official total of deaths is thirty
three. The wounded will probably
number 100. Business is still sus-
pended, the whole attention of the
people being given to providing for
refugees and making residences safe.
Bricklayers have advanced their rates
to So day. The City Council will
provide measures for relieving the
poor. Expressions Of gratitude are
heard on all sides for the assistance
offered to Charleston, of which suffer
ing people will gladly avail themselves.
: The following is the official list of
those who were killed by the earth
quake, Or who have since died from
their injuries:
White-Peter Powers, Mrs. G. Bar
Der, Ainsley III. Robson, Robert Alex
ander, Charles Albrecht, B. P. Mey.
marble, Patrick Lynch, Annie Torck.
Mrs. Rachael Ahrens, Goldie Ahrens.
Colored-Thomas Wilson, William
Dear, Anna Glover, q. Sawyer, William