The daily herald. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1886-1887, 1886-09-18
NEWS
A Terrible Earthquake I!
Charleston, s. c., in Ruins Damage
Ton Million Dollars Great
Loss of Life.

A series of earthquake shocks has
passed over the city of Charleston,
South Carolina, extending from Friday
night, August 27th, at one O'clock, TIL
Thursday, September end, the last
date to hand The most severe shocks
were drring the night of Tuesday,
August 3Ist, and they almost wholly
demolished the city.
HOW THE SHOCK OCCURRED.
An account written on the spot says:
No event has caused so much con
sternation and gloom us was created
by the thirty seconds of disaster on
Tuesday night The first intimation OF
approaching danger was given in the
atmosphere. 1t was dense, sutry, and
tearfully oppressive, and as the night
drew on the atmosphere became damp
and difficult to breathe. Suddenly the
city was aroused by a low, warning
rumble like distant thunder. The sky
was not clear, but there was no indca-
ton of storm and no apparent occasion
for thunder Few persons understood
what the ominous sound portended,
but the feeling that it was an omen
of some overwhelming disaster was
general. There was little time to pre-
pare for what was coming. The growl
Of the elements had scarcely died away
when the earth trembled violently.
A momentary pause ensued and then
the city rose and fell as if on the crest
of billow. The sound which accom-
Ipanied the wave was terrible. 1t was
a frightful, half-smothered roar It
seemed as if only the merest crust Of
earth, and that in imminent danger Of
giving way, separated the city from
pandemonium
| THE ELIMINATION
People rushed from their houses in
to the street only to witness the culmi-
nation of the horrible work Tele-
graph poles lay PROSTATE on the ground
or leaned on the frail support of
wrecked buildings, while their labyrinth
of wires so obstructed the streets as to
make travel through them almost inn
possible. Almost every building in
Meeting and Broad streets, the two
principal thoroughiares of the city,
were wrecked to greater or less ex-
tent. Many people escaped from their
tumbling homes only to meet death or
fearful injury from falling bricks and
mortar, whole masses of which plunged
down into the streets, adding to the
general havoc.
Il SOME OF THE EFFECTS.
The most serious damage was done
) to those parts of the city devoted to
+ business, and to costly dwellings st.
f Michaers Church, whose famous spire
serves as an important landmark for
ships entering Charleston harbor, the
; same spire which was saved from de
; struction by fire many years ago, by
the courageous action of negro slave,
was irreparably wrecked. The City
7 Hall, Hibernia Hall, St Philips
, Church, the main station house, and
, dwellings by the score, were reduced 10
l ruins. Hundreds of people were
: made homeless in single moments nd
r the loss of life was far greater than thai
caused by the cyclone year ago. The
latest accounts estimate sixty people as
having been killed. Most of those
D killed were negroes, whose abject and
" hopeless terror is past description
. They thought the end of the world hac
e come, aud budding together made nc
= effort to extricate their buried friends
n but sang hymns and offered supplicatior
G |all night long No less than five fires
Y broke out in different parts of the city
e but the brigade was so well divided
i. that, Notwithstanding the encumberec
/. streets, it prevented the destruction o
l. the city by fire.
It AFTERCLAPS.
c Several minor shocks were felt dur
It ing the night, supplementing the effects
i of the first great assault and adding tC
e the Consideration of the people. rh'
second heavy wave swept along at pre-
cisely S:25 on Wednesday morning,
came from southeast just as its NOR,
t, awful predecessor had done, anC
n passed away toward the northwest
e The people had ventued back to thei
n dwellings to obtain some food, beinl
" wearied and hungry after spending the
h night trying to rescue the dead anC
n wounded from the ruins. Again the,
d heard the dull rumble beneath them
t. and felt the sickening tremor of tn,
p earth. They poured into the streets t.
IS seek open places. The earth quiyereC
IS and heaved under their feet, and thel
the motion and sound died away blu
not before many other buildings haC
l been shaken to the ground. On Thurs
a day the great majority of houses wer,
e uninhabitable, scarcely a hundred build
J. ngs in the city being used at ALL Tn,
people camped out in open places
2, men, women and children together
y AT 1850 p. M, lst inst, the lates