News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1886-09-30
A STORY OF CHARLESTON.
MOMENTS OF OFEARTaQUAKE HORROR.
The TerrOrs of the Scene Described by
One Who was on the Spot and Felt
Them.

| Them.
The terrible story of Tuesday nigh
in Charleston, s. c., has already beel
told, SAYS New York Herald correspon
whose experiences of that night wOul,
make thrilling reading, the story cal
scarcely be repeated with wearyin!
| effect. A gentleman who had narrow
escape himself and who gave your cor
pondent instances of the miraculous es
capes of many of his friends, said &c
| had fortunately returned home from
New York Tuesday morning, otherwise
my wife and two little children would
have been alone in the house, and
Heaven only knows how they would
ever have escaped. We retired earlier
than usual, and were just about getting
into bed, having on our night clothes,
when my attention was attracted by
what | thought was the rumble OF 8
vehicle. In an instant, however, this
rumble increased to a roar, which was
instantly accompanied by short sharp,
verticle shocks. At first they were not
very severe, but seemed to increase with
every instant, the verticle shocks being
varied by terrible horizontal move
ment that rendered it impossible to
stand alone. l caught hold of the bed
to steady myself and was even then un-
able to stand. At this moment, when
stood almost dazed, my wife, who had
been in an adjoining room, rushed to
me, reeling from side to side, and i'm
plored me to tell her what was the mat
ter. While l admit that l was thor
Oughly terror stricken, | had the good
fortune to retain my presence of mind.
l had read of the shock at Summerville
few days before and Immediately
knew what we had to contend with.
81 think if l live thousand years l
shall never forget that supreme moment.
We were in the top story of the house,
frame building with brick basement.
The shocks grew harder and harder,
with sickening regularity. 1 saw the
heavy furniture around me, weighted
down with marble tops, and mirrors
thrown violently to the floor, which
swayed like the deck of a vessel in a
storm. heard the chimneys go crash
ing down. l saw the walls parting be-
fore my eyes, while the plaster from the
ceiling fell in great, binding volumes.
SIN the next room were nv two little
boys. Clinging to my arm, frozen with
fright, but as calm and brave as hero
inc, stood my little wife. l could
hardly think. l only kept saying, 1T
will soon De over; it will soon be over!'
while in my own heart, which had well
nigh ceased to beat within my breast, l
thought another instant and we will be
hurled to the ground and crushed be-
meath these groaning timbers.'
"Again and again we tried to get to
the children, who, screaming with
fright, begged piteously for help. just
as it seemed to me that wood and NOR
tar must go down before the terrible,
wrenching the~shocks grew
less. There was visible cessation in
their force.
''' Now for the children' cried, as
we at last succeeded in getting into the
nursery. In a moment more we had
the little ones in our arms and were
making our way down stairs, when
again there was the terrible roar, again
the sickening shock. Harder and
harder it came. Crashing came the
walls over US and down the staircase we
went. How we ever got down safely
will never know. The next thing re-
is that the door through which
I sought the garden, large, open space
to the south of my house, was jammed
by the wrenching of the door frame.
By supreme effort / got the door
open, and then in our night clothes we
fed into the open air.
"What relief it was to be from
under those crunching, crumbling
wallsi
"Again there was brief diminution
in the force of the shocks, and as we
rushed from the garden to the open
streets my very blood seemed to freeze
Is l heard the wall of despair which
went up from the whole city. The sound
was indescribable. 1t seemed as if the
throats of thousands sent up to heaven
terror stricken cries. Again came the
roar and the shocks, but not so severe
Is the two first had been, and in a mo-
ment we found ourselves with hundreds
Of neighbors in the large churchyard of
St. Peters Church, a place of refuge
which every one seemed to seek as by
common consent.
''Since l had felt the first intimation
Of the shock in my bedroom had passed
l lifetime, and yet it could not have
been much more than minute. Even
n this short time, as l looked out in the
different quarters.
"Our place of refuge was soon filled
The negro servants, frantic with fear
md thoroughly convinced that the scene
before them was the end of the world
md that the fires had sprung out of the
,arth to destroy them, were screaming
md praying on all sides. Refined, del
cate women, with infants clasped to
heir breasts and clad simply in night
clothes, stood pale and terror strick en-.
strong men stood dumb with anxious
ear.
'Atter brief respite of few minutes
made an effort to get into my house to
1ut out the gas in my bedroom and to
ry to get some clothing. The front
loor, which had been locked, found
lad been shaken open and | made a
apid ascent through the ruins into my
DOM. seized some clothing and put
ut the light, when, to my horror, an
ther shock commenced. | got to the |
treet again in safety, however.
'Then followed that terrible night. |
shock followed shock all night long. |
The fires spread with rapidity, and, by
eason of the absence of water, threat
ned the total destruction of the city. |
The daylight brought some relief from
he terrors of the night, but it revealed |
My too plainly how cruelty our beauti-
ul City by the Sea had been stricken
"Such was my experience, and yet,
erIible as it was, it was not more so
han those of my mother and my sister
n two other parts of the city. My |
mother was entirely alone in large |
louse waiting for my father, who does
ot return from business until eleven D.
n. When the shock came she was for
unately on the fret floor. She was
eading by kerosene lamp, which was,
f course, overturned, setting her dress
nd the tablecloth on fire. With re-
1arkable presence of mind she smoth-
red the fire, and then successfully
ought safety in the garden.
''My sister had horrible experience.
he was in large brick house on the
econd story piazza, when the shock
anne. AS soon as the inmates of the
ouse realized what was upon them
hey rushed out to the piazza also, and
hen the whole party, numbering seven
ersons, tried to escape by the back way
D the yard. AS they did SO the Chin
eVS of the npYt hOuse came craShino