Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1886-09-16
REPORTS NOT EXAGGERATED.
Stories Related by Eye-witnesses of the
Terrible Scene at Charleston.

81 was stopping at the Charleston Hotel" said
Mr.. Thomas H. Tolson. Of Baltimore, to an Asso-
ciated Press agent. Il was In my room, which
was on the third floor When lit my gas /
heard noise and supposed had broken some-
thing, but could find nothing broken. went
TO place my hat on a bureau, and just then the
shock came. would have fallen IL had not
thrown my hands out and clung to the win
dow. 1t seemed as though the hotel was lifted
up and swung backward and forward dis
tance OF fifteen or twenty. inches ut each
vibration / was terrified At the first
shock the lights in the house all went out.
Then the plastering began to fall. It
flashed on my mind that should endeavor to
get out Of the house, and got into the corridor
and groped my way, in utter darkness, amid
falling plaster. Other people in the house were
Likewise cropping their way out The air was
filed with plaster dust. All around ter
rible roaring and moaning sound, and the din
was heightened by the falling of timbers. I
found the front door of the house closed, q for
tunate thing for me, as it saved my life It
took me a moment to find the knob, aud as
was looking for it tons OF brick fell down from
the upper part OF the house, in front Of the door
ran out through the heaps of fallen bricks and
fell twice in getting to the middle Of the street.
There remained terror-stricken
1.-TWO shocks came after reached the middle
OF the street--a faint one seven minutes after
the first, and another, more violent, nine
minutes later. The three shocks occurred
within sixteen minutes. remained in front Of
the hotel until o'clock. l did not know what
to do 1 was so unnerved that could scarcely
stand. AS it became quieter, no moro shocks
occurring, went up the street to an open space
and remained there until o'clock. There we
had another slight shock. At 3 o'clock 1 went
to the Battery Park md found it crowded
several thousands OF terrified people having
assembled there. There 1 remained during the
remainder of the night. At o'clock anoth er
faint shock was felt At daylight I, like the
others, felt more encouraged, and / moved
around to see what destruction had been done
found at the battery 'front.' some Of the most
costly houses in the city cracked from the
ground TO the top and some portions OF the
buildings were destroyed completely. All OF
the Charleston residences are built with porches
In front, many having substantial pillars, and
these porches were all thrown down. There was
not house in Charleston that had it's chimneys
standing.
"The terror among the people during the
night was intense. They rushed through the
streets frantically calling on God to have mercy
on them. People who, perhaps never prayed
before, then prayed aloud. Then to this were
added the shrieks OF the wounded and the lam
entations of those who had lost friends. Here
and there parties with lights were looking
through the ruins for missing people. The
greatest terror and confusion reigned every
where. The people, when the shock came, ran.
men, women, and children, out into the
streets in their night clothing remaining In that
way during the night huddled together in the
street None would venture back into the
Mr.. p. L. Bennett. Of Washington, left Char
lesion on the first outward train. after the dis
aster. There were hve cars packed with
refugees, For the first two miles the train
moved very slowly. The rails were twisted.
As the train went along the people in the car
noticed another shock This further twisted
the rails. 1t was, however, possible 10 proceed
slowly.
Have the reports Of the disaster been exag.
gerated?-
@Not bit OF IT. II would be impossible TO
put into words any description OF the disas-
ter and its effects. My wife and spent two
nights on tho commons, as did thousands Of
other people. To depict the dreadful scene
would be beyond any mans powers. There
is not one house In ten that will not have TO
be rebuilt. There was peculiar difference In
the manner In which brick and frame buildings
went under. The walls OF the brick buildings
swayed and fell over, while those built OF wood
simply collapsed"
'Wers thero any peculiar conditions preced-
ing the shock2"
Yes. It became terribly hot about twent-
minutes before tho shock IL was peculiar
scorching beat that never felt before saw
people on The streets taking of their coets and