Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1886-09-17
The South Carolina City Wrecked
by, Violent Earthquake
Shocks.
Not Hundred Houses Left Intact, and
Scores of Persons: Buried
! ...s in the Ruins.
Fires Add Terror to the scene-Fearful
suffsrings Of the People-A Sur
vivors Narrative.
The Business Portion Of Summeryille
s.. C., Wrecked, and Many
Persons Killed.

terrible earthquake shock at Charleston, S.
u, on the evening of Tuesday, the 31st ult, was
followed Mt brief intervals by several others of
less force. The first shock came from the south
east, and struck the city at J: SIS p. M, Tuesday,
During the twenty-four hours following there
were ten distinct shocks, but they were only
the subsiding ct the earth waves. The disaster
was wrought by the first. It's force may be in
ferred from the fact that the whole area of
country between the Atlantic coast and the
Mississippi River, as Tar to the north as Mil
waukee. felt its power to a greater or lesser de.
gree. Charleston, however, was the special
victim of this elemental destruction. The city
Is substantially in ruins. Two-thirds of
its houses are uninhabitable. What
stores are left are closed, as their owners dare
not go to them. Churches and other public
buildings are in ruins. Railroads and telegraph
lines are torn up and destroyed Between fifty
and sixty lives are believed to have been lost,
ana many people were MANNED by falling build
iings . and :, by jumping from the windows Of
houses. Fires broke out and added to the hor-
rors OF the scene. The loss of property is
roughly estimated at S10,OOO,OOo. Two-thirds of
the the houses Of the doomed city are rendered un-
TALLY. The approach of the quake, says o
charleston dispatch, was heralded by the usual
TT%hm a,s Sc resembling distant thunder.
qulvered and henved, and in a few seconds it
had passed, the sound dying out in the dis
lance; The city is complste wreck. ST. Mi
the most historic churches in the city, are in
ruins, MS also the Hibernian Hall, the police
stations, and many other public buildings
| Three or four fires started in as many sections
with the first shock of the earthquake, and the
city was soon illumined with flame, thus lead
ing all to believe what was left by the earth
quake would be devoured by fire.
Hardly house in the city escaped injury
and many nre so shaken and cracked that g
blow would bring them to the ground. The
shock was severe at Summerville and Mount
of life is reported there. Fissures in the eartf
are noticed from which a fine sand, apparently
| from q great depth, exudes, AsulplurOus smell
is very noticeable.
The city is wrapped in gloom and bn siness il
entirely suspended. People generally remain
IN the Streets in tents and under improvised
| shelters, and will camp out tonight, fearing an
| other shock
Not even during General Quincy A. Gilmore'a
bombardment Of the city has there ever beer
such deplorable state of affairs here. The
city is literally in ruins and the people are liv
ing in open squares and public parks.
There is a great rush to the railroad depots tt
get away, but owing to the earthquakes NJ
trains have been able to be dispatched from thu
city.
1t is impossible to depict the ruin and desola
ZION That prevails t 1 here Not single place
which is busy preparing prescriptions for thu
wounded. It is impossible also to give any cor
rect estimate OF the killed ana wounded, al
bodies are constantly being disinterred from tn
debris of the wrecked houses.
Many Of The dead are lying unburied, thes'
being of the poorer classes Of colored people
who await burial by the county. There are no
half dozen tents in the city, and the womel
and children are experiencing great priyation
in consequence.
summerville, twenty two miles from Charles
ton, was nearly destroyed by the earthquake
Many persons were killed and hundreds rem
dered homeless: The whole business portion
Of the town was badly wrecked.