Millheim Journal. [volume] (Millheim, Pa.) 1876-1984, 1886-09-09

flickered dimly Shedding but little light
so that you stumbled at every step over
piles of brick or became entaEgled in
the lines of telegraph viii es that depend
ed in every direction from their broken
supports. On every side were hurrying
forms of men and women, bareheaded,
partially dressed-some almost nude
and many of whom were crazed with
fear or excitement. Here a woman is
supported, half fainting, in the arms of
her husband, who yainly tries to soothe
her, while he carries her into the open
space at the street corner where present
safety seems assured there woman
lies on the. pavement with upturned
face and outstretched limbs, and the
crowd passes her by for the time, not
pausing to See whether she be aiYe or
dead.
A sudden light flares through win
dow overlooking the street !; it becomes
momentarily brighter, and the cry of
Fire !" resounds from the multitude.
A rush is made toward the spot. A
man is seen doubled up and helpless
against the wall, but at this moment,
somewhere out at sea, overhead, deep
in the ground, is heard again the low,
ominOus roll which is already too well
known to be mistaken. 1t grows loud
er and nearer, like the.growl of wild
beast swiftly approaching his prey; and
all is forgotten again in the frenZied
rush for the open space where alone
there is hope of security, faint though
it be. The tall buildings on eithershand
blot out the skies and the stars, and
seem to oyerhang every foot of ground
between them. The shattered cornice
and copings at the tops of their frOwn-
ing walls seem piled from both sides to
the centre of the street. 1t seems that
a touch would now send the shattered
masses left standing down upon The
people below, who look up to them and
shrink together as the tremor OF the
earthquake again passes under them,
and the mysterious reverberationss swell
and roll along like some Internal drum
beat summoning them to die. and it
passes away, and again is experienced
the blessed feeling of deliverance from
impending calamity, which it may well
be believed will provoke mute but
earnest offering of mingled prayer and
thanksgiving from every heart in tie
throng. ~ ~ iH59 a7T
Again, far along the street and up
from the alleys that lead into it on
either side is heard that chorus Of wall
ing and lamentation which, though it
had not ceased, was scarcely noticed a
moment before. 1t is a dreadful sound,
the sound of helpless, horror-stricken
humanity, old ana young, the strong
ana the feeble alike, where al are so
feeble, calling for help from their fellow
creatures and raising their anguished
voices in petition to Heaven for mercy,
where no human aid could avail 1t is
not a scene to be described by'any NOR
tai tongue or pen. 1t is not scene to
be forgotten when the witness has shar-
ed all it's dangers and felt all its agony.
The FIRST shock occurred at seven
minutes Of 10, as was indicated this
morning by the public clocks, the hands
on all of which had stopped at that
fateful hour, as though to mark the
end of time for so many who had heard
the preceding hour pealed forth by st.
Michael's chimes without a thought
but of long aud happy life. The second
shock, which was but faint, ,crisp.echo
of the first was felt eight minutes later.
As it passed away the writer started
homeward, to Gnd the scenes enacted
on Broad street, around the "NeWs
and Courier" office, repeated lat every
step of the way. st. Michael's steeple
lowered high and white above the
gloom, seemingly uniujured. The
station-house, massive brick building
across the street, had apparently lost
its roof. which had fallen around it. A
little further on the roof of portion OF
the Hit ernian Hall, handsome build
ing in the Grecian style, had crushed
to the ground, carrying down part OF
the massive granite pillars with it. All
the way up Meeting street, which in re-
spect of It's general direction and inn
portance may be called ''The Broadway
of Charleston" the roadway was piled
with debris from the tops of the walls.
In passing the Charleston Hotel,
which, to carry out the comparison a.
bove indicated, occupies the position of
Stewards uptown store in New York,
the third shock was felt about ten min
utes after the second, and, of course,
caused the greatest alarm in that neigh
borhood as elsewhere. At Marion
Square, corresponding exactly with
Union Square, New York,a great crowd
had collected, as even the edges OF the
wide spaces embraced I'M could not be
reached by the nearest buildings IN the
event of their fall. From this crowd,
composed of men, women and children
of both races, arose incessant calls and
cries of lamentation. while oyer the
motley half-dressed throng was seen
the lurid light of the confagration