The Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1885-1886, 1886-09-09

About 5000 People Have Left the CITY
for More CongeniaI Ouarters-work of
the Relief fCommittees-what a Promi-
nent Now York Architect Says OF the
Buildings of Charleston.
| CHARLESTON, 5. G., Sept 9.-At $40
Wednesday morning there was another
slight shock, but few persons felt it and no
panic ensued At daylight there was the
usual rush on the part Of the colorel people
Tor the public commiSsary, were rati0ns are
| distributed. The scenes about the streets
| Wednesday morning We're more lively and
the work of pulling down dismantled houses
and tottering walls is being continued The
money received here amounts now to more
| than Slo00 900, but this sum will scarcely do
more than relieve pressing and immediate
wants. The hearts of the people of Charles
ton are touched by the generosity of their
fellow citizens
The flight from the city continues. A
rough estimate gives the number of women
and children who have already left at about
5000. The railroads are granting free passes,
the issuance of which is entrusted to the mu-
nicipa authorities, To others special rates
are made
1t is ereditahie to the men of Charleston
| owever, TO be able to say that they are, with
but few exceptions, at their posts Many
who were away on their summer holiday
have returned, and those who have had to
carry their families away have hastened hack
to their posts of duty This is true Of rich
| and poor alike
The work of building sheds and putting up
| tents continues rapidly and in several sections
OF the city huge enrampmentS now appear
1t looks hike several big regiments were en-
camped IN Charleston But more accOmmo-
datlons are needed. In the colored quarters
the people are huddlcd together too close to
be comfortable. In some tents there are fif-
teen OF eighteen persons with arcommoda-
tions suitable for four or five The work of
the relief committees is conducted in a svs-
tematic and admirable manner No money
is given, but food and clothing is dispensed as
rapidly as they eau hepurcbased
There are very few visitors to Charleston
who stay over night The hotels are badly
damaged and most Of them are not in opera
ton. The Charleston hotel has but a dozen
OF fifteen rooms out of 10 that are habitable
and Of these many are so wrecked us 10 be
considered dangerous to live in
A prominent architect and builder from
New York, who was passing through the
city, indulged in a stroll through the streets
and took occasion to examine some of the
heaps Of mortar and brick. 1T seems to me-"
he said, that a good deal Of the destruction
in Charleston is due TO careless and imperfect
work. have noticed i'll very many in
stances that the mortar used in the constI1Ic-
tion of dwelling here is of very inferior
kind. IN some instances there h hardly any
traces of lime and cement Bricks which
are laid IN that kind of mortoE will not re
main together in any violent shock The
city authorities ought to have an official TO
inspect the material
There are builders not only Ill Charleston
but all over the world, who will take advan-
taSe of people and use cheap material l
have noticed several brick buildings standing
the walls of which are put up with an inferior
kind of mortar that will not hold bricks to
gether, and that is the kind suspect has been
used III many of the buildings that were shat
tered. notice good deal Of this peculiar
kind of mortar all over the city in great heaps
of debris. l don't mean to say that houses
built with proper mortar would have stood
the shocks of the earthquake you had III
Charleston, but am certain that the edestruc-
ton would not have been as great