River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1886-09-09
AN EARTHQUAKE NEARLY DESTROYS
CHARLESTON. 5. G.

A Telegram from Charleston during the
day Of September LIST says:
An earthquake, such as has never before
been known in the history of this city,
swept over Charleston last night shortly
after 10 O'Clock, causing more loss and
injury to property and far more loss Of
life than the cyclone of a year before. The
city is wrecked. the streets are encountered
with masses of fallen bricks and tangled
telegraph and telephone wires, and up TO
an early hour it was almost impossible TO
pass from one part of the city to another.
The first shock was by far the most
severe. Most OF the people, with their
families passed the night in the
streets, which this morning were crowded
with people afraid To re-enter their homes.
From fifty 70 one hundred persons were
killed and wounded, chiefly colored. The
principal business portion Of the city was
destroyed, aud hundreds of persons were
rendered homeless. Men were frantic
women were Deseeching mercy from above,
and children were in tears. The main sta
ton house, the city hall, Hibernian hall,
and many other well-known public build
ings, including 81. Michae!'s church, we're
damaged. BrOadstreet presented a spec
tacle of the utmost horror. Even women,
armed with hatchets, fought to rescue the
imprisoned unfortunates. Meeting street
from Broad to HaZen is a wreck, and is lin
ed with unfortunates. To add to the hoT-
ror of the scene many fires broke out and
were Intellectually fOuSnL Og the I1e depart
ment. The night was hideous with the
grOans of the wounded and the prayers of
the uniniured. Fully two thirds of the resi-
deLces in the city are uninhabited and
wrecked either totally or partially. At
the time OF the first shock, fire broke out in
five different places in the city. About
twenty houses were destroyed by fire. IL
is estimated that only 100 houses in the city
are occupied ct this time. The people are
ell encanped on the open places. All the
stores are closed and a scarcity OF prOvis-
ions is feared, not from want of provisions
mt because no one can be got to
go into stores to sell them. Anoth-
er telegram at midnight on the LIST
says two more damaging shocks occurred
IN the evening and the people were in a
continuous panic. Reports from Savan-
nah, Raleigh, Columbia, Beaufort, Atlsnta
and in fact all through the South show
that the earthquake was general in that
region ard in some cases as many as six
teen shocks were felt.
The summing up of the situation at
Charleston, Sept ,, shows 33 killed, 100
wounded, and the damage TO property fully
sending supplies and the War department
shelter tents.
About midnight on the 81 inst, Charles
ton experienced another violent shock of
earthquake. The people turned out into
the streets in great alarm. Only one per-
son was killed and that was by q falling
wall. The shock was felt all along the
South Atlantic coast.
At $3.50 on the evening of the 4th, Charles
ton and Columbia, >. c., Savannah, and
Augusta, Ga, he'd another shock OF earth
quake, which as usual, greatly alarmed
the people. No very serious damage was
done. In Charleston the damage is
valuation Of taxable property is So. co.
600.