Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1886-09-09
THE EARTHQUAKE
AT CHARLESTON, S. C.
Houses Shaken Into Ruins with Great
Loss of Life-Widespread
Destruction.

morning, and the apprehensions as to
the severity of the earthquake in that
city fully confirmed.
THE FIRST NEWS.
a dispatch from Charleston, received
at II a. m., gave the following details:
An earthquake, such as has never be-
fore been known in this 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 year
before. The city is wrecked. The streets
are encountered with masses of fallen
bricks and tangled telegraph and tele-
phone wires. 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 passed the night in the
streets, which even this morning are
crowded with people afraid to re-enter
their houses. More than sixty persons
were killed and wounded chiefly colored.
Three or four fires started in as manv
sections with the first shock and the city
was soon illuminated with flames, thus
leading all to believe that what was left
by the earthquake would be devoured by
fire. However, the fire department was
so we'll divided and handled that the
fires we're under control by daylight.
From fifteen to twenty residences and
stores we're consumed. The loss of hu-
man life will be large, and it will take
days to get at the accurate number
Shocks equally as severe were felt at
distance of 80 miles, and have done in.
estimable damage to railroad ond tele-
graph property. Charleston is now en-
tirely isolated from the outside world
The principal business portion of the
city was destroyed, and hundreds of
persons were rendered homeless. Men
were frantic, women were beseeching
mercy from the Almighty and children
were in tears. Broad street presented a
spectacle of the utmost horror. Even
women, armed with hatchets, fought
vaiantly to rescue the imprisoned un>
fortunates. The night was hideous with
the groans of the dying, the screams of
the wounded and prayers of the unin+
Jured.
The city is wrapped in gloom and bu-
siness is entirely suspended. People
generally remain in the streets in tents
and under improyised shelter, and will
camp out tonight, fearing another
shock. Hardly house in the city es-
capped injury, and many are so shaken
and cracked that hard blow would
bring them to the ground.
The shock was severe at Summerville
and Mt. Pleasant and Sullivan's Island,
but no loss of life is reported. Fissures
in the earth are noticed. from which
fine sand, apparently from great depth,
exudes. A sulphurous smell is noticea-
BILE.
ANOTHER QUAKE.
A special from Charleston dated at
p. M, says:
Ats o'clock this morning another
wave swept over the city, coming as the
other did, from the southeast, and going
in northwest direction. By that time
the people who had been out in the pub
lie parks and open places all night had
returned into their houses to get their
clothing and something to eat. The apt
proach of the quake was heralded by the
usual rumbling sound resembling dis
tant thunder. Then it gradually ap-
preached, the earth quiverad and heav-
ed, and in three seconds it had passed,
the sound dying out in the distance.
This is the only wave felt since 2 80
this morning. 1t was not destructive,
all the destruction having been done at
wreck. St. Miehael's Church and st.
Phillips Church, two of the most histor
ie churches in the city, are in ruins. as
is also the Hibernian Hall, the police
station and many other public buildings.
Fully two-thirds of t he residences in the
city are uninhabitable-wr wrecked either
totally or partially. 1t is expected that
between so and 100 persons have been
killed and several hundred wounded.
Scarcely 100 houses in the city are occu-
pied at this time. The people are camp
ed in the open places.
A later dispatch says: Two slight
shocks of earthquake have been felt
since the first at S:25 this morning and
one about l 80 p. m., neither doing any
further destruction. Not even during
Gen. GiimOre's bOmbardment of the city
has there been such deplorable state
of affairs here. The city is literally in
ruins. There is great rush to the rail
road depOts to get away, but owing to
the earthquakes no trains have been able
to be dispatched from the city. Tele-
graphic communication is also cut off
save one wire of the Southern Telegraph
Company, which is crowded with aHX-
ious private messages. 1t is impossible
to depict the ruin and desolation that
prevail here. Not single place of bu-
siness in the city is open, save drug
store, which is busy preparing prescrip'
tions for the wounded. 1t is impossible
also to give any correct estimate of the
killed and wounded. as bodies are con.
stantly being disinterred from the debris
of wrecked houses. Many of the dead
are lying unburied, these being of the
poorer classes of colored people who
await burial by the county. .
Without any other violent shock of
earthquake it is calculated that at least
three-fourths of the city will have to be
H. ko-uos .... l.