The Bad Lands cow boy. [volume] (Little Missouri, Dakota [i.e. N.D.]) 1884-1886, 1886-09-09
CHARLESTON in RUINS.
The Commercial Pride OF the Palmetto
IS State an Awful Scene of Wreck
and Death.
Three ourths of Charleston Destroyed
by Earthquake and Upwards OF
One Hundred Lives Lost.

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 telephone wires,
and up to an early hour it was almost i'm
possible 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
To add to the horror of the scene
.s N MANY FIRES BROKE OUT
and were Intellectually fought by the fire de-
partment The night was hideous with the
groans Of the Wounded and the prayers of
. the uninjured. Fully two-thirds of the resi-
sdences in the .citys are uninhabited and
wrecked either totally or partially. =
The loss by fire and earthquakes can be
placed safely ..c, !yi.<; " 4 Az m
2.5 AT FIVE MILLION DoIIARs +;
| As far as could be ascertained during the
; night fifteen to twenty were killed and a
much greater number wounded In all sorts
Of ways The loss of human life will be
large, and it will take days to get at the ac-
curate number s4't
AN EDITORS IMPRESSIONS.
The compositors Of the News and Courier
decline to work tonight, expecting fresh
shocks of earthquake, and the paper cannot
| therefore, issue tomorrow. The following
| article was prepared for publication In the
News and Courier: SECS. E',; ~. 50 !; {:
Necessarily the description that can be given
\ OF the disaster Which had befallen our city con-
sists Of the narration Of experiences and obser-
yations Of individuals, and the subject being
the same and the experiences of all being nearly
alike, the story told by one careful observers
may well stand for hundred others, with slight
| varnttnnH prnhph1 bapt dnaf hat MN ,ah had
the character OF the disturbance, therefore, mny
\ DO obtained from narration of The events and
scenes 81 tuesday night as they We're presented
duties in tho second story room of the
News and Courier office at the time
o.. The first !, shock the writer's atten;
which seemed to come from the office below, and
\ which was supposed for a moment to be caused
by the rapid rolling Of heavy body. as an iron
Accompanying the sound, there was q percept-
ible tremor of the building, not more marked.
however, than would be caused by. the
passage Of street car or dray along the street.
For two or three seconds the occurrence excited
no surprise or comment. Then the sound
dsepsnsd in volume, the tIem9s became more
sashes, gas fixtures and other loose OBJ
| jects. The men in the Office, with per-
e o e
hurrtedly at each other sprang to their feet with
| startled questions and answers. What is that?"
GartQQuaket ana G0en ali was DeW1lQerment
and spread into an awful roar that seemed
to pervade at once the troubled earth
and the still air above and around.
The tremor was now . rude, a rapid culver that
agitated The whole lofty, strong walled building
| as though It were being shaken by tho hand Of
joints asunder and scatter its stone and bricks
abroad as q tree casts its over-rpcned fruit be-
fore the breath of the gale There was no inter-
mission in the vibration Of the mighty sub
l. ter. QnAan enpfua the frat In the In ef
1t was continuous JAR only adding force at
every moment, and as it approached and reached
seemed for few terrible seconds that no work
of human hands could possibly survive the
shocks. The floors were heaving under foot, tho
surrounding walls and partitions vistbly swayed
THE CRASH OF FALLING STONE
and brick and mortar was heard overhead, and
seemed to fill the mind and heart dazing peroep-
| tfon, bewildering thought and for few painting
breaths, or while you held your breath in dread
felt that life was already past and waited for the
end as the victim with his head on the block
awaits the fall OF the uplfted Ak It Ia not given
and vet live, but it is little to say that tho group
of strong men who shared the experience
above family described, will carry with them
their dying day. None expected to escape. 4
sudden rush was simultaneously made to en-
deayor to attain the open air and fee to
reached reeed sore the
the tottering wall and stopped, feeling
that hope was vain, that It was only a question
buried by the sinking roof, or crushed by the
itoppling walls. The uproar slowly died away
in seeming distance. The earth was still, and oh,
rudely the silence was broken. As we
dashed down the stairway, and out into the
street, already on every side arose the shrieks,
ing Of terrified women and children. co-mingled
with the hoarse shouts Of excited men. Out in
the street the air was filled to the height Of the
houses with whitish, dry, sitting dust from
the lime and mortar and shattered masonry
which, falling upon the pavement and stone
roadway, had been reduced to powder. Through
cred dimly. shedding but little light. SO that
brick, Of become entaneied in the lines
in every direction from their broken
supports. On every side were hnrrying forms
Of men and women, bareheaded, partially
dressed some almost nude and many Of whom
were crazed with fear or excitement. Hero
2 woman L. supported half fainting IN
the arms Ct her ssr husp;s,nd who yainly
into the open space at the street corner
where present safety seems assured. There
woman lies on the pavement with up-turned
face and out-stretched limbs, and the crowds
alive or dead. 4 sudden light flashes through a
window overlooking the street, it becomes mo-
: .7 f1rs
~, CRY OF FIRE
resounds from the multitude A rush is made
toT1ru the spot man e seen doubled up and
at sea. overhead. deep in the ground isheard
again the low ominous roll which is already too
and nearer. like the growl Of wild beast swiftly
approaching his prey, and is forgotten again In
the frenzled wish for the open space where alone
either hand blot out the skies and the stars e.
ond seem to 8 oVerhang every foot of
ground between them. Their, shattered
se hs
3 OF tho street. It seems that touch would send
the shattered masses down upon the people be-
low, VINO 1ook up and shrink together as the
them, and mysterious rsverberations swell and
roll along like some Internal drum beat SUM
is experienced the blessed feeling Of release
from impending calamity Again far along the
street and up from the alloy ways that
Of watling and lamentations. which, though it
ment before. It Is dreadful sound,
stricken humanity: old and young, the strong
and feeble alike where all are so feeble, calling
for help from their fellow creatures and raising
Is not scene 10 b described By b. any sr mortal
ssnsas sss When on nss sssas
feels safe. Tho first shock occurred az seven
minutes Of 10. This was indicated this morn.
Ing by public clocks, the hands OF all Of which
bad stopped At that fateful hour. The second
shock, which was but . faint Z and crisp
echo Of the first, was felt eight minutes
Il Inter As II passed away the writer started
Z homeward to find the scenes enacted on Broad
L street er5snd tho News and Courier office res
gpeated at every step OF the way. Tho station,
Z house, massive brick building across the
street, had apparently lost ita roof, which had
fallen around IT A little further on the roof 81
i the portico Of Hibernian hall . andsoms build
Ing. had a53 d N;
0RAsHKD 70 THE aRouND,
lars with IL. All the way up Meeting street,
which, tn respect Of its general direction snd
importance. may be called the Broadway Of
Charleston, the roadway was fIlod with debrss
from The tops OF tho wallis In the Charles
ton hotel which the third shock 81 VIE
felt about ten minutes after the second. and Of