The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1886-09-11
In the Ruined Ulty.

CHARLESTON, September 4.-Liv-
ing in this city this week has been
almost as perious as life on the side
of Vesuvius. Not only has the earth
quaked, and split in places. and
shaken down hundreds of buildings.
but sulphurous fumes in the air, aris-
ing from the great cracks in the earth
outside the city, is evidence that the
terrible subterranean fires are close to
the surface in this vicinity, Another
severe shake last night low, distant
rumblings early this morning. and a
shower of pebbles to-day. certainly
indicate that this old Southern city is
peculiarly unfortunate in its situation
at present. The reign of terror still
exists. 1t had subsidized somewhat
until the shock late last night, when
repetition of Tuesday nights scenes
occurred. Mothers, with their babes
in their arms. with no covering from
the cool night air but their night
dresses, ran from their Vickety houses
to the open squares again. Here and
there on the street corners, about
midnight. could be seen groups of
white robed women huddled together
trembling with fear and asking each
other what would happen next. One
young woman was so startled by the
shaking of the house she was in that
she leaped from bed and jumped out
of a second story window. A man
who was passing at the time put out
his arms and broke her fall. though
she sprained her ankle. Most of the
newspaper correspondents did not
return to their crowded quarters in
the hotel after the shock last night,
but remained on the streets until day.
light. 1t is estimated that upwards
of a hundred families have left the
city. Most of these are wealthy PEG,
pie, who will remain away until their
homes are rebuilt. So nervous and
terrified have the people become that
when they are up on the second or
third floors of their houses and some
one down stairs slams door or drops
a heavy weight, they will rush terri
fed from the building. A wedding
that was to have taken place Thurs.
day has been postponed. The BRIDE
elect is suffering from nervous pros
tration, caused by the shock of Tues
day night. The shock last night
caused several more buildings that
had been weakened in their founda-
ton by the first earthquake to topple
and fall. The Ne,cs and Courier
building again shook terribly. and the
employees ran out.
One woman was killed last night in
a building that fell. She was struck
and crushed by falling timbers. The
same terrible rumbling sound was
heard last night second before the
ground trembled, and also during the
vibrations. The fearful underground
growlings gives strength to an idea
growing in the minds of many of the
terrified citizens that the subterrane-
an volcanic fires under the city has
doomed it to destruction. The action
on the surface of the earth between
Charleston and Summerville would
seem to encourage the volcano theory.
One cannot travel half a mile without
finding long cracks in the ground.
Sand has been belched forth during
the convulsions, and lies in piles like
Some of this sand is brick
dust red and fine as -four. In places
whre there has been no rain for ten
days there are pools of water the col
or of white clabaugh whey. Some of
the little hills have holes in the GEN.
ter. through which had spurted
blue, oily mess, not unlike crude pc.
troleum, but having no odor. Many
persons residing in the country de-
clare that on the night of the great
they saw Jets of sulphur
Gus flame shoot up ten and twenty
feet high from the cracks in the earth.
The sulphurous smell was in the air
the day after the shocks. and even
now you can detect the strong odOr of
sulphur by putting your head close
to the ground near the assures. Sev-
eral families on the country roads
leading out of Charleston have been
fonnd living under big trees, the
leafy branches of which afford the
only protection they have. A short
distance off may be seen their houses
in ruins. The rising of the ground
in some parts and its falling in others
Is another remarkable feature of the