Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1886-09-11
THE EARTHQUAKE

Ii was linposSlulc, DcCausC VI ahS
pressf,re of other matter, for us to give
all extended account in our last issue OF
the terrible earthquake which on Tues
day night of last week, wrecked, more
or less. three fourths of the city Of
Charleston, S. S.; but it was an event
of such magnitude that we cannot re-
frain from speaking of it even now.
DESCRIPTION OF CHARLESTON.
Charleston has &C, 900 inhabitants, of
whom 2S,OO0 are negroes, and is the
largest city of South Carolina. 1t 10
built on tongue of land between the
Ashley and the Cooper rivers, which
unite Immediately below the town,
forming the hsrbor. This commune
Gates with the ocean seven miles from
the town, at Sullivan's island. The
Cooper and Ashley rivers are from
twenty to thirty feet deep and from
/, 800 to 1000 yards wide. The ground
on which the city is built is elevated
about eight feet above the level of the
water at high tide and about fourteen
ABOVE THE LOWEST WATER.
The water front OF the city is nine
miles long. Across the mouth OF the
harbor rises a sandbar, divided by two
channels which furnish entrance to
shipping The harbOr is defended by
Forts Pinckney and Sumter, the first
two miles and the other six miles below
the city. each on an island, and by
Fort Noultrie on Sullivan's islandss
The city is one of the most beautiful
81 T,i fofn n
descriptions is often called
THE VENICE OF AMERICA.
1t is regularly built and is three miles
broad. Most of the streets run at right
angles to each other and many Of them
are over seventy teet broad. These are
planted with shade trees. The houses
are generally of brick and wood, few
of stone. They are often built with a
southern piazza, and covered with vines,
while the front yards filled with
the magnolia, palmetto, peach and
orange trees. enbOwering the building
in masses of foliage.
The principal public buildings are
the custom house, City hall, courthouse,
citadel, academy of music, orphan
asylum snd the arsenal. The custom
house is q handsome edifice, built OF
granite and white marble. In the
southern part of the city is a small park,
called the Battery or White Point gar
den, which 10 popular place to prom
enade. Its most important literary and
educational institutions are the Charles.
ton college, the medical college OF
South Carolina, the high school, 9
normal school for girls, and the Charles
ton library. The city has forty church
es. Its handsomest is St. MichsePl
Episcopal, which Is reported
sHATTEEED BY THE EARTHQUAKE.
1t is brick structure, with 2 steeplt
1876 feet high, and chime Of beits i'm.
ported from England In 1854. john =
Calhoun lies buried i'm the church yard
Among the benevolent institutions ar,
the city hospital, the confederate hom'
for widows, the almshouse, the asylum
for the aged and infirm and the orphan
asylum, which will accommodate 30'
children. There are also Catholic or
phan asylums and convent. The cit.
is also the seat of Catholic bishop
Two daily papers and several week.!
papers are published there. The cit.
has three large public halls, three ma
tional banks, four state banks, two
saving banks, five machine shops, sever
cotton presses, several grlst mills, ship
yards, buggy factory, dry dock 70
large vessels, and several manufacture
ot phosphate of lime.
Charleston is the commercial city o
South Carolina, and has an advantage
Gus position for trade, its harbor beinl
deep enough for the largest ships. 1t
chief articles of export are cotton, rice
phosphate, naval stores and lumber
The city has a large wholesale trade il
dry goods, clothing and drugs. Steam
ships ply regularly between this por
and New York Philadelphia, Baltimore
and Florida. The railroads meet here
the South Carolina, tho Northeastern
aud the Savannah and Charleston
Steam terryboals run regularly from
the city to Sullivan's island, which is
popular summer resort, with
GOOD BEACH FOR BATHING.
Charleston has two lines of horse cars
one OF which transports freight from th'
fsrtns on the neck to the wharves. 4
lighthouse at the entrance of Charles
ton harbor exhibits a revolving ligh
l25 feet high