The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1886-09-09

earth was still and, oh the blessed re-
lief of that stiffness but how rudely
the silence was broken. AS we DASH
ed down the stairway and out into the
street already on every side arose the
shrieks, and the cries of pain and fear,
and prayers and wailings of terrified
women and children, commiugled
with the hoarse shouts of excited men.
Out in the street the air was filled to
the height of the houses with a whit
ish cloud of dry, sitting dust from the
lime and mortar and shattered ma
sonry, which falling upon. the pave
ment and stone roadway, had been re-
duced to powder. Through this cloud,
dense as fog, the gas lights fickered
dimly, shedding but little, so that you
stumbled at every step over the piles
of brick or became entangled in the
lines of telegraph wires that depended
in every direction from their broken
supports. On every side were hurri-
ing forms of men and women bare
headed, partially dressed, some almost
nude, and many of whom we're crazed
with fear or excitement. Here a wo-
man is supported, half fainting, in the
arms of her husband, who vainly tries
to soothe her while he carries her into
the open space at the street corner,
there a woman lies on the pavement
with upturned face and outstretched
limbs, and the crowd passes her by for
the tune, not pausing to see whether
she be alive or dead.
ANOTHER TREMoR.
A sudden light flares through win
dow overlooking the street. 1t be.
comes momentarily brighter, and the
cry of "Firel" resounds from the null
titude. A rush is made toward the
spot. A man is seen doubled up and
helpless against the wall but at this
moment, somewhere out at sea, over
head, deep in the ground, is heard
again that ominous roll which is al
ready to be mistaken. 1t grows loud
er and nearer, like the growl of a wild
beast swiftly approaching his prey,
and is forgotten again in the frenzied
rush for the open space, where alone
there is hope OF security, faint though
it be. The tall buildings on either
hand blot out the skies and the stars.
and seem to overhang every foot OF
ground between them. Their shatter-
ed cornices and coping, the tops Of
their frowning walls, seem piled from
both sides to the centre of the street
! 1t seems that touch would now send
the shattered masses left standing
down upon the people below, who look
up to them and shrink together as the
tremor of the earthquake again passes
under them, and the mysterious rever
berations swell and roll along like
some internal drum beat summoning
them to die, and it passes away and
again is experienced the blessed feel
ing Of deliverance from impending
calamity, which it may well be believ
ed evokes mute but earnest offering
OF mingled prayer and thanksgiving
from every heart in the throng.
WEEPING AND WAILING
Again far along the street and W
from the alleys that fead into it OF
either side is heard that chorus o
wailing and lamentation which, though
it had not ceased, was scarcely motto
ed moment before. 1t is a dreadful
sound, the sound OF helpless, horro
stricken humanity, old and young
the strong and the feeble alike, wher
all are so feeble, calling for help iron
their fellow creatures and raising thei
anguished voices in petition to Heav
en- for mercy, where no human al,
: could avail. 1t is not a scene to b
: described by any mortal tongue or per
1t is nota scene to be forgotten whel
one has shared all its danger an,
: feft all its agony. The first shock oC
Cured at 8 :53. as was indicated thi
r morning by the public clocks, tn
, hands on all of which had stopped a
. that fatefu. hour, as though to mar
! the end of time for so many who ha
I heard the preceding hour pealed fort
by St. Michael's chimes without
! thought but of long and hal
l py life. The second shock, which wa
but faint and crisp echo of the frs
was felt eight minutes later. AS
passed away the writer started home
i ward to find the scenes enacted 0
: Broad atreet around the News an
q Courier Office repeated at every ste
i OF the way. The station house, a ma
}, sive brick building near St. Michael
Church, had apparently lost its roo
,, which had fallen around ii. A lit
Q further on the roof of the portico
s the Hibernian Hall, handsom
Q building in the Grecian style, ha
= crashed to the ground, carrying dow
q part of the massive granite pillars wit
IS it. All the way up Meeting stree
e which, in respect of its general dire
r ton and importance, may be callt
y "the Broadway of Charleston" IL
81 roadway was piled with debris fro
A, the tops Of the walls. In passing IL
q Charleston Hotel, which, to carry o.
n thecomparison above indicated, occ
'r pies the position of Stewards uptov
Of store in New York. the third sho,
'e was felt, about ten minutes after Il
lg second, and, of caurse, caused Il
ID greater alarm in that neighborhoo
o, as elsewhere. At Morton square, &C
le responding exactly with Union squal
r New York, a great crowd had collecte
IL as even the edges of the wide spac
10 embraced in it could not be reach
n, by the nearest buildings in the eye
w of their fall.
lu FIERCE FIRES RAGING
"a "a From this crowd, composed of me
~ ~ women and children of both rae
eJ eJ arese incessant calls and cries and
~ AZ mentations, while over the mott,
= half dressed throng was shed the lul
light Of the conhagration which h
hrok o., nnt met hevnnd the snIls