Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1886-09-04
PERSONAL EXPERIENCES.
Interviews With Gentlemen From the
stricken City.

Interviews With Gentlemen From the
stricken City.
WASHINGTON, September 3.-The first
paSsengers coming north from Charleston,
;. c., arrived this morning. They were
unable to leave Charleston until yesterday
morning, on account OF the interrupted
railroad communication. Thomas Ii. Fol-
son, of Baltimore, one of those passengers,
gave q reporter an account OF his expert
enCeS:
Il was stopping at the Charleston
Hotel, a" he said. IL was in my room, which
was on the third floor. When lit my gas
heard noise and supposed had broken
something but could find nothing broken.
| went to place my hat on bureau and
lust then the shock came. would have
fallen ifI had not thrown my hands out
and cluug TO the window. 1t seemed rs
though the hotel was lifted up and
SWING BACKWARDS AND FORWARDS,
a distance OF fifteen or twenty inches. At
each vibration / was terrified. At the tirS
shock the lights in the house all went out.
Then the plastering began to fall. 1t flash
ed on nv mind that l should endeaYor to
ret out of the house, and got out into the
corridor and CROPPED my way IN utter dark
ness and amid falling plaster. The other
people in the house were likewise cropping
their way out. The air was filled with
plaster dust. All around was terrible
roaring and moaning sound, and the din
was heightened by the falling OftimberS.
I found the front door of the house closed
A fortunate thing for me, rs 1t
SAVED MY LIFE.
II took me a moment to find the KNOB ana
rs / was looking for it, tons OF brick fell
down from the upper part of the house, IN
front ofthe door. ran ont through the
beaps of fallen bricks and fell twice IN
Getting to the middle of the street. There
/ remained terror-stricken. Two shocks
come after reached the middle OF the
street-a faint one seven minutes after the
first and another, more violent, nine MIN
utes later. The three shocks occurred
within sixteen minutes. L remained IN
front of the hotel until l o'clock. did
not know what to do. Twas so unnerNed
that could scarcely stand. As 1t became
uuieter, no more shocks occurring. l went
ap the street tO an open space and re-
manned there until 3 o'clock. There We
had
ANOTHER SLIGHT SHOCK.
At3o'clock | went to the Battery Park
and found il crowded, several thousands
Of terrified people having assembled there,
There I remained during the remainder oi
the night At > O'Clock another iaint
shock was felt. At daylight, /, like Others;
felt more encouraged and l moved around
TO see what destruction had been done
I found at the Battery front some OF the
most costly houses in the city cracked
from the ground to the top, and some pOr-
tions of the buildings were destroyed COM
pletely. The terror among the people
during the night was intense. They
rushed through the streets
FRANTICALLY CALLING ON GOD
n have mercy on them. People who,
perhaps, never prayed before, then prayed
aloud. The greatest terror and confusion
reigned everywhere. The people, when
the shock came, ran men, women ana
children. out into the streets intherr night
clothing and remained in that way during
the night huddlel together in the street.
None would venture back into the houses:
Mr.. Folsom said that he thought the
published estimate ofdamage was too low,
and that three-fourths of the city would
have to be rebuilt. The people killed
were killed while leaving their houses, by
the falling of debris All who could leave
the city were leaving yesterday.
Mr.. p. T. Bennett left Charleston yes
terday on the first outward train. There
were five cars
PACKED WITH REFUGEES.
For the first two miles the train moved
very slowly. The rails were twisted. As
the train went along the people in the eaI
noticed another shock. This further
twisted the rails. 1t was, however, posi-
BILE to proceed slowly. The people are al
work digging in the ruins for bodies, and
until that work is completed 1t viii be I'M