Herald and tribune. [volume] (Jonesborough, Tenn.) 1869-current, 1886-09-09
a Gentieman's Account of His Expert

y ShcSouht Va AIih EAIltTI-
y ence. .
WASHINGTON, Sept. 4.-Thc Critic this
evening prints a most graphic and thrill.
ing account Of a gentleman's experience
in Charleston last Tuesday night. This
gentleman arrived in Washington to-day
and thus relates his story:
Il had been conscious all the evening
Of a strange feel of dread. There was a
subtle influence in the air, a mysterious
something that filled the mind with a feel.
ing of gloom and nervous expectancy.
But seeing no apparent cause for giving
way to this weak dread / tried to throw
IL of, but could not.
81 went to my room about 10 o'clock to
get ready TO retire. Just as ] was about
ito undrcss there was a heavy trembling
of the house. l stopped short in my
preparations and stood in the middle of
the floor half paralyzed with fright. L
realized that 1t wa an earthquake and
something seemed to warn me that the
worst had not come. Before l could
move from my place the shock came with
q horrible sound of cracking timber, the
house rocked TO and fro, throwing me off
my feet. = aEI (
~ picked myself up and found ! was
IN UTTER DARKNESS,
the light having gone out. The house
was still trembling, the plaster falling
and the air filed with a choking dust.
have faced death manytimes in my life,
but never have l had such an experience
as that; cropping in darkness for the door
that / couldn't find and the floor rolling
and trembling beneath me, expecting eve
~ second to go down with the building
into a crushed, shapeless mass under III,
timbers. aa,
cat last | reached the street. A stranp,
silence was all around. The first crasl
of falling walls was over and the peopl,
had not recovered their frightened wits.
THROUGH A BLINDINa SIZZLING HAZE
of mortar and dust shone the glare of tn,
street lamps. Suddenly there was
scream and then all around me | hear,
cries OF terror, groans Of anguish an,
pain. and an indescrlbable uproar. PEG
pie knelt down right in the middle of th
streets and prayed aloud to be saved
swaying backward and forward with eacl
successive shock, while bricks and tile
fell all around them.
81 knew that q tidal wave USUALLY fol
lowed an earthquake, so | selected a tai
tree and stood by ready to climb up O.
the slightest warning. After a. while
seeing that the danger Of atidal wav
was past, | walked around to see tn
ruins. No one felt like standing still a
any one place, and all night the street
were lined with people walking hithe
and thither; some crying, some praying
others cursing, but all wearing the sam
air Of nervous expectancy. like a persol
being hunted down by a foe that wa
likely TO spring upon them at any Inc
ment.
Sat every recurring shock the peopl
would stop and with bated breath an,
blanched faces anxiously await the pass
Ing OF the quake, not knowing what mo
ment the earth would open and swalloy
them. In the middle Of the street
LITTLE FIssUREs WOULD OPEN
In the pavement, from which issuet
small streams Of boiling water and
blush mud. This would be followed b,
an emission Of a warm substance resem
bling heavy paint. l subsequently, say
traces OF the same phenomenon In In
surrounding country, the holes in som
places being Q feet in circumference.
"The next day / spent In n fruitless en-
deavor to get out of town. There wer
no trains, because there were no railroads
The very roadbeds were DESTROYED, an,
In places the rails were twisted up. Tn
day following the night Of the quake wa
a painful one, and as people began to re
alize the deplorable damage done and tn,
terrific force of the Quakes they becam,
more alarmed. / saw two.story fran,
houses, the second stories Of which wer,
twisted completely around and lay eros!
ways Of the lower stories.
"Some houses were tilted right up OF
end, walls bullying out all around ant
heavy iron columns bent outward. N,
one can form an adequate idea Of
the scene unless 1t was witnessed. NJ
one thought Of eating that day, and be
sides there was nothing to cat, for PEG
pie were afraid TO enter their houses !,
cook. Not a negro cook or waiter could
be induced to go to work.
THE SECOND NIGHT
spent aboard Of a little steamer which
was TO go to Beaufort the next day. There
were 100 people aboard and we oil stayed
out on deck. We wanted to be where VIC
could jump. l fell asleep on the deck,
and about 10 o'clock was awakened by d
shock. We all sat up until II passed,
There were three shocks that night.