The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1886-09-08


and then thar. The operator who had
charge Of the Indianapolis wire was gstting
a message Al that very moment, and the click
ing instrument had spelled o the last letter
Of the word s~,esrtllquake,r when the table
began to rock backward and forward. The
other tables followed suit, and cold chlls
nm up and down the ~oreufors' backs.
Every face in the nom gu very white. and
Wild eyes turned up to the ceiling and to-
wards the walls. a. they were the most likely
things TO move next. The oscillation lasted
about 20 seconds. Some Of the men felt ike
boiling leadlong out of the building and
Others, with bland and childlike confidence,
sought the Signal Service officer, two doors
below. Tie latter had not. strange TO say,
felt the earthquake at all.
Fifty yards away from the Western Union
building another scare of large proportions
was developed In the sixth story of the
rickefy. ramshackle, old building al the cor
ner OF Virgin alley and Wood street. the
compositors were setting up" the Post. The
earthquake came along, and il seemed as if
tit ofInit>ittf- NtIt dttfut 70 ffidht u sum
den and totally unexpected trip to the cellar.
The imposing stones wobbled about as If
they We're suffering from hysteria. the type
got pied, the foreman turned very pale and
there was a sudden and simultaneous desire
born in the breast of every man present TO
rush for the IGOR. When the last printer
had got into the street il was found that no
one was hurt. and the men went back TO
their cases.
There was no end Of a disturbance of af-
fairs in the Duquensc Club, on Sixth avenue.
The four-story building in which the club is
located has never been renowned for its ex-
cess of stability, and after the earthquake of
last night its escape from collapse seemed
and the floors above aplered to nave been
visited by spirits. and very bad spirits al that.
The pictures hung in every variation upon a
right line. the fans and other mantel orna-
ments lay On the floor, the bullets and side
boards had not a bottle standing upright mp
ON them, and, in short, everything that was
movable hid taken "A very decided move in
a new direction. There were not many
members of the club in the rooms at the
time. and they were more surprised than
frightened.
The audience al Harry Williams Academy
of Music were surprised when he best part
of the programme had been given TO see the
scene al the back part of the stage suddenly
fr.ra .,.un IN RI. pafJ1fs There "A mn
nens of uneasiness which, had the shocks
been plainly felt, might have grown into a
panic. The stage carpenters forced the sec
tons of the scenery together, and nobody
dreamed that the accident was the work of
CONFUSION of nature. At the other play
houses no one seemed To feel the disturb
At THE HOTKIs.
At the hotels the shock created considera-
Bile excitement. No damage was done, but
several hundred guests were pretty badly
frightened.
At the Duquesne. which, is the tallest and
narrowest hotel building in town, a billowy
motion was very noticeable. Anumber of
guests became light headed and ran to the
office, thinking the house was t%ottering pre-
iaratory 10 falling down.
Mr.. Dewitt c. Billsby, of Media, who had
a room on the third floor. said II was sit
ting in my room when | noticed a peculiar
swaying motion. The rocking chairs began
10 rock and the chandelier swung To and fro.
] became quite dizzy and ran down to the
office. Ny son, who looked from our room
window about the time of the shock, said
that the City Hall building seemed 10 be
rocking"
Charles G. Roosa. of New York, who was
also a guest at the hotel, said was
writing at a table when things began to rock.
The ink splasl,ed over the top of the bottle,
and the table shook a. though il had the
| thought the house was coming
down, and got down stairs as quick rs pos
sihIe.H
At the Hotel Anderson there was quite an
excitement. Down in the office the shock
was not felt, but from the second floor up
the building shook enough to send the guests
stairs in remarkably quick time.
Chairs and tables rocked and chandeliers
swayed back and forth, hut beyond the
frightening of the guests no damage was
done.
At the Monongahela Honse and the
Avenue Hotel the shock created IA
good deal of stir. People ran down stairs
from the top stories, and some of the more
excitabie got clear out into the streets before
they realized that the house was still stand
ing and the danger was over.