St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1886-09-09
EARTHQUAKE SHOCKS.
A Vivid Description of the Charleston
Disaster.

description of his experiences during
the earthquake in that city last week
Tuesday:
While engaged in his usual duties in
the secOnd-stOry room of the News and
Courier office at the time of the first
shock the writer's attention was vague
| ly attracted by sound which seemed
to come from the Office below anC
which was supposed for a moment tC
be caused by the rapid rolling of {
heavy body, as an iron safe or heav-
ily laden truck over the floor. Accom-
panying the sound there was percep-
| tible tremor of the building, not more
marked, however, than would be caus'
ed by the passage of a street car oil
draw along the street. For perhaps
two or three seconds the occurrence
excited no surprise or comment. Then
| by swift degrees, or perhaps all al
once, it is difficult to say which, the
sound deepened in volume, the tremOl
became more decided, the ear caught
the rattle of window sashes, gas fix
lures and other loose objects. The
men in the office glanced hurriedly al
with startled questions and answers,
"What is that 2 Earthquake Y and then
all was bewilderment and confusion.
Then the long roll deepened and
spread into an awful roar that seemed
to pervade at once the troubled earth
and the still air above the ground.
The tremOr was now rude, rapid
culver that agitated the whole lofty,
strong walled building as though it
were being shaken by the hand of an
Unreasonable power, with intent to
tear it's joints asunder and scatter its
stones and bricks abroad, as a tree
casts it's DER ripened fruit before the
breath of the gale. There was no in
Permission in the vibration of the
mighty subterranean engine. From
the first to the last it was continuous
jar, only adding force at every mo-
ment, and as it approached and reach
ed the climax of its manifestation 1t
seemed for a few terrible seconds that
no work of human hands could posi-
bly, survive the shock. The floors
were heaving under foot, the surround
ing walls and partitions visibly sway
ed to and fro, the crash of falling mass
es of stone and brick and mortar was
heard overhead, and without the terri
BILE roar filled the ears, and seemed to
fill the mind aud heart, daZing percep-
ton, bewildering thought, and for a
few painting breaths, or while you held
YOUR breath in dreadful anticipation of
Immediate and cruel death, you felt
that life was already past, and waited
for the end as the victim with his
head on the block awaits the fall of the
uplifted axe.
1t is not given to many men to look
in the face of the destroyer and yet
live, but it is little to say that the
group of strong men who stunned the
experience above family described will
carry with them the recollection of
that supreme moment to their dying
day. None expected to escape. A
sudden rush was simultaneously made
to endeavOr to attain the open air and
flee to a place of safety but before the
door was reached all reeled together to
the tottering wall and stopped, feeling
that hope was vain, that it was only a
question of death within the building
or without to be buried by the sinking
roof or crushed by the topping walls.
The uproar slowly died away in seem
ing distance. The earth was still, and
oh, the blessed relief of that stiffness !;
but how rudely the stiffness was brOk-
en-. AS we dashed down the stairway
and out into the street, already on ev-
cry side arose the shrieks, the cries of
pain and fear, the prayers and vail
ings of terrified women and children,
commingled with the hoarse shouts of
excited men. Out in the street the air
was filled to the hight of the houses
with whitish cloud of dry, sitting
dust from the lime and mortar and
shattered masonry, which falling upon
the pavement and stone roadway had
been reduced to powder. Through this
cloud, dense as fog, the gas lights flick
cred dimly, shedding but little light,
so that you stumbled at every step
over the piles of brick or became en-
that depended in every direction from
their broken supports. On every side
were hurrying forms of men and wOm-
en- bareheaded, partially dressed, some
almost nude and many of them were
crazed with fear or excitement. Here
a woman is supported, half falnting,
i'm the arms of her husband, who vain
ly tries to sOOthe her, while he carries
her into the open space at the street
corner, where present safety seems as
sured there a woman lies on the pave
ment with upturned face and out
stretched limbs, and the crowd passes
her by for the time, not pausing to see
whether she be alive or dead.
A sudden light flares through win
dow overlooking the street, 1T becomes
mOmentarily brighter and the cry of
fire resOunds from the multitude. A
rush is made toward the spot. A man
is seen doubled up and helpless against
the wall, but at this moment, some
where out at sea, overhead, deep in
the ground, is heard again the low
ominOus roll, which is already too
we'll know to be mistaken. 1t grows
louder and nearer, like the grOwl of
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 their shattered
cOrnices and cOpings, the tops of their
frowning walls, seem piled from both
sides to the centre of the street. 1t
seems that a touch would now send
the shattered mass left standing down
upon the people below, who look up to
them and shrink together as the ire
NOR 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. 1t passes away and again
is experienced the blessed feeling of
deliverance from impending calamity,
which it may well be believed evOkes
a mute but earnest offering of mingled
prayer and thanksgiving from every
heart in the thrOng.
Again, far along the street, and up
fl ON the ALLEYS always that lead into