The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1886-09-04
AN EARTHQUAKE

n u ~ IN
Our Part of the Earth Badly Shaken Up
South-Cnarleston, SC, Partly i'll Ruins
The are many calamitieS that are apt
to occur in this part of the world and of
which people are in dread such as rail
road and steamboat accidents, great con
| dagrations, mine explosions, and the like,
but of the earthquake but few forebod-
ings are bad. This novelty was exper-
fenced by the people of Cecil county as
well as by the residents of many other
other parts OF the United States on Tues
day night. 'ihe earthquake was precepti-
BILE here about 10 o'clock, some say "a few
moments sooner, some a few later. Every
thing began to shake and low rumbling
noise some what resembling the sound of
a moving railroad train was heard Those
that were lying in bed awake felt the
shock more perceptibly than any others.
An ex-naval officer was awakened
|
it was, as he had felt a more serious one
in Peru years since. Many persons
thought that the shaking of their bed
was Caused by some one under it. We
have heard of several instances in town
where the ladies who had for OF ce failed
to look under the bed for dreadful"
man, came to the conclusion that he was
there at last and raised no end of a racket.
| The - year old son of a we'll known res
| ident called down stairs for his sister to
come up that he had chill aud was
the boy was not cold, the conclusion was
| jumped to that there was man under
the bed and the young lady quickly de-
parted for more comfortable quarters.
| The pitchers ratified in the washbowls
and dishes clattered together. Chande-
liers shook, one with glass pendants in
| fashionable Main street residence making
considerable noise. Clocks and watches
were stopped by the shock. A gentle
man residing on Main street, in the bust
ness section, heard his door bell ring and
| it continued to do so until after he had
reached the door, when ne found that no
one wanted admittance. A prominent
farmer residing few miles north of Elk
ton informs us that scatfolding on which
he placed tomatoes to ripen Was knocked
down during the night and he thinks it
was caused 10y the shock. Many women
and children wera badly frightened;
others again, strange to say. did not feel
the shock at all and did not know of the
cal thqnake until they were told or read
of it III the papers In Baltim Ore several
ladies tainted and some sick people be-
came worse. In the Baltimore american
office the shock was felt by some and not
by others. At Washington it was quite
severe and came near creating panic at
Albaughs opera house. The occupants
of the gallery jumped to their feet as soon
as the shaking began and rushed down
stairs falling over one another in their
efforts to escape from the building aud
stopped for nothing until they reached
the streets. The telegraph operators of
that city had been informed that the
shock was coming by operators of Atlanta
but regarded it as a joke. 1t was dis
tinctly felt in Philadelphia. In New York
it occurred at 9:51 1t was very severe
at points in the south, but light or not
| felt at all in the western and New Eng
land states.
At Charleston, s. c., it was more Sc
we're than at any other place. We give
below dispatches describing the disaster.
CHARLESTON, S. c., Sept. The
| city of Charleston is wrapped in gloom
and business is entirely suspended. The
| city is Literally i'll ruins and the people
are living in the open sqlares and public
parks. Not even DUNG General Gil
more's bnmbardment of the city has
there ever been such a dep.orabie state
| of affairs.
The first shock of earthquake was felt
appro aching last night AT 800. aud before
| people could realize what The trouble
was they found themselves being thrown
around ana the houses falling down Gu
them. Everyone ran screaming into the
|
wild with human beings perfectly crazed
| with the fright. On all sides you could
hear EXPLANATIONS such as My God, save
u.s. God, have mercy upon us sinners
| and people could be seen kneeling every
where IN groups offering up pray
| The first shock was followed imme-
diately by another, though OF less effect,
but renewing the screams, and shrieks
and from the time of the beg iuning to
| daylight shocks were felt at intervals of
| half hours, but each succeeding one be-
| ing less distinct. Three or four fires
started in as many sections with the first
shock, and the city was soon illuminated
with flames, thus leading all to believe
what was left by the earthquake would
be devoured by fire. However, the fire
department was so well divided and
| handled that the fires were gotten under
control by daylight. From - to 20 resi-
dences aud stores were consumed. The
loss by fire and shock cannot be accu-
rately estimated, but Can be placed safely
at 5000, 600.
As far as could be aScertained during
the night, b We're KILLED and a much
| greater number wounded in all sorts of
WAYS. The number will be large, and it
will take days to get at the accurate
number. Shocks equally as severe were
| felt at distance OF 30 miles, aud have
| done inestimable damage to railroad and
telegraph properties
| St. Mlchael's church is shattered and
the steeple will come down. likewise the
steepe of St Phillips. The steeple of
the Uuitarian church has fallen. The
porticoes of Hibernian Hall and the
station house are demolished. There is
much injury to mansions on the Fast and
South Battery. The portico of he Ra-
venel mansion is down. Hardly a house
III the city escaped injury, and many are
SO shaken and cracked that a hard blow
would bring them to the ground.
At precisely p this morning another
wave swept over the city. coming, as dld
the other, from the southeast and going
in north esterly direction. BY that
time many of tue people who had been
out on the public parks and np n places
all night had vertured into their houses
to get clothing and something to eat.
The approach of the shock was heralded
by the usual rumbing sound, Tesemb-
ling distant thunder. Tnen it gradually
approached, the earth quivered and
heaved, and in three seconds it had
passed, the sound dying out in the dis
lance. This is the only wave felt since
= 30 a. m. 1t was not destructive; all
the destruction having been done al 80
last night.
At the tine of the first shock fires
broke out III five different places IL the
city. About 20 houses were destroyed
by fire. Scarcely 100 houses in the city