The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1886-09-08
LETTER FROM CHARLESTON.
Graphic Description Of the Scenes
nrd Incidents Pertaining to the
EaYthUuakc.

ana AneQuCntS pcrtalnihs 'o ths
Earthquake.
Through the kindness of friend we are
permitted to publish the following extract
from q highly interesting private letter from
Charleston:
CHARLESTON, s. c., September, 1886.
know you will be Interested in our adven-
lures and somewhat concerned as TO my well
fare; so hoping there will be an outgoing
mail tomorrow morning l am making
great effort to write you, but what with ner-
VOusnesS from apprehension, nausea Win
which many Of us are afflicted and the I'M
possibility of writing coherently with Il tent
full OF people talking earthquake, fear the
result will be nothing satisfactory. When
we left Columbia Tuesday afternoon the train
was un hour and q half behind schedule Tune
and the engineer was making every effort 10
recover lost time, when us we penred sum
merville going at full speed q shock shook
the train and We were violently iostled for
some minutes, the train swaying from siue 10
side and every one being thrown from their
seutS. AS soon as the men had Investigated
the matter 1t was thought best to push on as
rapidly rs possible, and so again we started ut
full speed. Had gone but few hundTed
yards when second shock was felt ana the
engine was thrown up three or four feet INTO
the air, whereupon the engineer was about TO
desert us, but just then we ran across two
torpedoes which had been set 10 warn OF dan
ger ahead, and the engineer being thus ad-
TO save wreck of his train. the earthquake
having destroyed the track just In front 0i
us-having literally made snakes OF the irons
for miles. The first thought was to return to
Columbia and come down by the N. Il. r. r.,
so we pushed back towards the station next
above Summerville, but before we had gone
halt way, the flag man who was acting guide
sIgnalled a stop, he having found that the
track had been struck after we had passed
over 1t the few minutes before. SO there we
were for all night, miraculonsly saved on
both sides, but cut or from all com!nnnlcao ca
ton with the outside world. BY eight IN the
morning the car hands had so mended the
break that we could reach Summcrville and
there We spent the day In dreadful state OF
suspense, vague and terrible rumors OF the
suffering here reaching us from time to time.
The wires were out OF orderand the telegrams
sent by long circuits to the stations near were
confined to railroad business.
The officials did all they could to please the
passengers or Quiet their excitement, but 1t
was a long excursion train of dozen or more
coaches and the passengers were mostly Ill
informed Germans and kept up q narrowing
fuss and weeping. The negroes were Inor-
oughIy beside themselves and would congre-
gate by the hundreds, bowling and ShrieKlng
TIL they could be heard for miles. Fortunate
ly met number of friends and was soon
included in q pleasant party where the gen.
tlemen were kind and cOnsidcrate ana OF
such strength of will and Judgment as to be
able early In the fray to take the management
of train passengers and all and TO them we
are greatly indebted that we got home
In Sumnierville all the houses are uninhab-
liable, the chimneyS and foundations belnS
down, the furniture thrown around In oil ui-
rections and all crockery. glass, etc. smashed:
The people we found mostly camped out, very
uncomfortably, shawls and blankets their on
ly tent cloths. Mr.. d. Jared no better than
the rest aud with his family had put up IN the
woods. Every available coach or box car was
filled with families. They were very kind to
us travellers, and twice during the day sup,
piled us bountifully with hot coffee, no small
when one considers how many we
and that the men hnd TO parch,
grind and make the coffee in the open air.
the excitement took away all our
appetiles for they could scarcely have suppl
ed themselves and us with food.
The shocks and rumblings here were very
frequent. Mr.. c. says he should state not less
than thirty while we were there, only some
six or seven, however, were really VIOLENT.
During one about five in the afternoon. was
standing in front of a house with pillars TO the
piazza about four feet apart, and the shaking
WAS SO violent that while 1t lasted could not
distinguish any pillar from Its neighbor, the
whole looked like one plain 'front.' though l
was standing very near.
We got here last nshtabOut ten and think
the relief of knowing certainly what damage
has been done and how very few persons IN,
jured makes US rate very low oil the loss OF
property. Here IL Is the same as In Summer
willie, NOBODY dares stay In doors, but the dc.
soon tell you how nearly all the large build
ings are injured. st. Michaeps, ST. Phillips,
the Hibernian Hall and The Guard House are
the worst have seen. NJ. Il. tells me the hos
pital is q wreck, and they are moving the pa.
tientS, who have until now been out In the yard
away to other buildings. One man was killed
there BY the falling Of O wall.
Last night we felt three shocks, none vio-
lent, and ms since then all has been quiet we
are hoping the worst is past, though the faint
ness and nausea which selzcs US before each
shock has hovered around for the past hour.
perhaps and VIC do trust 1t is this time merely
the result of long excitement: Oh, such an
experience, 1t beggars description. And how
much we have To be grateful for.
Mrs. T.. F's. and two other houses on the
Battery (being OF woody escaped destruction
and will need only repairs. All the large
brick residences ON East Battery are wreck
ed. One member of our party had her trunk
put on the basement piazza THAT IT might be
handy to move,' 1t now lies under the debris.
Ever yours, >. Z. 1.