Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1886-09-09
In SACKCLOTH.
The Terrible Visitation Which
Charleston Has Suffered.
But One-Fourth of the City Left
Standing.
Two Nights of Horror That Can Not
Be Described.

Two Nlgnts OF Horr0r That Can Not
Be Described.
CHARLESTON, s. c., Sept. IAN
earthquake such as has never before
been known IN the history of this city
swept over Charleston last night shortly
after 10 o'clock, causing more loss and
injury to property and far more loss of
life than the cyclone of year before.
The city Is wrecked. The streets are
encountered with masses offallen bricks
and tangled telegraph and telephone
wires, and up to an early hour Il was
almost impossible to pass from one
part of the city to another. The first
shock was by far the most severe. Most
OF the people with their families passed
the night in the streets, which even
this morning are crowded with people,
afraid to reenter their homes. More
than sixty persons are killed and
wounded, chiefly colored. Among the
whites killed and fatally injured are NJ.
]. Lynch, DR.. r. Alexander Hammond
and o. Robeson. E.-..-
the city Immediately after the earth
quake and some are still burning but
no danger of spreading. There is no
way Of leaving the city at present.
Three or four fires started in as many
sections with the first shock and the
city was illuminated, thus leading all
to believe what was left by the earth
quake would be doomed by fire. How
ever the fire department was so well
handled that the fires were under
control by daylight. From fifteen to
twenty residences and stores were con-
sumed. The loss by fire and earth
quake cannot be accurately estimated
but can be placed safely at $4,000, 900.
AS far as could be ascertained during
the night fifteen or twenty were killed
and much greater number wounded
in all sorts of ways. The loss of
human life will be large and it will
take days to get at the accurate number
Shocks equally as severe were felt at
distance Of thirty-five miles and have
done inestimable damage to railroads
and telegraph property. Charleston is
now entirely isolated from the out
side world.
The city is wrapped in gloom and
business is suspended. People gener-
ally remain in the streets, in tents and
under improvised shelters, and will
camp out tonight, fearing another.
shock. The gas works are injured; st.
Michaeps church is shattered and the
steeple will come down, likewise the
steeple of st. Phillips. The steeple of
the Unitarian church has fallen. The
pOrticoes of Hibernian Hall and the
main station house are demolished.
There is much injury to mansions on
the east and south battery. The por-
tico of the Ravenal mansion is down.
Hardly house in the city escaped in
jury and many are so shaken and
cracked that hard blow would bring
them to the ground. The shock was
severe at Summerville and Mt. Pleas
ant and Sullivan's Island, but there
was no loss of life. Fissures in the
earth are noticed from which fine
sand, apparently from a great depth,
exudes, and sulphurous smell is very
noticeable.
Two slight shocks of earthquake have
been felt since the first at 1925 this
morning and one at about 1870 p.m.,
neither doing any further destruction.
Not even during General Quincy A.
Gilmore's b0mbardment of that city
has there ever been such a deplorable
state of affairs here. The city is litter
ally in ruins and the people are living
in the open squares and public parks.
There Is great rush for the railroad de-
pots to get away, but owing to the
earthquakes no trains have been able
to be dispatched from this city.
Telegraphic communication is also
cut off save one wire of the Southern
Telegraph Co., which is crowded with
anxious private messages. It is impos-
sible to depict the ruin and devastation
that prevails here. Nota single place
of business in the city is open but one
drug store, which is busy preparing
prescriptions for the wounded. 1t is
impossible, also, to give any correct es-
innate ofthe killed and wounded, as
bodies are constantly being disinterred
from the debris of wrecked houses.
There are not halfa dozen tents in
the city, and the women and children
are experiencing privations on all hands
as night approaches. The heads of
families are trying to construct tents
out of bed sheets and other material
that comes to their hands. The sun is
about to set upon another night of hor-
ror for poor Charleston-heaven only
knows what it may bring forth. With
out any other violent shocks, it is cal
culated that at least three-fourths of
the city will have to be rebuilt entirely,
if the houses are to be inhabited.
CHARLESTON, S. c., Sept. 2.-The
early morning light, struggling bravely
to add something like cheer to the
awful scenes of desolation that render
Charleston house of ofmourning and the
dwelling of sorrow, revealed sights
never before witnessed in this country.
All day yesterday outside newspaper
men were endeavoring to gain some
thing like accurate ideas of the des-
truction and woe here, while people in
side the city were too busy with their
own losses, sorrows and fears to give
any information to the expectant and
anxious outside world. To-day there
is no abatement of the distress, but
companionship with it has brought a
callousness to grief that renders it pos
sible to gain little insight into the
real situation.
THE BEGINNING.
1t was few minutes after 10 o'clock
Tuesday night, when sudden and pro-
nounced quiyering of the earth was
felt. The 1rst thought to each indi-
vidual was that heavily loaded vehic-
le, under rapid headway, caused the
vibration, for it seemed scarcely more
| than that, But the cracking of ceilings.