, 1886-09-02
THE DEsoLATE CITY.
Charleston, South Carolina, a
Mass of Ruins.
Dust and Ashes the Mantle of
the Fair Southern City.
Death and Destruction Mark
the Earthquakes Track.

OhdhLENiONs Rtlts - WI Sllgu
shocks of earthquake have been felt sine,
at about l:30 p. m. neither doing any
Gen. Gilmore's bombardment of the city
state of affairs here. The city is literally
in ruins and the people are living in open
squares and public parks. There is a
great rush to the railroad depots to get
away, but owing to the earthquakes, no
trains have been despatched from the
city. Telegraphic communication is also
cut off, save one wire of the Southern
Telegraph company, which is crowded
with nxiou private messages. 1t Is i'm
possible to depict the ruin and desolation
that prevails here. Not a single place of
business in the city is open, save a drug
store. which is busy preparing prescrip-
tions for the wounded.
1t is impossible also to give any correct
estimate of the killed and wounded, as
bodies are constantly being disinterred
from the debris of wrecked houses. One
undertaken. interviewed, stated that he
had furnished eight collins up to noon to-
day. Many of the dead are lying un
buried, these being Of the poorer classes
of colored people, who wait burial by
the county. There are not half a dozen
tents in the city. and women and chill
dren are experiencing great privations in
! consequence As night approaches most
of the heads OF families are trying to con-
struct tents out of bed sheets, spare avn.
ings and other material that comes to
their hands. The sun is about to set upon
what is feared may be another night of
horror without any other violent shock OF
earthquake. 1t is calculated that at least
three fourths of the city will have to be
rebuilt entirely If the houses are to be in
habited.
The .compositors on the Nesos and
Courier decline to return to work to-
night, and the paper cannot be issued to
morrow. The following article was pre-
pared for publication in the Netrs and
Courier, and is telegraphed almost in the
writer W words Necessarily any DIES
cription that can be given of the disaster
which has befallen our city, consists in a
narrative of the experiences and observa
tions of individuals, as the subject being
the same and the ex experiences Of all being
nearly alike, the story told by one careful
others. with slight variations.
AZ Tue tlult VI tnt uiSt SuOCh. tut
writer's attention was vaguely attracted by
a sound which seemed to come from the
Office below, and which was supposed for
a moment TO be caused by a rapid, rolling
heavy body as an iron safe or heavily
laden truck over the floor. Accompany
ing the sound there was a %perceptible
tremor of the building, not more marked.
however. than would be caused by the
rtr1-s 49, - .. l~o. ,lA,. Ia
street. For perhaps Two or three seconds
the occurrence excited no surprise or com
ment. Then by swift degrees, or perhaps
all at once, it is difficult TO say which, the
sound deepened in volume, the
tremor became more decided, the
ear caught the rattle OF windows,
gas fixtures, and other wood objects. The
men in the office, with perhaps a stimuli
taneous fash of recollections of the dis
turbance on Friday before. glanced hur
riedly at each other and sprang to their
feet with startled question and answers.
What is that?" An e~arthquake?' 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 all above
and around. The tremor was now a rude
and rapid culver that ~agitated the whole
lofty, strong walled building as though 1t
were being shaken by the hand of an i'm
measurable power. with intent to tear the
Joints asunder and scatter its stones and
bricks abroad, as a tree casts its DER
| ripened fruit before the breath of the
gale. There was no intermission in the
vibration of the mighty subterranean
giant. From first to last it was one con.
tinuous jar. only adding force at every
moment, and as it approached and reached
the climax of its manliestion it seemed
fer a few terrible seconds hat no work of
human hands could possibly survive the
shocks. The floors were heaving under
foot, the surrounding walls aud partitions
visibly swayed to and fro; the crash of
falling walls of stone, and brick and NOR.
tar was heard overhead, and without the
terrible roar filed the air and seemed to
Gil the mind and heart, dazing perception,
b~ewildering thought, and for IA few pant
ing breaths. or while you held your breath
in dreadful anticipation of immediate and
cruel death, you felt that life was already
passed and waited for the end as the VIC
tim with his head on the block awaits the
fall of the uplifted axe.
Ii is not given to many men to look in
the face of the destroyer and yet live. but
it is little to soy that the group OF strong
men who shared the experience above
family described will carry with them the
recollection of that supreme moment to
their dying day. None expected to cs
app. A sudden rush was simulIane-
ously made to endeavor To attain the
opcn and flee to a place Of
safety, but before the door was
reached all reeled together to the totter
ing wall and stopped. feeling that hope
was in vain: that it was only a question Of
death within the building and without to
be buried by the sinking roof or crushed
by the topping walls. The uproar slowly
died away in the seeming distance, the
earth was still, and oh. the blessed relic
of that stiffness. As we dashed down the
stairway and out into the street, already
on every side arose the shrieks and cries
of pain. and fear. OF prayers and wailings
/, Terrified m and children comminelet
, with the hoarse shouts Of excited men
Out in the street the air was filled to tn,
e height of houses with a whitish cloud o
dry. sitting dust from lime and morta'
and shattered masonry, which. falling ur
r on the pavement and stone roadway, ha'
been reduced to powder.
Through this cloud, dense as a fog, gas
lights aickered dimly, shedding but it'll
liz hit, 80 that you stumble at every stel
| over piles OF brick or become entangled il
lines Of telegraph wires hat depended o
every direction from their broken sup
ports. On every side were hurryinI
forms of men and women bareheaded an
e partially dressed, some almos
nude and many of whom wer
: crazed with fear or excitement. Here