Semi-weekly south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1883-1889, 1886-09-10
PERSONAL EXPERIENCE.
Refugees From Charleston Tell Of
the Shake as It Struck Them,

WASHINGTON, Sept. 3-The first
coming North from Char
eston, S. c., arrived this morning.
They were unable to leave Charleston
until yesterday morning, on account
of the interruption in railroad COM
Thomas II. Tolson, Of
Baltimore, one of these passengers,
gave reporter an account of his eN-
periences.
81 was stopping at the Charleston
Hotel" he said. 81 was in my room,
which was on the third floor. When
| lit my gas heard noise, and sup
posed l had broken something, but
could find nothing broken. went
to place my hat OH the bureau, and
Just then the shock came. | would
have fallen if had not thrown my
hands out and chung to the windows.
1t seemed as though the hotel was
lifted up and swung backward and
forward distance of fifteen or thirty
inches at each vibration. Attic first
shock the lights in the house all went
out. Then the plastering began to
fall. l flashed on my mind that |
should endeavor to get out of the
house, and got out into the corridor
and CROPPED my way in utter darkness
amid falling plaster. Other people
in the house were likewise cropping
their way out. The air was filled
with plaster dust. All round was
terrible roaring and moaning sound,
and the din was heightened by the
falling Of timbers. / found the front
door of the house closed, fortunate
thing for me, as it saved my life. 1t
took me moment to find the knob,
and, as / was looking for it, tons OF
brick fell down from the upper part
of the house in front of the door. |
ran out through the heaps of fallen
bricks and fell twice in getting TO the
middle of the street. There | re-
NAMED terror-stricken. The shocks
came after reached the middle OF
street-a faint one seven minutes
after the first, and another more VIC
lent nine minutes later. The three
shocks occurred within sixteen min
utes. l remained in front of the
hotel until ! o'clock. / was so un'
nerved that | could scarcely stand
AS it became quieterer | went up the
street to an open space and remained
there until 3 o'clock. Then we had
another slight shock At B o'clock
went to the Battery Park and fount
it crowded, several thousand terrified
people having assembled there. Their
/ remained during the remainder o
the night. AT 5 o'clock another fain
shock was felt. At daylight l lik
others, felt more encouraged, and
moved around to see what destruction
: had been done. l fonnd at the Bat
terry front some of the most cost
houses in the city cracked from til
: ground to the top, and some portion
of the buildings were destroyed con
pletely. The terror of the peopl
! during the night was intense. The
= rushed through the streets frantica
!, ly calling on God to have mercy o
, them. People who, perhaps, neve
4 prayed before, then prayed alout
d Then to this was added the SHREK
g of the wounded, and the lamentatiol
|" of those who had lost friends. Hel
. and there parties with lights wei
. lookin through the ruins for missin
y people. When the shock came, We
: men and children ran out into Il
= streets in. their night clothing, al
e remained in that way during Il
a. a night, huddled together in the street
= None would venture back into Il
- houses"
u Mr.. Tolson said that lie thoug'
;. the published estimate of dana!
4 was too low, and that threc-fourtI
u of the city would have to be rebuff
y The people killed were killed viii
y leaving their houses by the fallil
% debris.