Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1886-09-08
A NIGHT OF TEKEUN.
Graphic Description Of the Awful Scenes
That Occurred in Charleston.

From the Charleston News and Courier
Necessarily the description that can he given
Of the disaster which has befulleli our city eurl
eists IN the narration Of the experiences antl OBJ
servations of individuals, and, the subject be
ing the same and the experiences OF all beng
nearly alike the story told by one careful o.
server may we'll stand FOR n hundred others,
with Slight vafatons. Probably tic hes
idea that can be hal of the cbaraeter OF
the disturbance, Therefore, may Is Obtained
from narrator of the events and scenes OF
"Wednesday night as they were presented to
single person While engaged in his usual
duties i'll tn second story room of the Ne'rS
and Courier office at the time of the first shock
tie writers attention was vat uely attract q DS
q sound which seemed to come from tho o.tice
below, and which WIS supposed for moment
to be caused by the rapid rolling OF heavy
body, iron safe or heavily laden truck,
over tho floor ACCOM- an wing the sound there
was percept.blc tremor Ct tEu building.
hot more inarhed, however than wonl
be caused by the passage OF q street
car or n dray along the street. For
perhaps two or three seconds the occurrence ex-
cited no surprise or continent. Then, ny Wit
degrees. the sound deepened in volume the
tremor became more decided tbs ear caught
the rattle Of Window ashes, gas fixtures, and
other 10 sc objects The men il the office, with
perhaps simultaneous flash OF recollection OF
the disturb a,lce of the Friday before; glanced
hugr eddy at each Other, and srtan8 to Their
feet, with startled gus stioas and allsHo r5
What is that? Earthquake? Ard then all was
hewilderment ANA confusion. Then the long
roll deepened and sproal INTO an awful roat
that seemed to ,ryade at once the troubled
earth and the still air above and around.
The tremor rude rapid culver that
agtatesl the whole building as though 1t were
being shaken b. the hand of nn tmmea urable
power, with intent 10 tear its % nts asInder and
scatter its stones and bricks abroad. There Was
no intermission In the vibration 81 the mighty
subtorranean engine, From the first t. the last
| il was a continuous jar, only adding force to ~.
/ cry moment and rs 1t appru Iched and cached
the climax Of its mantle station it seemed fof IL
| few terrible seconds that no work Il human
hands could possibly survive the shocks The
| floors were heaving under foot, the surrounding
| walls and partitions yisiDly swnyed to
and fro, the crash Of falling masses OF
| stone and brick and mortar was heard
| overhead. AID without the terrible roar
| filled the ears. 1t Is not given to many men 10
| icok in the face of the destroyer and yet live
| but it is little to say that the group OF strorG
| men who shared the experience above IAN
| described will carry with them the recollect
| OF that supreme movement to their diving iii Z.
| None expected to escape. sudden rash was
| open air and fee to place of safety; but before
| the door was reached all reeltd together to the
| tottering wall and stopped feeling that hope
was vain That it was on y question OF death
| within the building without to be buried by
| the sinking roof crushed by tho topping
walls As we dashed down the stairway aud ont
| into the street already on every side arose TIE
| shriahs, the cries Of pain and fear, the prayers
| and waiinSs of terrified WI men and children
commingled with the hoarse shouts OF excited
men Out in the streets the air was filied t.
| the leight of tbs hon @ with n whitish cloud
Of dry, sitting 4 st tfofn the lime, mort m and
. shattered masonry. which, falling upon the
pavement ana stone roadway, had been re-
duced to powder. Through this cloud, dense a'
fog the gaslghts fiickered dilply, shedding but
| little light, so that you stumble at every stel
| over the piles of brick or become entangled il
the lines of telegraph wires that depe ndcd II
| every direction from their broken supports. or
every side were hnrrying forms Of bareheadeC
men and women, partially dressed, some
| almost nude, and many OF whom were craztt
| with fear or excitement.
| The first shock occurred at 1853, as was indi
Gated by the public clocks The second shock
| which was but faint and crisp echo OF tn
| first felt eight minutes later. As it passst
away the writer started homeward, to find thu
scenes enacted on Broad street around the Neo
and Courier office repeated at every sep OF IN,
way st. Michaels steeple lowered higl
uninjured. The staticn-house, massit,
brick building across the street. ha<
apparently lost its roof. which has
fallen around it. little farther the roof o
the portco Of the Hbernian Hall, handsoni'
building in the Grecian style. had crashed TO thu
ground carrying down part Of the massive
granite pillars with it. All tho way up Meetin'
street which. in respect Of its general direction
Charleston, the roadway was piled with doori
from the tops Of the walls. In passing TN
Charleston Hotel which, to carry out the com
paris above indicated occupies the position
Stewart uptown store in New York tho thirf
shock was felt about ten minutes after tn
second. and OF course, caused the creates
alarm in TINT neighborhood as elsewhere. "A
| Marion Square great crowd had collected. a
| even the edges Of the wide spaces embraced u
it could not be reached by the ,earest building
ccrcrcssd cf nlen, women. and children OF potl
| rnces araec ircessaGt calls spd cries an,
lamentations; while over tho motley. bali
dyessed throng was shea ths lusid light q 70