The Portland daily press., 1886-09-03

writer's attention was vaguely attracted by
sound which seemed to come from the
| office below, and which was supposed for ;
moment to be caused by the rapid rolling OF
a heavy body, as an iron safe or a heavily
laden truck, over the floor. Accompanvine
the sound there was perceptible tremor Of
the building, not more marked, however
than would be caused by the passage of
perhaps two OF three seconds the occurrence
excited no surprise or comment Then by
swift degrees, or perhaps all at once, it is
difficult to say which, the sound deepened in
volume, the tremer became more decided,
the ear caught the rattle of window sashes,
gas fixtures and other loose objects. The
men in the office, with perhaps a stimuli
taneous flash of recollections of the disturb
anee of the Friday before, glanced hurriedly
at each other and sprang to their feet with
startled questions and answers. What is
bewilderment and confusion.
Then the long roll deepened and spread in
to an awful roar that seemed to pervade at
once the troubled earth and the still air
above and around. The tremor was now a
rude, rapid quiver that agitated the whole
lofty, strong-walled building, as though it
were being shaken by the hand of an i'm
measurable power, with intent to tear its
joints asunder and scatter its stones and
bricks abroad, as tree casts its DER ripened
fruit before the breath Of the, gale. There
mighty subterranean engine. From the first
to the last it was continuous jar, only add
ing EfOrce at every moment, and as 1t ap-
preached and reached the climax of its man
Hesitation, it seemed for few terrible sec,
onds that no work of human hands could
possibly survive the shocks. The floors
were heaving under foot, the surrounding
walls and partitions yisibly swayed to and
fro, the crash of falling masses of stone, and
brick and mortar was heard overhead, and
A. IL .r.1
seemed to fill the mind and heart, dazing per-
ception, bewildering thought, and for few
painting breaths, or while you held your
breath in dreadful anticipation of immediate
and cruel death, you felt that life was al
ready past, and waited for the end as the
victim with his head on the block awaits the
fall of the uplifted axe.
1t is not given to many men to look in the
face of the destroyer and yet live, but it is
little to say that the group of strong men
who Stunned the experience above family
described, will carry with them the recollec-
ton of that supreme moment to their dying
day. None expected to escape. A sudden
rush was simultaneously made to endeavor
to attain the open air and flee to place OF
safety, but before the door was reached all
reeled together to the tottering. wall and
stopped, feeling that hope was vain; that it
was only a question of death within the
building or without, to be buried by the sink
ing roof or crushed by the toppling walls.
The uproar slowly died away in seeming dis
tance. The earth was still, and oh, the
blessed relief of that stiffness. But how
rudely the silence was broken. AS we
dashed down the stairway and out into the
street already on every side arose the
shrieks, the cries of pain and fear, the
prayers and wailings of terrified women and
children, commingled with the hoarse shouts
of excited men.
Out in the street the air was filled to the
height of the houses with whitish cloud of
of dry, sitting dust from the lime and NOR
tar and shattered masonry, which, falling
upon the pavement and stone roadway, had
been reduced to powder. Through this cloud,
dense as fog, the gas lights .1ickered dimly,
shedding but little light,so that you stumbled
at every step over the piles of brick or be-
came entangled in the lines of telegraph
wires that depended in every direction from
hurrying forms of men and women barehead-
ed partially dressed, some almost nude, and
many OF whom were craZed with lear or ex-
cltemen. Here woman is supported, half
fainting, in the arms of her husband, who
vainly tries to soothe her, while he carries
her into the open space at the street corner,
where present safety seems assured there
woman lies on the pavement with upturned
face and outstretched limbs, and the crowd
passes her by for the time, not pausing to
see whether she be alive or dead.
The Cry of Fire.
A sudden light flares through window
overlooking the street. 1t becomes momen-
tarily brighter, and the cry Of "Firep' re,
sounds from the multitude. A rush is made
toward the spot. A man is seen doubled up
and helpless against the wall; but at this
moment somewhere out at sea--overhead-
deep in the grounds heard again the low,
ominous roll, which is already too well
nearer, like the growl of a wild beast swiftly
approaching. his prey, and is forgotten again
in the frenzied rush for the open space,
where alone is hope of security, faint though
it be. The tall buildings on either hand blot
out the skies and the stars. and seem to
overhang every foot of ground between
them; their shattered corniees and copings.
the tops of their frowning walls, seem piled
from both sides to the centre of the street,
1t seems that touch would now send the
shattered masses left standing down upon
the people below, who look up to them and
shrink together as the tremor of the earth
quake again passes under them, and the
mysterious reverberations swell and roll
along like some internal drumbeat summon
ing them to die. As it passes away, and
deliverance from impending calamity, which
it may well be believed evokeS mute but
earnest offering OF mingled prayer and
thanksgiving from every heart in the throng
Again, far along the street, and up from
the alleys always that lead into it on either
side is heard that chorus of wailing and
lamentatiOn which, though it had not ceased,
was scarcely noticed a moment before
1t is a dreadful sound, the sound of helpless
horror-stricken humanity, young and old,
are so feeble calling for help from their fell
low creatures, and raising their anguished
voices in petition to Heaven for mercy
where no human aid could avail. lit is not
scene to be described by any mortal tongue
or pen. 1t is not a scene to be forgotten
hon If baS hoa,l writ md wbop
the witness has shared all its dangers and
feels all its agony.
The First Shock.
The first shock occurred at 953, as was in
dicated this morning by the public clocks,
that fateful hour, as though to mark the end
of time for so many who had heard the pre-
ceding hour pealed forth by st. MichaePs
chimes without d thought but of long and
happy life. The second shock, which was
but faint and crisp echo of the first, was
the writer started homeward, to find the
scenes enacted on Broad street around the
News and Courier office repeated at every
step of the way. st. Michaeps steeple
lowered high and white above. the gloom,
seemingly uninjured. The station house, a
apparently lost its roof, which had fallen
around it. A little further on the roof of
the portico of Hibernian Hall, a handsome
building in the Grecian style, had crashed to
the ground, carrying down part Of the
up Meeting street, which, in respect of its
general direction and Importance may be
called 'the Broadway of Charleston" the
roadway was piled with debris from the tops
of the walls. In passing the Charleston
above indicated, occupies the position of
Stewards uptown store in New York, the