The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-09-06
REVIEWING THE SITUATION.

REVIEWING THE SITUATION.
Things That Actually Occurred-The Gloomy
Outlook for the People.
| Henry W. Gradys Letter.
| Now, let US review what actually did happen.
| l, The original shock, taking Charleston as
| the center, lasted from fifteen to twenty sec
onds, certainly not longer than twenty-five sec
| onds The motion was succession of sharp
plunges toward the east, with sharp and immedi
ate recovery, the oscillations being about equal.
| In changing the motion from east to west there
was, perhaps, twisting, as cbimneys and lamps
were wrenched half way around After the
fifteen seconds of oscillation there were subsid-
ing tremors, irregularly for perhaps three min
utes, with nothing like the first ocillation, how
ever, and no new impulse
| e. The shocks have been renewed at intervals
for three days, though with none of the fierce
energy Of the first shock Perhaps there is no
more disturbance in the latter shocks than would
result from an enormous mass readjusting itself
| after sudden dislocation. Professor McGee held
| that such was the with the later shocks re-
| ported to him at Charleston. He said however,
if the new shocks at Summerville were as vio-
| lent as reported, they would be inexpcable By
the theory of settling or readjustment of the
earth, and would indicate new disturbance.
! Mr. McGee has just wired that he considers
the later shocks at Summerville simply the dying
| out tremors of the first displacement
g. The earthquake was everywhere accom-
panied by dull, roaring noise, which outlasted
the first shock by half hour, and returned with
every subsequent tremor. The roaring is under
ground, and is best described as long rolls of
thunder, deadened by thick lid In the cities
it is mingled with the rafting of glass aud
rumble of rocking houses in the country it is
heard as plainly as cannonading or thunder. 1t
! has never been so loud with the first shock,
but has been heard with every tremor. Listen
| ers declare that it has none of the sharp grind
| ing sound of rough friction, but rather the dull,
| hollow sound of air or steam laundering in cav
| tiles.
| 4. The fssures in the ground of irregular
shape. Usually they discharge brackish water
! and fine sand, or water and blue mud. but not
| always. The discharging fissures are usually
| round or oblong, varying in size from cup to
well. and always swollen for several feet around,
| as If the earth had been pushed from below,
gentle swell of white sand, perhaps foot high,
! in the center, glistening with moisture, and
crowned just above the crater with pile of blue
mud, shaped like beehive That is the usual
! appearance of the round fssure The water
| flows regularly from the base of the blue mud
and jets of mud are pulsed up at intervals.
! Wells have filled to the very tops and are over
| flowing freely. Everywhere there appears to
| have been bulging from beneath the ground
that lifted it up and forced the water and mud to
| the surface. The water did not follow the shock
instantly, but came, perhaps. half hour later,
and In an area of ten miles in every direction
| from Summervile holes and assures are AS bur
rows in prairie dog village, in clusters, and the
clusters occur every few hundred yards New
ones are opening continually. The bottom has
been reached in none of them. In Charleston,
| there are many flowing assures, though they
show less plainly in the paved streets.
5. The damage to Charleston has not been
exaggerated. If the brick houses of that city
were in New York to-day, seven out of every
nine of them would be condemned by the city
inspector and torn down before night A new
conner riding through the city halts the carriage
continually and forbids the driver to pass an i'm
pending building. He soon discovers that he
cannot ride without taxing such risks Three
buildings fell yesterday. That is the beginning
of the end The inhabitants understand this
and their are strained accordingly.
sharp cough will stampede a crowd. While
writing my dispatches was frequently run out
of the building The city is wreck--a com
plete, pitful. hopeless wreck. Its people
wrecked as hepelessly as its houses. What will
become OF it? 1t is hard to say That it will be
wiped out of the system of American cities
that were incredible; but certainly no American
city was ever in such straits. When Sherman
put the torch TO Atlanta and Columbia he did
not infict on both cities one-tenth the damage
that has been done to Charleston.
Let US look at her history. In 1860 Charleston
was the weathicst city of its size in America, if
not in the world It had more banking than
any city of similar size It's homes were palaces
and its people were princes. It's bills of exchange
were good in the City of Yeddo. and it's bank
notes were current in every American State. 1t
held the south Atlantic slope in commercial
dominion, and the sails of its commerce elstened
on every sea- The Huguenot and the Cavalier
builded a society of which courage and integrity
were the corner-stones. and culture aud elegance
the umination-exclusive, luxurious, beaut
ful, golden tinted and open-handed. Charleston
was the pride and tho glory of the old regime
AS it was its glory, so it is the last citadel of the
old regime. Less than any Southern city did
Charleston adapt itself to the social and business
revolution that camc with the last war.
1t clung to the old traditions and
in the shadow of its century
old churches it made peace slowly
with man. while 1t kept its faith with God Its
people looked back to their ancestors, who had
accepted exile with dignity and poverty without
complaint, and they rather preferred gentle
tyrdom to hucksterng. They took little part in
the desperate scramble for existence and prefer
ment into which their competitors went. They
rapidly lost their trade, and tremendous fall
in value took place Houses that cost $4,000
would not command mora than tenth of hat,
even when values elsewhere had recovered from
the war depressions Crane. Boylston e. Co.
sold store, that cost them $50, 900 in 1856 for
tie building alone, for $8. 600 in 1862 The own
ers OF Charleston's homes refused 10 sell at any
such prices, and, indeed would hardly have sold