The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1886-09-08

' show, how strong is the tie that binds
our white people and our black people
ogcthor; and this lesson of the dread
vi station we may hope, too, will never
be forgotten
A rrivcd at his homo, the writer found
the anne scenes of destruction and wreck
which marked nearly every other home
in the city. All the houses in the neigh
borboo 1 had suffered seriously, and
streets, yards and gardens were filled
with fallen chimncys and fragments of
walls, whi'c the walls that were left
standing ere rent asundcr, in many
cases, from top to bottom, and were
badly shattered in every instance.
Women nnt' children, reused from
their sleep or Interrupted in their eve
ming pursuits by the sound of ruin being
effected above an q around them, rushed
out into the strcci and huddled together
awaiting the end, whatever it might be.
Iuvalids were brought out on mattresses
and deposited on the roadway. No
thought was given to the treasures left
behind in the effort to save The peculiar
treasure of lie itself, suddenly become
so precious i'll the eyes Of all, the invalid
woman and robust man alike.
Until long after midnight the streets
homes. Through the long hours that
childhood, that were closed in sleep.
Charleston was full of those who
watched for morning, and never, in any
city, in any land, did the first gray
shades that mark tho approach of day
appear so beautiful and SO welcome to
tie eye as they appeared to the thou
sands of people who hailed them this
morning from the midst of the countless
wrecked homes in our thrice sconrged
and still patient, still brave, still hopeful
and still beautiful City by the Sea.
CHARLESTON, S. c., September q
The people are gradually taking account
of the details of the injury worked by
tho earthquake, and the list of damages
to property is startling. A limited sec
ton in the south of the city is sample
of tho whole.
Standing at the postotlice, and looking
West, an almost impassablc roadway of
debris meets the eye. Most of the build
lngs on the street are more or less dam
aged, but the violence of the earthquake
is most pcrccptiblc at the historic inter
section of Broad and Meeting streets.
The police station is almost complete
wreck. The upper edge of the wall has
been torn down and that of the north
wall has fallen on the roof of the porch,
carrying it away and leaving only the
large flutcd pillars standing.
The City Hall apparently escaped scri-
Gus damage, but is badly cracked on the
cast wall
The Court House building is badly
damaged, the walls being cracked in
several places and portions Of the roof
and gables being thrown down.
The Fire Proof building seems to
stand as rock The gables of the
north and south porchcs, however, made
Of solid brownstonc, have been thrown
to the pavement below. This appears to
be the only damage done to the build
ing.
The worst wreck in the locality, how
ever, is ST. Michacl's Church, which
seems to be doomed to destruction. The
stceplc, the repairs on which had lust
been completed, seems to be intact, but
1t Is nearly out of plumb and is in mo-
mcntary danger of falling The massive
porch has been wrecked from the body
of the church and the building has been
cracked in four places. One crack in the
north wall extends from the caves to the
lower windows; two on the west face of
the church extend the entire height Of
the building, and one on the south wall
also extends from the caves down almost
to the foundation. These cracks are all
immediately under the stccplc, which it
seems almost impossible will stand for
any length of time. The hands on the
top of the clock pointed to five minutes
of 10 o'clock, which must have been the
hour OF the first shock on Tuesday night.
What scene of desolation the fash
ionablc boulevard of Charleston presents.
Commencing at Broad street, one passes
through IL block of burned houses. The
fire, starting at No. l1S, the third build
ing from the corner of Broad street, on
the east side, consumed the entire row
OF buildings as far north rs Tully's old
stand, next to the Quaker graveyard.
The few houses left on that side OF the
street are more or less shattered and
gutted.
Tho few houses on the west side of the
street north OF Broad street have not
escaped the general fate, although the
damage Is not as great as i'll other por-
tons of the street. The immense vacant
lot on the west side of the street is occu-
pied by families who lived in the burned
i'ouotS, uuIt "llO are CullpSu out on the
sward with the few household effects
saved from the flames.
There is q rather more cheerful feeling
tonight, but no sense of security will
repair the shattered houses and renew
the ruined homes. Offers of assistance
are coming from different quarters, and
it Is expected that the City Council will
organize a relief committee tomorrow.
Despite the loss by the earthquake,
Charleston is in rs good position az ever
for the transaction of tho usual autumn
trade. There is ample warehouse and
wharf room, the congresses are in trim
and merchants and factors are ready to
deal expeditiously with all business that
offers. This statement is made to correct
an existing erroneous impression that
the commercial facilities Of the port are
impaired.
Last night the old scenes of fright and
fear were enacted in the public squares
n HEo Et.,t - Al,