San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1889-08-12
THE EXPERIENCES OF A TRAVELLER
IN SOUTH AMERICA.


The Entire People of q City on Their
Knees-How the First, Second and Third
Shocks Are Considered.
In earthquake countries, particularly in
portions of South America where destructive
earthquakes are not of rare occurrence, as a
rule the first shock is comparatively light
and harmless 1t is considered as a warning
signal to look out, and is preceded by a
rumbling sound not ur..:ke distant thunder,
gradually approaching and increasing in
strength until the crash and full force of the
shock is felt The second shock of the same
character soon follows. 1t is, as a rule, sell
dom dangerous The third is looked for with
anxiety and dread, anG the consequences are
feared Should it oc~ur its effects are al
most invariably disaStco-s The relator had
seven years experience n the several repub
lies of South America and passed through
many shaky scenes at first, with no fear or
dread, and was disposed to ridicule the evi
dent alarm of the inhabitants on the occur
renee of an earthquake, but soon he became
a veritabe coward, and would out-Herod
Herod in hunting safe place at the first
premonitory symptoms of a shake.
THE LAST COURSE INTERRUPTED
His first experience was in Santiago, Chill,
in 1912 1t occurred during the forty days
of Lent Religious professions were of daily
occurrence, attracting the attention of the
sight seeing citizens wherever they passed
One day he was seated at a family dinner
table in the residence of Don Santiago Valen
cia. The several courses had been served and
partaken of, and chocolate for the gentlemen
and matte 1.-THE national tea of the country
for the ladies had been ordered Each had
his or her tiny porcelain cup in hand, slipping
the frothy contents of the rich chocolate or
sucking the fragrant tea through the silver
tube, when, as Of by one impulse, the cups
fell either to the table or floor and were shat
tered. Theory of "Temblorl TcmblOrr' was
raised, and the guests. both male and female
rushed for the door without standing ON the
order of their going. The writer simply
looked on with establishment. The earthquake
was light and he had not felt it, and he quiet
ly set his cup down, either thinking that his
companions were crazy or that something I'M
usual in the way of a procession was passing
Going to the door he found the center of the
street filled with men, women and children
on their knees, hands upturned in the attitude
of fervent prayer. The second shock did not
occur, and these devotees soon arose and re-
entered their several domiciles and our party
returned to the dining room and ordered
more chocolate and matte as if it were an or
binary occurrence and a part of the pro
gramme
His next episode in the "temblor" line was
more enlivening and was decidedly instruct
i've. 1t occurred several months after he
had mastered sufficient Spanish to know the
meaning of the word. He had been making
a night of it with some of his countrymen
and Europeans who were on a visit from
Valparaiso, and returned about a. m His
sleeping apartment was on the ground floor,
and was large, square room. On retiring
for the night it is customary in all earth
quake countries to use brace set against
the door in place of turning the key in the
lock, as in the event of an earthquake the
bolt gets jammed and cannot be thrown
back. But he locked the door and was soon
in bed and sound asleep. He dreamed that
he had been bodily taken up by man of 81.
gantic stature and thrown on the floor, and
awoke to become painfully conscious that
such was the fact, or at least that he was on
the floor. The frame work of the building
and the earthen covering of tiles and cane
rafters were groaning and creaking with a
fearful din. The crash of falling buildings,
the screeches of men, women and children,
the bowling of dogs, the braying of asses and
the snorting of horses and mules produced
bedlam of unearthly sounds. He recognized
the fact that he was experiencing the effects
of the much dreaded third shock of an earth
quake.
SPECIMEN OF HORSE SENSE.
He at once arose, but reeled and staggered
from the effects of the unusual movement Of
the earth's crust, and reaching the door
found no brace. 1t was securely locked and
bolted. He tried to turn the key, but did not
succeed. He was prisoner, expecting every
moment that the roof would fall in. He
made frantic movement, and the bolt
flew back and he was free and soon in the
street When he looked around he saw ruins
in every direction Clouds of dust obscured
the coming dawn, and men, women and
children were in the main thoroughfare and
adjacent plaza praying with fervor to the
Virgin for succor The roof of the cathedral
had fallen in, and hundreds who had rushed
to il as place of safety from the coming
wrath were either crushed or killed outright.
The frantic groans screams, curses and
prayers of the wounded were heard even
above the din of the falling buildings, and
made so lasting an impression on his memory
that even now he often imaSines that he
hears them repeated. This experience had
the effect to make him a yeritable earth
quake coward
Shortly after he had occasion to visit the
city of Mendoza, in the Argentine Republic,
situated in a beautiful and fertile valley that
lay east of the Cordillera range of mountains