Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1889-02-18
SAN JOSE Is In RUINS.
COSTA RICA'S TOPOGRAPHY COMPLETELY Y
CHANGED.
Two Hundred Lives Lost and Many Injured by
Series Of Terrific Earthquakes -Rumblngs
Still Heard and Volcanoes Threaten
Eurupton-Psopls Panic-Stricksn.

completely destroyed By a series of earth
quakes, beginning on the evening of De-
cember 29ih, and the latest of which
passed over us yesterday. Further shocks
are expected every moment, and the hor-
rOIs of the hour are increased by the prob
sbiliiy of an eruption of the volcanoes Of
Rezu and BOas, showering down FIRE,
bowlders and molten lava on the valley in
which a.pOpula:iOn of eighty thousand is
centered.
Both these volcanoes have shown signs
of growing activity in the wreaths of blue
smoke ascending from their craters. As
nearly as can be ascertained about two
hundred lives have been lost thus far, and
the injured number nearly one thousand.
The homeless multitude of terror-stricken
survivors wander about in a state of de-
mOrslizsd CONSERVATION, easier imagined
than described. Every Landmark, every
festure of the topography, is obliterated.
Dead earth rises into a i'll where few
hours ago the eye locked away over far
stretching plain, or expands its level drear-
iuess where for centuries had been only
verdure-clad hills
In all Central America there is 70 more
picturesqe and delightful city than this
little Capital of Costa Rica, upon which
has come this sudden and terrible devasta-
tion. Occupying delightful plateau
nearly midway between the Atlantic and
Pacific coasts, and about four thousand
feet above the level of the sea, the town is
the home of population OF nearly twenty
thousand souls, busy commerce, charm
ing Audalusian society aud centre of ad-
vanced progress and culture All the
buildings are now a mass Of ruins The
city's destruction is as complete as that of
Pompeii
At eight o'clock on the evening of De-
cember 29th the Inhabitants were in the
midst Of the celebration Of the civic
and religious ieasis. A concert by
the excellent military band was
in progress in the beautiful little
Parque Central, whose walks and lawnu
were odOrOus with the scent of rose and |
jessamine and Oleandtr in full bloom and |
Illuminated By thousands of tiny colored |
lights sirupg from the branches of pal |
met.O and cedar and mahogany and ccote |
tIees, and circling the great marble aud |
bronze fountain in its center. In the |
streets the rays of the electric light shOne
down upon the vivaciOus laughing and |
gsyly-dTessed men and women coming |
from banquet at the GrRu Hotel, or on |
their way 10 q dance in the patio of the |
National Palace Suddenly, az n clap OF
thunder out OF clear nky, tremendous
obaolr Of eorfbnuabo mt fha cff,, - q,
state of widest alerm. Seized by COM
mon impulse the people rushed to their
homes to provide a. isT as possible, for the |
safety of the children and the aged. The |
dread words, "Yiene un temblore terri |
BILE" ga terrible earthquake is cOming'') |
were on every lip.
The first shock was repeated with even
greater force at II p. m. AT the end of
three hours came feeling Of relief. 81.
is all Ovtr." ss'd the blAck-robed priests, |
and the hope was quickly transformed to
conviction. Relieved and grateful the
people returned 10 their dwellings and
sought Tepcse after the weariness and eX-
citement of the night.
At 4:30 O. N. on the Both third shock,
more awful than the preceding ones, swoke
the sleepers, rudely dispelling their new
born confidence. The city was violently
shaken from end to end.
Down went the houses in a deafening
din, wall crashing upon wall, with the
roof of heavy tile sagging and sinking be-
tween in inextricable fashion. Womea's
fear stricken shrieks, the screaming
of strong men and the piteous wall of little
children, mingled with the dusk, darkness
and din was a scene of decentralization
frightful to witness. The experience of
that awful hour will not soon he
eff4ced from the memories of those who
passed through the ordeal. Nearly every
house in the older central pIrt of the city
was abandoned. Many thoroughly fright
ened and superstitious people took the
roads leading out of the city to the west
ward away from the dread volcano and
fled until daylight, reaching Alsjutla,
thirty miles away, only to find that town
suffering similar disaster. Others kept on
running southward until they reached
GARLIC. near the Atlantic Coast
Scarcely a building above one story on
the ground floor remains intact to-day.
The beautiful dome of the Cattle 1ral,
with its wide Corinthian pOrticO, locks
| ike nOuee vi CaluS OAuSNeu III dut
grasp.
Luckily the big hospital on the out
skirts of the town had suffered little from
the shock, being long, rambling, one
story edifce.
The casualties number nearly LOCO, but
not more than 100 people were killed
within the city limits. Those WHO met
death at other points, especially at San
Vicente and San Ieidro de Aleiuels, will
bring the mortality up to 200. Daring
the first night at least 500 houses were en-
tirsly destroyed, with their contents, or
made unsafe for hsbitatiOn, making about
5000 people shelterless. Three more
shocks. one on the 9th, another on the Sth, |
and the last yesterday, have reduced the
remaining houses 10 ruins. Army tents
have been put in the plszas and parks, or
in the fields outside the town, where ra'
tions are supplied to the homeless multi
tude by the military authorities. A brig |
sde ofiaborers are at work clearing the
streets of debris and the more hopeful are
already talking in g halfhearted way |
about plans for rebuilding. tits said that
the Capital may be removed further north, |
to site adjacent to the line of the pro-
posed canal.
The phenomenon was experienced in
varying severity throughout the central
section, which includes the volcanic cor
dillera Of Costi Rica.
TIE peicbboring village Of San Isidro
ras the scene of remarkable geological
formation. az described toyour correspond
ant who rode out there and went over the
ground Yesterday. A little house on
9rotrero (orlss pasture) here was inhabit-
ed by man with his wife and hye emil
dren. At the first shock they ran cut OF
the house wildly toward sugar plants-
tion. What happened is best described IN
= t-analation of the terrified TOman's re-
c;taI 10 your correspondent Three OF
the children went with my husband
oarriad the baby in my arms and led little
Juanita by the hand. We had gone Dut
short distance and my husband was about
one hundred yards ahead ot me,
wben the earth seemed to melt
20 ,yater and rise up over my nus
hand and the children in great wave |
For a moment saw them struggling wild
~ az though drowning. Their death
sbonts nearly cuused me TO drop, and they
were gone forever, and no sign Of the place
where the earth had opened and swallowed
them vas left to show where they had
been. I turned in another direction, but
the earth seemed to rise and fall all
aroupd me. For five terrible minutes
which feemsd ages, I struggled through
I | ,-h,ct carue mn II my