, 1891-01-24

den. Ilr>. tilOHsh not a. all ut, were OF
cAH,S, baptized upon the presumption thar
sheer lives were in imminent Danger.
During the first night, shocks we're 60
vetely tels, at intervals of never more than
half an hour; and for several days after
they we're veryl frequent. perhaps every.
hour. Indeed, after AN interval sometimes
Of 70 day or two. when We began to think all
was qNiet, we would have another shock.
This won't "n until 20 December, when We
hal :. Slo"k only second To the hrSt great
Que. A. tar as my rem smDrSnce anu my
notes serve me. tho earthquake o. Of which
l WIS personally conscious, bet ween Is :
November and, 20 December, were mora
than 200.
There was q difference in the kind Of
shock. Some of the earthquakes were YER
ticAl, seeming 10 come underneath you,
with q sudden bump; SOUe came with y
heavy swell, when the house seemed tO give
q lurch. producing q sickenlng sensation;
SOmeI could bsst describe as angular, Inc
shock seeming to be IN one direction, anu
then to give Q visit, or turp o corner, an 1t
WIRE: these always seemed to me the most
dangerous of all.
It can he well understood that peoples
nerves were wrought up to the highest
pitch. I once saw some gentlemen looking
with anxiety at q cloud of u rather sin Iular
colour and Shapa, which no one would nave
noticed at any other time. All through
tfe island during those dreadful weeks.
sImelis hearts were falling them for Tear,
aud for looking after those thing which
were coming al the earth.'
Il spoke OF the Last earthquake as being
on 29 December. The earth however, WAS
umQuiet every now and again tor som"
months. And as hate IN II March, a very
heavy shock occurred. Daring the month
OF June 1863 there was the awful earth
quake in Central America, one OF the
worlds historic earthquakes, which deS-
troyed whole cities an / thousands at lives.
Possibly this belonged TO the same series as
'OIr earthquakes in the Virgin Islands OF
the November before; anu WAS the last
and greatest Of TIA series.
There was very little loss Of life in st.
Croix; only Is in all being killed. These
were 5 men from the American ship of war,
one at least of whom was seen to leap
over board in his terror, three leppefS wAo
lived in a house OH the sea shore, % little
girl playing in the yard OF DER fathers
hOnSe, the Comptroller Of Customs, who
was suddeRlly swept Oat by che sea, anu
seven more. OF course, although the shoe:
vas not severe enough to dedtr0v many
buildings Though it cracked s%eVeTai and
therefore not to destroy lives, yet the tldat
; wave, iii had occurred 1T night, w0nld
hava -. IT hundreds ont Of their beds lntr
the raging saa.
Oar Sun lay Services we're \ III l0r 80 81
weeks outside the Churches. ga me u1ct'l I'D,
l December, I al'ni .istsred the dJty Com
mumipn to Ala persons, after reading All the
Service outside, mp to the Prayer of Conse'
Grafton then going in fOI that aud having
people coming in by some 20 at a time knert-
lug attha Lords Table, and pAss.0@ 0uts.'s
again when they hat received. | rel sin'*l
in mysoif of conr5o, II thr0Hth. We laI
several shocks lucin. u" t.u ;""'d OHc9 my
bag Church sam u iur,u: pl>t'rT e"Itra,
Assoon as this happan31, iu3v 1c.:vaiy Sia peo
Dle inside aud OutStt6 IN st l., -" l. I'D,
have mercy upOn ~" Ilat ~ '*i5t. H-ol
of the HOLY. OOnImaniOn can never 0r forgot
ten by any one who took part in it, feast, %
all by the celebrant. It reminded one of the
time when they we're hidden to ''Eat in haste,
for it was the Lords Passover. But a
more solemn Communion I never engaged
in, o. can we'll be understood.
It is time, however, TO bring these reminiS-
cences to aclose, not for lack of more fact
but lest I should take up too large 10 space
in this newspaper.
Among all viSitati0ns Of CYL, an earth.
quake is sa; genevis i'll giving 10 warning
whatever Of it's approach in mans absolute
inability"to DO anything whatever against
Its force: and in the fact that, aceurt!in : to