Evening journal., 1897-05-03
EARTHQUAKEATLIMA
Some Severe Shocks Felt at tho
Peruvian Capital
FORMER MANIFESTATIONS IN PERU.
There Have Been Many Seismic Disturb
ances In the South American City,
When Great Loss of Life aud
Property Have Occurred.


Property Have Occurred.
Lima, Peru, via Galveston, May g.
An earthquake Of great violence and
long duration has occurred here. shak
ing up the city and the immediate
neighborhood.
Great alarm Immediately prevailed
throughout the city and the church
bells We're rung, summonng the inhab-
itants TO special services. at which
prayers We're offered up for the cessa-
tion Of the shocks.
No disasters have been reported up
TO the present time. The trembling Of
the earth extended from Chincha to
Casma, and the old walls OF the city
fell.
No very serious earthquake has been
reported from Peru for several years
There was a strong disturbance on
March 2S, 1885, and though the de-
struction was not great, the anxiety
was intense, owing to the fact that
March 20 is the anniversary Of the COM
plete destruction of Lima many years
ago and to the feeling that the dis
turbances Of the 2Sth were only pre-
liminary to a general disaster.
The last seismic disturbance In Peru
occurred on oct. &c, 1896 The trem-
bling was felt in Lima and extended
/ over considerable area without, how
ever, being very serious at any point.
The earthquake of March 2s caused
a great exodus to the mountains, the
| movement from Lima exceeding even
that which took place in 1906, on the
eve of the bombardment Of the city
by the Spanish fleet. The superstltious
fear of a repetition of the terrible dis
aster Of years ago spread all over Peru
and to Chile. At Valparaiso the ankle
~ as the i'll fated day approached was
very great and there was a sigh Of re-
lief when it passed in safety.
Great Destruction In Venezuela.
The terrible earthquake in Venezue-
la on April 2S, 1894. is well remembered
There was great loss Of life and de-
struction of property. The villages OF
Merida, Lagunillas, Chiguara and Sar
Juan were almost destroyed, and the
disturbances extended to the neighbor-
. ing republic of Colombia. 1t was es
timated that several thousand persons
mostly in northwestern Venezuela, los
their lives. Merida had been once be
fore-in 1S12-destroyed by earthquake
In that year. too, Caracas was visited
10 by most destructive quakes, 1900 per
sons losing their lives. In 1858 tw'
severe shocks were felt at Cumana
e Venezuela. The city was badly dam
d aged and 500 persons killed.
Some Of the most extensive disaster
= of this character in recent years hav
o occurred in northern Japan. In the lat
e ter part of August and first days O
d September of last year succession q
i shocks caused enormous destruction /
3. the province of Akita. At Senya, hill
IS opened in many places, and fire burs
e from the cracks. The population fie
y in terror TO the interior Many live
n were lost, and hundreds Of houses co
le lapsed.
RI This earthquake was. however, n,
so disastrous as those of October, lS9
Then the island OF Hondo was shake
from end to end and side TO side, 500
Ne houses were demolished and 1000 pei
n sons killed outright in the city of NJ
f yoya In Gifu 5000 were killed and :
le many houses destroyed. Altogeth'
q nearly 10000 lives were lost 5000 pei
m sons injured and $4,000 houses demo
y ished. BY these convulsions mountain
,e were literally split in twain. towI
10 prostrated and their debris consume
" by succeeding conhagrations.
I The disturbances extended over q
n area of 10000 square miles. The earu
- quakes in this instance were accon
panied by landslides and these
noises seeming to come from far belo
the earth's surface with a sound Ill
the escape Of steam through gigant
~ horn.
Scientists continue TO differ in detai
% as TO what causes earthquakes b
Vi they nearly all agree now that the
5n phenomena are symptoms that q
le earth is growing old and slowly a
tt preaching the point Of general collap.