The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-09-05
THE EARTHQUAKES IN INDIA.
Terrifying Incidents as Related by
Eye-Wituesses
From the London Times. Aug. 10.


of the devastating and terrifying nature
of the earthquake on June u. The Rev.
G. NJ. Davis, chaplain at Shillong writ
ing on June %, said:
Every European residence in the station
was leveed to the ground-not one es-
Gaping. The church became a heap Of
stones in less than minute. Had it been
a little later we should have been at
choir practice. The water burst the
bounds of the lakes, and they are abso-
lutely dry. Huge assures cut the roads
in many places, and a sulphury smell fills
the air. The ruin and destruction are
appalling. Every European is absolutely
homeless in torrents of rain. We are
shelterins in the native sheds-simply a
matched roof, and no side protection
whatever. The poor women and children
are suffering terribly and provisions are
short. The center Of the disturbance was
undoubtedly somewhere in these hills The
severity of the shock was far greater
than in other parts, judging from the ac-
counts we get-although the area reaches
as far north as Delhi. l had been taking
tea with some friends, when a lady eX-
claimed; There's an earthQuaker' and.
ON rushing out onto the veranda, realized
what was happening. by seeisg huge
cracks in the wall over the window The
cept some ladies who were being assisted
over the huge stones of the steps, which
began to heave up and down. The stones
literally dubbed up around us, and moth
ing can describe our utterly helpless feel
ing. The tremendous rumbling noise. like
a thousand ships engines humping away
in the midst of a storm at sea; the
crashing of the falling houses within a
few yards OF us; the violent, sickening,
shuddering movement of the earth; the
huge cracks in the ground--all these and
many other sights and sounds and sem
sations can never be fully described. and
can never be forgotten by those who eX-
perienced them. This first shock lasted
less than three minutes. We could do
nothing until it was over. Our first
thoughts was for the sick. I rushed to
the house of young officer who had been
in bed with fever for many weeks, and
arrived just in time to see him dragged
through a window oy his nurse and bear
er. The rest of the house, except this
window, was in utter ruin
To try and get brandy and restoratives
for the fainting was the next thing, but
it was hopeless. Then, on 10 the tele-
graph office, which l found in ruins. and
all the instruments smashed, and no mes
sages could then be sent. At the next
house l found a large party of police open
ing up the roof of house in which the
inspector general of police was known 10
be i'll In bed at the time; his poor wife
standing in the garden, hoping against
hope. that he might be found alive. Nearly
an hours work OF digging only revealed
the poor crushed body of Mr.. McCabe
still lying upon his bed 1t was really
awful to see poor, distracted mothers rush
ing hlther and thther, making frantic in
quiries after children who had gone out
for their evening walk.
II was now getting dark and raining so
the next thing was to find shelter for the
night. and food for ali the poor women
and children. who were huddled together
in the cricket ground being the largest
open space to be found. Every one was
houseless, homeless and without any
thing but what they wore as the rushed
from their houses. With the help of my
bearer ! took some blankets, pillows and
flannel suits from the hotel ruins Other
men were also busy, as food had 10 be
found, and so we dug out all the tins of
biscuits we could. Only a few lanterns
could be found, and the most weird of
sights was to see men creeping about try
ing TO find wives and families, each one
asking, "Oh, have you seen So-and-SoY
Not till O'Clock in the morning did
we attempt to rest on some stones in the
market place. The next day was Sunday,
and / had. with many others, to make
preparations for Mr.. McCabe's burial. /
buried also d lady who died from exposure
and shock; an old pensioner, too, was
found dead in his home. The rumbling
noise and occasional shocks still continue.
All mans works have been utterly de-
stroyed-houses, property, artificial lakes,
roads, railways. and telegraph wires-but
only Two trees have fallen. Government
house is In ruins, and the chief commits
sioner has lost much valuable furniture
and personal property. At present people
are living in little bamboo and thatcb
- M
proof against rain as many little COW
house IN England. The rain Is saturat-
ing everything. In the great common ca
lamity that has befallen all, ali seem
drawn very closely together. Twenty-Five
natives were crushed to death I'm the gov
eminent Press, where they were working
at the time. In the district there has been
much greater loss of life. In one native
town 40 people persisted.
From the Springfield Republican.
A letter from another correspondent.
dated the Ruins of shlllong. June H.
gives the following additional details Of
the disaster:
You will have probably heard about our
grand earthquake Of the 18th, and that
Shillong was absolutely levelled 10 the
ground in something under one minute at
5;i5 p M. Saturday, June Y.
If 1t had happened at night nearly every
soul must have been killed. My wife and /
started out for a walk about five on Sat
urday afternoon, and by 5l5 we had just
got to the Shillong waterworks, and were
standing in The middle of the road, when a
loud rumbling began like very near thun-
der. Then, at once, the whole ground be-
gan to jerk about violently. NJ. sat down
at once (she says of her own accord ]
tried to stand up for a few seconds, but l
had TO tumble down almost at once, and,
then, for about a minute, we had most
unpleasant time; we were violently shak-
en- and jerked backwards and forwards
with a very siclSening feeling. The whole
of the road was webbing about and break
ing open into broad cracks. The raised
tank Of the water-works split open, and
the bank round it sank down two houses
which were in sight shook bodily down
into q cloud OF dust on the ground and
enormous blocks of rock came rolling
down the opposite hillside. II was a most
unpleasant feeling, and suggested forcibly
the change of the earth opening and swal-
lowing one. sf+
The real violent shock lasted from any
thing like twenty seconds TO a minute
and then we were urcommonly glad to be