The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-12-23
| NIGHT OF TERROR
4 IN CARACAS.

~ ViEt tHttItStfuk uctdttt vi tUS IV~
~ cent earthquake at Caracas, ven-
exuela. are given In the following
from the Venezuelan Herald:
ION Sunday, the 2Sth OF October, tho
town OF Caracas celebrated the Saints
Day Of simon Bolivar The festivities
were somewhat dampened by rain. which
fell in torrents during the day, but to-
ward evening the weather asain became
serene. the stars crept out. and all re-
tired without the slightest suspicion that
the night was to be other than tranquil.
A o'clock in the morning OF the 18th tho
Thermometer marked twehty-one degrees
centgrade. the sky was cloudless and tho
air cool and still. Az <,ts terrible crack
ling awoke the town: the cracking was
succeeded by succession Of sharp shocks
OF short duration hut exceptional violence.
while from the interior Of the earth arose
a DUH strange. indefinabiy mysterious
noise, the character OF which II IL impcs-
sible to analyxe.
As described ny an eyewitness tho
scene At this moment was one OF extreme
terror and confusion. II was the hour
just before the dawn and pitchy dark.
darkness 30 deep and oppressive that 4
produced the sensation Of being b~ncat6
the earth rather than on its surface. rho
noise made by failing houses. the breaking
Of glass. the terrified cries of dogs and
other animals, and. rising above NIL the
screams Of the people overcome with tor
tpfs pEttutft u dft winch VIII never NJ
forgotten by those who were In Caracas
during those terrific moments.
The movement ~ the earth lasted about
thirty-pDe seconds. the direction hring
from east to west There were two dis
tinct shocks, each sufficiently violent u
throw water In q ever OF basin for Il YARD
IN ever direction Between the two. Ac-
cording 10 several witnesses, a red light
illumined the sky
After the first few moments OF atupor
had passed and people began to realize the
Importance Of the disaster, the entire pop
nlation poured Into the streets, and men
and women, old people snd children ii
the most unusual and fantastic costumes.
were geaticuiating. crying aloud. weeping.
and thus passing the remainder OF tho
wight
'Ai b2s the day broke with its accua-
toned spiendor, Just AZ II nothing abnor-
mai bad happened. The town was stllI
covered with thick cloud OF dust. hut It
cotnd presently be Eeen that II had es-
capped ann1hiaiien although II had suf-
fered greatly hardly a house having becn
left uniniured while many had their roofs
fallen in, others their wallis either wholly
down or fearfuiiv cracked The loss In
property Was very sreat but the NUM-
ber of fatalities was much smaller than
had al frat been feared. Only ton lives
were lost and thirty.ope seriously injured
among the latter Gan. Cipriano Ca~fro
ANA Father Nunex, the curate Of Alta
graeia and one OF the candidates for the
archtishoprie Two French women ana
two Italians were among the dead. hut
the AmefiraB. English and French coi-
onies escaped without inJury.
Almost all 81 the public buildings we're
seriously injured 1ha ministry Of the in-
terror Is now Installed temporarily IN tho
clilpticai hail Of the federal palace. the
ministry Of eneonragement at the show
rooms Of the American Arsociatinn. The
churches Of Aitagraria. Santa Ro4aita
San Jose and Calvary are ruined bui the
cathedral. which withstooa the earth~
Quake Of isizs suferG but little IN thls
one.
From October ~ TO November 8 tho
city remained In - stats 0f chaos and
for the first twenty four hours ~ this
period The shocks stlH continued at In
isrvaiN. though with naeh less si0iencs
tisin befores indeed they did not wholly
cease before November H. on the MORN
Ing 81 The soth the news ~A~ Circulated
through he town that cyclone waH aps
preaching the shores of La fsuayra and
would reach The city acfween ana 1
,. m. The result Of this rumor was that
every one forsook their houses once more
ard took refuge IN the fields and oysu
places the toEn presenting o most mourn
fri ana desplase aspect One. iva. three
AMI four hours HeHt b.. however, and tbs
cyclone failed to appear. although reports
90 ite nfsKfsss became more and mora
clrcurlsiaHtial, some even asserting that
the observatory mad h0isfed a red flag.
however, u never came, and the peypis
al Last cr@pt hack 10 their naJf-raine1
homes once mora and began the work rf
sep@4finx the damage done by the earth
quake. which had not been ~ imaginary.
An amusing Incident al thls moment
81 alarm and confusion was notice pub
i,aheg IN the Journals ~ the keeper sf
the Caracas 5ati. occupied always. and
especially a. the present TING, by polit-
icai tenants. one 81 them at the present
time a millionaire Here IL the notice:
/" TO The Publie: | have the satisfacfiou
70 inform The families OF those who are
detained here that this mornings earth
quake has happily caused no accident
within this establishment
The effects OF tho earthquake In slfrS
roundins icwnS vas even more ssfis 10
THAI al Cara a.. aeeesai having been on
uFaly destroyed. and the ioas Of live also
proving much larger than at CaraoaA
La 0uayra was Isttic injured Nacuso w.
n1Tooxr Eh0nx- dfsfxoye1