The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-11-16
THE PARK STREET ENTRANCE.

loss of life, and causalties in the well-to-dp
town Of Quezatenango were greater than
in any other Of the destroyed settlements
This was probably due 10 the comparatively
large number Of two-story houses, which
were nearly all totally destroyed, while
many buildings of ouc-s'ory remained
standing
The material damage was very great.
We have been hearing for The last month
of the enormous damage done on the coffee
plantations This fact i doubtless due
in part to the large buildings ON these estates
with stone walls Of considerable height
and much heavy machinery. The coffee
crop is prepared in these buildings for
market. All those buildings in the area
mos, severely affected were practically
&c aroyed, causing enormous loss to tbs
coffee growers, In the same region. how
ever, ono-story wooden houses rarely
suffered complete destruction, while III
humble huts of the Indians with the light
roofs bound by stou, vines TO the uprights
upon which they rested sus aimed scarcely
any damage. 1t was the stone and adobe
buildings, many of them covered with
tile roofs that sur ared most severely
The effects Of the cart hquake in loose
and consolidated soil were strikingly eX-
hihited in the sandy and plastic region
around OCos. This port lies on long
san d dune about 1000 feet in breadth.
just beyond the Estcros River, to the east
OF he port region of hard limestone
begins but all around OcoS there il nothing
but this deep volcanic sand. The earth
waves coming from the sea bottom to land
passed over this loose sand, showing the
veritahle appearance OF sea waves The
surface IN dulated like that Of the sea in "A
storm. Three Of these earthwaves followed
one another, and al the time the shocks
ended they were left ~ the places they had
reached, and arc still To be sccn-three
long lines of heapcd-up sand. very curious
relics Of the tprriDl" disturbances Of that
day
As has been said above. it is not be-
llored that the Guatemalan earthquakes
were caused by the vol canic phenomena
which are so often associated with carth-
quake disturbances. II is believed how
ever, that the subsequent volcanic crup-
Il ons were probably the result of these
earthquakes, in fact, thai tho subtcrranean
disturbance manifested ar the surface
by carthq Iakes We're the cause Of opening
volcanic vents that perhaps had very
long been closed, ard that the eruptions
which have been destroying so many Of
the coffee estates are really the natural
after-effects OF that day of terrible shaking
Guatemala deserves the sympathy OF tho
whole world. Few peoples are called upon
10 suffer 50 severely ~ have the Gautema-
lans IN th" past eight months, 1t i, the most
important of the five republics on ,ent,-.
America II sells far more To foreign lanus
and buys more from them than any ottc-
republic, Coffee has been the great factor
IN giving Guatemala its importance II /.
the most important crop in the country and
the larger part Of II Is grown on grea, plan
tations scattered from the Pacific to tho
centre Of the country and owned by we'll
TODD planters. Leading In tho exports OF
coffee, no other Guatemalan export ia Of
much importance, The people. therefore,
have been made 10 suffer very severely in
the damage inflicted upon the most inn
portant factor Of their prosperity