Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1902-06-05

4 up saw 6tC4A ttAt@4 p #zz31G ltAs
reeds, saw arches collapse, heard
breaking windows. saw uaIls tottel
and roofs parted. They rushed pan
lic-stricken toward the entrances
only 20 meet another frantic mot
seeking sanctuary IN tie places d
worship. Lisbon was eaveIoped in
dust, caused by the fallen debris o.
the first shock. but there came sec
ond, more severe than tfe first and
a third, not so tremendous, but
enough 10 level any stan<her struc-
ture which had wishsto8d the FIRST
two Portugal 5 capital was in ruins
and large proportion e It's popu-
lace were buried II was zilustra-
tive OF Byron line:
A thousand years scarce serve
10 build city: an hour may suffice
TO lay in the dust.
Those who were in their homes
suffered the fate of those in the
churches. Those in the streets were
luckiest, and those who chanced to
be in carriages were luckiest of all.
But the disaster was not complete.
Many who had survived the fall of
the buildings rushed toward the sea
for safety, aud out upon new mar
BILE quay, which had just been CON-
pleted at large cost.
Following the earthquake came a
tidal wave 80 feet in height. II fell
upon the low-lying section of the
town, submerged the quay and the
wharves. and in subsiding carried
out to the ocean thousands OF the
city S one time inhabitants. Strang-
est feature of the whole occurrence
was that, when the waters had re-
treated, there was left no trace of
the quay. The earth had literally
swallowed it up and the water had
closed over it and the human freight
which il had borne.
Fire was next TO be contended
with. Flames broke forth from the
ruins simultaneously in thousand
places. They swept over the entire
central section of the city, complet-
ing the destruction of the best build
ings. Joseph / was then the King
and was an efficient ruler. 1t hap
pened, that, when the earthquake
occurred, he was mt a suburban res,
idence, and escaped uninjured. He
inaugurated movements to rescue bis
people, to prevent famine and pes
thence, and to encourage rebuilding.
He succeeded and in ten years Lis
bon was once more one of the most
beautiful cities in Southern Europe.
Former Earthquake Described
Ly an Eye Witness.
One of the most vivid descriptions
of Lisbon during the earthquake was
published in Blackwood 3 Magazine.
1t was in the form of q letter from
man named Chase, who was in Lis
bon at the time, who was injured,
and narrowly escaped death. The
following portrays the first shock
L was alone in bed-chamber. four
stories from the ground opening n
bureau, when ashaking or trembling
of the earth (which ! knew immedi-
ately to be an earthquake), gentle at
first, sut gradually becoming vio
lent, alarmed me. Turning round
to look at the window the glass
seemed falling out. Calling to mind
the miserable fate of Callao in the
West Indies, ! dreaded like catas-
trophe; and remembering that our
house was so old and weak, that any
heavy passing carriage made it shake
throughout. ] ran directly into the
Arada, to see If the neighboring
houses were agitated with the same
violence. This place was q single
room at the top of the house, with
windows all around the roof, and
supported by tall pillars. II was
only one story higher than my cham
Der, but commanded a prospect of
some part of the river, aud of all the
lower part of the city. from the
Kings Palace up to the Castle. /
was no sooner up the stair than the
most horrid prospect the imagina-
tion could picture appeared before
my eyes. The house began to heave
to that degree, that, 70 prevent be-
ing thrown, / was obliged to put
my arm out of the window and sup
port myself by the wall. Every stone
in the wall, separating and grinding
against each other, caused the most
fearful jumbling of noises ears ever
heard. The adjoining wall OF "a room
next TO where / was. fell first, then
followed all the upper part of the
house. and of every other so far as
I could see toward the Castle. when
turning my eyes quick 10 the front
Of the room lfor / thought the whole
city was sinking into the earthl, /
saw the tops Of two or more pillars
meet, and saw no more.
The writer Of the nhove awakened