Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1905-09-25
AN EAST INDIAN EARTHQUAKE.

The Empress, an illustrated paper
published in India relates some Of
the experiences of some of those who
passed through the terrible earthquake
which occurred in the Kangra valley
in April last. The following tragic
story was told by D. w. MacBean, the
manager of large tea estates near Pal
anpoOr He says:
"On the morning of the 4th of April,
at about a m, We We're disturbed in
our sleep by a short earthquake, that
was quickly followed by a severe one,
and lastly by the worst shock Of all.
which appeared TO come from the
northeast, and having = sudden, cir
cular action towards the West. The
first one I took no notice of. thinking
it was one OF the many slight shocks
off and on experienced there. When
the second shock came. l sat IN in
bed and called out to my wife TO come
TO the window. l had hardly done so
when l saw the highest wall of our
bedroom fall in on my poor, sleeping
child; then all became dark from the
fearful dust Of falling walls l felt
suffocated. and I pushed my hand out
through the panes of glass in the win
dow into which I had crept; had 1 not
done so I should have been killed by
the wall that fell in on the head of
my bed. I shall never forget those
few moments that appeared like years
the noise Of the falling masonry.
smashing of beams, planks and states
l had fully made up my mind that we
should ali perish. When the shock
was over. / opened the window and
dropped into the lower veranda, rush
QUE and cried for help No one could
be seen; all had fled to the villages 20
help theid friends and relatives. y
fearful sight presented itself to my
eyes All our buildings, with the eX-
ception of the malls hut were level
ed to the ground. including maguih-
cent factory built OF cut stone. which
my poor old father had lately built.
All was still as death, save for the
waiIing of u man who afterward turn
ed out to be my head clerk. After a
few moments had elapsed, 1 succeeded
in getting few of my household scr
wants together and dug with bare fin
gers among limestone and plaster for
fin out of pl8nks taken from the de-
bris and bury her without ceremony
in a quite. sequestered spot on the tea
plantation. To look around the valley
nothing but desolation meets the eye.
The once pretty villages. with their
bluish-white walls and slated roofs.
mixed here and there with matched
buildings, all leveled to the ground.
We have been ruined-lost tens of
thousands of rupees. As for our loss
in machinery, it is unknown, being az
buried beneath the ruins. And this
is not all. We are afraid we siall
lose thousands yet, owing 20 our ter
ror-stricken wOrkmen and coolies. who.
believe that this picturesque valley is
to be totally destroyed. They have
made little thatch sheds for their fam
les and cattle, and PASS the day in
sorrow and fear, refusing to return to
work, or even work in their own
fields. A great many families have
been wiped out"
The Empress also tells the story of
the destruction of Bhowan temple,
which is situated some three miles
from Kangra Eown. About 1000 per-
sons were buried beneath its ruins
and under the adjacent buildings. The
duration of the shock was three min
utes, but all the damage was done in
the first few seconds.