The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-08-18
CHILEAN CITY
OVERWHELMED
Earthquake Shakes Down
Buildings of Valparaiso
Fire Breaks Forth.
LOSS OF LIFE REPORTED
MEAGER DETAILS FROM Az
FLIcTED LOCALITY.
LOSS OF LIFE REPORTED

Y
Chile. has been badly damaged by an
earthquake. and many people killed y
= and injured.
: New York. Aug. 17-At 1870 =
= o'clock tonight the Central cable \
= office Of the Western Union Tele- y
graph company received a service :
message stating that the valparaiso y
> office is closed until o'clock tomor- y
= row morning." No reason is given y
= for this and neither this nor any \
OeIer nessage received oy the com
pany tonight throws any more def
mite light upon the situation.
Except for a few private messages re-
csived early today reporting an earth
quake in Chile and damage to buildings
in Valparaiso, no direct news from Chile
has as yet been received. The early re-
ports. coming from different points, stat
ed that the earthquake had resulted in
great loss OF life and widespread dam
age to property. Up to IL o'clock tonight,
however. there had been nothing to con-
firm these reports.
The Associated Press correspondent at
Buenos Ayres cables that It is feared the
town Of Los Andes. i'm the province of
Aconcagua. has been destroyed. At the
same time he points out that Buenos
the disturbed district
Probable Exaggeration.
No official communication has reached
Washington from Chile and. while posi-
tive information is lacking. New York
officials Of cable companies having con-
nection in South. America tonight express
the opinion that the first reports of the
earthquake were exaggerated
All cables reaching New York from
Chile and Valparaiso early tonight were
evidently much delayed. according to the
statements of these officials who are
themselves unable to get any informa-
ton bearing on the situation other than
the fact that an earthquake has oc-
Cured; that the disturbance has disar-
ranged telegraphic apparatus and inter
fered with communication.
There is much anxiety tonight among
those who have friends and relatives i'm
chile The cable companies and news
papers are making every effort to secure
definite information.
II is pointed out that the entire alb
sence or any word from official sources
IN valparaiso and other points in Chile
may be taken as indicating considerable
eXaggeration in the reports of loss of life
and extent of damage.
Little Really Known.
The reports received from various quar-
tiers OF the globe regarding the Valpa-
raise disaster have varied greatly. some
going so far as to compare the havoc
wrought 10 that OF the San Francisco
catastrophe. with details much the same
IL is said that the city. at first shaken
by a violent earthquake. took fire and
was burning fiercely, many scores per
ishing in the flames and in the ruins of
the fallen buildings. The latest OF the
reports along this line comes by way of
London and is TO the effect that Ham
burg firm has received "A dispatch stat
ing that numerous districts i'm Chile have
been destroyed and that Valparaiso has
been practically demolished, many ships
lost and more than n hundred persons
killed. II is added, however, that the dis
patch is not well authenticated. This is
pubpOrt 10 give details of the disaster
One London firm has received a cable
gram from Valparaiso which says:
Severe earthquake. Commerce para
lyzed. Staff safe"
Regarded as Hopeful.
No mention is made of serious loss OF
dispatch, and this Is regarded as a hopeful
sign in the situation.
The Central cable office of the Western
Union Telegraph company I'm New York
has received a service message saying
the Valparaiso office closed at 100
o'clock tonight. eastern time. This is an
unusual proceeding but is not explained
Sunday night is the only night the wires
are closed at Valparaiso None of the
private messages corning from Valparaiso.
Inquiry as to the safety Of relatives or
Continued on Page 2.