The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1906-08-25
LOSS OF LIFE
NEAR 5000
Property Damage Sustained at Val
DdrdiSO Alone is Estimated at
Not Less Than a Hun
dred Millions.

many fires, the flames extending from
the Plaza Orden toward the north and
have not been extinguished. Many
houses have been destroyed and nearly
all of those in the city are more or less
damaged either by earthquake or fire.
Business is at complete standstill.
The banks are closed. The gas sup
ply is unavailable and the electric
lighting system is completely knocked
out. The greatest panic prevails
among the Inhabitants. Many fami-
lies are fleeing from the city.
The weather is fair and the sea
calm. Communication with Santiago
de Chile is interrupted and IL is i'm
possible to learn what has happened.
New York, Aug. 18.-The Central
& Southern American Telegraph
Company early this morning received
this message from Valparaiso:
People demoralized; all business
houses closed. No prospect Of an
early restoration of lines to Santiago
or Buenos Ayres.'
New York, Aug. 18.-The Herald
today prints the following:
Valparaiso, Chile, Friday, via Gal
weston, Without the slightest
tremor of warning an earthquake Wis
tied this city at o'clock last night,
bringing death to hundreds of persons
and leaving many hundreds more i'm
prisoned in the ruins, many Of whom
we're burned to death before aid could
reach them. Fire started Immediate
~ after the first shook and every
branch of the city's service was para
lyzed. Panic and CONSERVATION indie
scribable followed, and those who es-
capped death and injury became fren,
zied with fear and could render little
assistance to the victims.
The business section of the city is
almost destroyed and fires are still
raging. We are suffering here rep
etition of the horrors of San Francis
co.
As night comes on the city is every
where aglow with unobstructed fires,
and clouds of choking smoke and
vapor settle into the streets and hous-
es where throngs of homeless ones are
wandering about crazed by the awful
calamity.
It is almost impossible to learn how
wide an area of country the visitation
has laid waste. Nothing has been
heard from Santiago, the capital city
of Chile, and it is feared the fate of
that city is as bad or worse than that
of Valparaiso.
photographic communication is cut
off in all directions and everyone here
is too much depressed by the calamity
at home to seek information of other
places. No trains have arrived in
the city or left it since the first shock
came, as all of the railroad tunnels
are filed and miles of track on the
surface are twisted and rendered use-
less.
It is only known from general ac
counts that death and destruction are
on all sides.
There were two distinct and terrific
shocks, the second one following al
most instantly after the first and COM
plotting the work of destruction.
Buildinss Crumbled.
The day had been unusually calm
and pleasant. At o'clock the whole
city seemed suddenly to swing back
ward and forward, and then there
came a sudden jolt of such mighty
force that rows Of buildings toppled
to the earth as if made of brittle plas-
ter. Whole rows Of buildings went
down in q few seconds. As soon as
the second shock had subsidized it be-
came known that the business part Of
the town was doomed. From the Bella
Vista section little was heard, but be-
fore midnight fires were seen burning
there, and it was learned that that
section of the city was also doomed.
The city stands upon q foundation
Of granite gneiss, which seemed to ac-
centuate the force Of the shock.
Before the stunned people were
given time to realize the magnitude Of
the calamity, again the city was shak-
en- with violence greater than before.
The earth in places lifted and pitched
the buildings forward, In other
places there was terrible tremor that
shook every structure to the ground.
This shock continued longer than
the first. When it had subsidized fires
were blazing up and thousands Of ter
rified persons were praying. and panic
swept the city. s.
1 Many landslides have occurred
around the city. It lie impossible to
state the number Of dead in the city.
bat it il believed, there are several
hundreds, many Of whom are still in
the ruins.
Ecuador Has New Tariff.
Washington, Aug. 22.-Ecuado, has
proclaimed new tariff schedule
which has just recalled the state de-
partment and will become effective
November /. The schedule provides
Tor . complete reclassification and
makes reductions on some Claaeea az |