Waterbury evening Democrat., 1906-08-21
PEOPLE SLEEPING
 IN THE OPEN AIR Many Santiago Houses Are Laid Low and Many Others Will Be Pulled
 Down
EXTENT OF CATASTROPHE
ls Only Begining to Be Realized Not Safe to Walk Through
 The Streets.

Santiago. Chile, Aug 20.-6 p. m. I-Only now can the seriousness of the catastrophe begin to be appre- ciated. The greater part of the mod ern houses here are unsafe for habi- tation and the authorities have or ganized special corps to pull down the tottering buildings. In most of the streets 1t is not safe to walk on the pavement owing to falling debris. Santiago resembles camp. The i public squares and the principal ave- nues are crowded with people sleep ing in the open. All kinds of car | riages and carts have been requisi- toned to slep in, or even under them.
 The night of August 16 was ren- dered dreadful by flashing lightning and pouring rain, the electric cables and wires snapping as a result of the constant, strong earth shocks which occurred all that night, iaus- ing the greatest consternation, which was heightened by the pealing of the fire bells announcing the break ing out of fires in various quarters of the city. Each earth shock was fol- lowed by walls and prayers from the people, who were kneeling in the rain and mud. The first great shock lasted four minutes and fifty sec onds. Such long shock had never occurred before in the memory of any inhabitant of Santiago. It caused the bells of the churches to ring in the steeples, pictures swung out from the walls, and there was a great, heaving motion of the ground. Ex- perts say that the only thing which saved Santiago from complete ruin was that the motion was circular. The principal shock was from Val paraiso to Santiago and Meripilla, with its center at Limache. The two last mentioned towns were destroyed, as also were Guillota and Lloillai.
 The. statement that the approach of the earthsuake was announced by the naval observatory at Valparaiso two days previous to it's occurrence Is confirmed. The news was publish ed in the Chilean, press on Wednes- day. August 15, the day before the earthquake occurred.
 No really definite news has yet been received here from Valparaiso, except the governors official report to the president, outlining the situa- tion and adding that he earnestly requests endorsements of troops. which to-day were sent to him by forced marches. The governor says that the only illumination of Val paraiso at night is that furnished by the burning buildings. There Is a terrible scarcity of drinking water there and difficulty is experienced in burying the bodies of the dead, ow- ing to the panic prevailing. The au- thorities of Valparaiso also have to contend with serious difficulties in succoring the wounded, owing to the fact that all the drug stores appar- ently were destroyed and that some time elapsed before medical supplies from this city reached the stricken port. The state of affairs existing at Valparaiso furnishs a serious out look for Santiago, since many of the homeless people at the former place will undoubtedly make their way here and there is not sufficient ac- commodation or food in this city for the destitute people of Santiago. The lighting and fuel question is also growing more serious here, since no coal can be brought to Santiago ow- ing to the railroad being damaged north and south of this city.
 The governor of Valparaiso in- formed the president that he had caused the construction of sheds on Brazil avenue in order to shelter the homeless families. He estimated that the quantity of provisions on the way to Valparaiso and the stock on hand there would be sufficient to last a month. He calculated that two weeks must elapse before traffic would be restored In some of the streets.
 A dispatch received here from Li- mache says that a hundred bodies there remain unburied and that the authorities up to the present have only been able to bury 200.
 The villages of San Francisco and Limache have been totally destroyed. including the hospitals. churches and all the public buildings.
 The task of the authorities in the present situation became easier to- day on account of the fact that tele- graph and telephone communication was re-established between valpa- raiso and Santiago. Nothing definite appears to be known regarding the number of people who lost their lives as a result of the earthquake and fires at Valparaiso. the authori- ties there only mention having taken sixty Bodies from the ruins. though they add that the number of injured is very great