Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1906-08-24
VALPARAISO
DESTROYED.
Earthquake and Fire Reproduce
San Francisco Horror in Chief
Seaport on Western Coast Of
South America.


South America.
Disaster by earthquake, like that of
San Francisco, fell upon Valparaiso,
Chile, last week and it is feared that
Santiago, the capital, may be in even
worse straits. Hundreds are reported
to be dead in the port and fires have
been raging so that they were visible
20 miles out at sea. The earliest re-
ports were alarming, but when later
telegraph service was declared to have
been resumed it was thought this was
an encouraging sign. The shock was
recorded at Baltimore, Washington and
Albany, N. Y. Honolulu reports abnor-
NAL tides.
AT Valparaiso during Thursday night
90 shocks were felt and there have been
300 more since then. The loss will be
enormous, probably reaching $3.50, OOO,-
coo, all the railroads being destroyed.
Two thousand persons killed is consid-
cred to be fair estimate of the casual
ties. Five neighboring cities with
an aggregate population of over 80, 900,
and villages all around, were destroyed.
Most of the damage was due to fire,
which started Immediately after the
first shock. The whole population is
sleeping in the hills, the parks or the
streets. Food is scarce and milk costs
Chilean dollars quart, and it is al
most impossible to obtain meat, even
at high price. Rain, which began to
fall Immediately after the first shock,
stopped an hour afterward, but the
nights are cold and windy and the peo-
pie sleeping in the open are suffering
greatly. Valparaiso is a fortified sea-
port of Chile and the most important
commercial town of the western coast
of South America. 1t has a popula-
ton of about $50, 1t is the capital
of the province of the same name.
and situated on a large bay in the
Pacific ocean, rs miles west northwest
OF Santiago, with which it is connected
by rail.
In the earthquake at Santiago Thurs
day at 8 p. m. it is officially reported
So persons lost their lives and more
than 100 were wounded. The damage
to property is calculated at Sc, 600, 600.
The palace of the archbishop, the Ma
tional Library and University, the mill
tary barracks and other buildings were
heavily damaged, and also many
churches, with the exception of the Ca
thedral. Prisoners in the Jail mutinied
and the troops were called in. There was
no block without number of houses
damaged. All business has stopped and
general CONSERVATION of the people
remains and squares are crowded with
thousands of homeless ones. At Mac
hall 20 were killed and many wounded.
4 Troops have started for Valparaiso to
maintain order. Astronomers at the
Observatory of Cerro San Cristobal
say the earthquake was due to rising
of the Western Andes.
During the night the volcano OF
Tupungato began an eruption to add
to the horrors of the situation, and the
people fled to all the churches still
standing to pray for the safety of those
who survived the earthquake.
1t is reported that Quillota, n towr
of 10000 population, about 80 miles
from Valparaiso, has sunk entirely
from sight, and that less than 100 OF
the inhabitants escaped The sinking
is reported to have taken place during
the shock that was timed at Valparaiso
as having lasted minutes and sc
seconds.
The statement that the approach OF
the earthquake was announced by the
naval observatory at Valparaiso two
days previous to its occurrence is con-
firmed. The news was published in the
Chilean press Wednesday, August Is
the day before the earthquake occurred.
Large parties of convicts who escaped
from the prisons in Chile have been com.
hitting robbery and other crimes al
Valparaiso. Santiago is sending sup
plies and medical assistance to Val.
paraiso. Noteworthy also is the action
of San Francisco in quickly raising a
large fund for the stricken city,.
A dispatch from Lima states that
Robinson Crusoe's Island is reported
to have been wiped out of exis-
tence by the disturbance. The
island of DeFoe's castaway has always
popularity been supposed to be Juan
Fernandez, four hundred miles off the
Chilean coast. The adventures of
Il
Alexandria Selkirk, Scotchman, who
lived a solitary existence there for
four years, are regarded as having been
the basis for the tale of Robinson
] Crusoe.