The Richmond palladium. (Richmond, Ind.) 1906-1907, 1906-04-19
EARTHQUAKE OF
1886 RECALLED
Many People Now Discussing
the Terrible Charleston, S.
c., Catastrophe.
PRESENT ONE SURPRISES
DISASTER AT SAN FRANCISCO
SURPRISES FORMER ONE IN
LOSS OF LIVES AND PROPERTY

The great earthquake at Charles
ton, S. c., which occurred on the
night of August 81, 1886, probably
was the most notable in the history
OF this country. A newspaper writer
at the time said that the first quake
occurred at 9:51 and that at 1852
there was hardly a building in the
city OF Charleston that was not dam
aged. The walls of many of them had
fallen out. 1t stopped all of the
clocks in the city, which indicated the
moments Of the shock. There was a
second shock eight minutes later.
The people of the city collected in
the great Marion square thoroughly
terrified. The building around the
square had fallen in. From this crowd
composed of men, women and chill
dren arose incessant cries, calls and
lamentations, while over the motely,
half-clad assemblage was shed the lu-
rid light of a great conflagration that
had broken out few yards from the
square Immediately after the first
shock. In three or four other quarters
of the town large fires had broken
out.
In deserving their homes and look
Ing for open places, people gave no
thought of treasures or clothes; it
was a great and frantic fight for life
The presence of the Gead and wound
ed who were being conveyed into
the public parks and squares added
to the terrible picture
Cut Of From outer World.
Four shocks occurred before mid
night; three others followed at 2 a.
m, and $3.50 O'Clock, and every
shock added to the terror of the peo-
pie. Communication with the outer
world was cut off simultaneously with
the first shock, the railways having
been rendered impossible to trains
and the telegraph lines broken down
in the city and for long distance
outside, and the country was as much
cut off from communication with the
stricken district
1t was not until the next day that
brief telegrpahic dispatch was sent
out and reported the first information
to the country that the coast had not
been submerged and swept by tidal
wave, as was reported and believed.
Couriers were sent to Summerville,
some distance from Charleston, and
from that obscure point the country
got its first graphic description of the
fore the railroads were repaired.
Then every train was crowded with
panic stricken refugees fleeing from
the scene of the earthquake.
Eighty-Three Deaths Resulted.
According to the official records,
twenty-seven persons We're killed in
Charleston during the earthquake,
but by cold, exposure and from other
causes this number was increased to
eighty-three. The number of persons
injured was never ascertained.
A board of inspectors appointed to
investigate the conditions of the
houses reported that not 100 of the
$4,000 chimneys examined by them
escaped damage, and that ninety-five
of those that were injured were bro
ken off the roof. The brick buildings
and large business structures through
out the city were absolutely wrecked
Most of them had to be rebuilt Ma
jor Dutton. one of the men in charge
of the investigation, commenting on
it, said that the destruction was not
that of sweeping and unmitigated
order which had befallen other cities,
and in which every structure built of
material other than wood has been
leveled completely 10 the earth in a
chaos of borken ruDble, beams, tiles
and planking, or left in a condition
practically no better, but it was suf-
ficient to wreck practically all the
buildings in the city to a greater or
less extent.
Property Loss Six Million.
The records of the county asses
SOr'S Office show that damages caused