The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-03-18
EARTHQUAKE CEACICKNVSS.
MR.. BRUCE WAS IN TUMACO WHEN
TIE SEA ROSE.

ship (hannel-SOundlnEs Changed IN
the HarbOr OF EsmeraldaS, Ecuador.
William +. Bruce, who il the manager Of
the mines Of the Certigue Mining and Dredg-
ing Company, has just returned from Tu-
mace, a small town Of Colombia not far
from the Ecuador border. While there he
had an experience with an earthquake
which he declares was not pleasant. This
earthquake created terror all through
Colombia, extended from Esmeraldas in
Ecuador all along the Pacific coast and
was felt as far north as Panama and in the
interior of Bogota. For more than three
weeks all cable communication with that
section was broken and it is estimated that
1000 lives were lost.
Mr.. Bruce left here on December % TO go
to Tumaco, where he had to record some
deeds and perfect the titles TO the COM
pany's mines. Tumaco is a small tow OF
about $500 population and is on an island,
or rather a sand bank. The inhabitants
are mostly negroes, but there are eighteen
to twenty English speaking people there
and one il an American and Is a DOCTOR
The sand bank on which the own stands
is very fiat and at its highest point is not
more than ten feet above high tide and the
street at the waters edge is 8 feet 8 inches
above the sea level. There is a fall with
the tide OF probably about 10 to IS feet.
When the earthquake came, accompanied
by a tidal wave, the tide was out and the
wave was more than 20 feet high. 1t swept
for a short distance up the street and then
the water subsidized,
The first shook was felt on January 81
at 945 o'clock in the morning. Mr.. Bruce
was near the waterfront. He had felt earth
quakes before, and for fun he took hold OF
a friend who was standing with his back
to him and gave him another shake. This
shock lasted two minutes and q half and
was comparatively slight, but it was suf-
fcient to scare the inhabitants, who at
once left their houses and stood in terror
in the street.
"The second shock came at 1920 said
Mr.. Bruce, a n it was a very severe one.
All the clocks in the town stopped at that
moment. The shake lasted ten minutes and
the sensation is hard to describe. 1t might
be likened to the lurching of a ship that has
been caught in a sea, but the motion was
much quicker. 1t had the effect Of making
many sick with q sickness similar TO sea
sickness At the time of that shock | saw
the tidal wave coming in and thought that
the place would be washed away. The wave
was a monster. 1t lowered away up above
the town, but fortunately the tide was out.
The town, too, is protected somewhat by a
reef, and this reef broke the wave. The water
came on, however. There was nothing to
do but wait for it, because there is no high
ground there. As it approached the town
the water lost its force and finally ran only
q few feet up the streets.
with the earthquake, however, things
were more serio us. The ground opened in
sew eral places. One crack / saw afterward
was about fifteen inches wide and several
feet deep. Houses fell down. They seemed
to slide down, just as a house quilt Of cards
would fall. More prayers we're offered in
Tumaco in that ten minutes than ever before
in the history of the town.
There Is a large plaza in the town back
from the water and everyone rushed there,
to get out OF the way of the falling build |
ings. Some storehouses and warehouses
went down and hurt people, chiefly women
who had been unable to get away in time. !
This shaking lasted for ten minutes and
then We set to work to help those who
had been injured.
In Tumaco only two were killed, a boy
and a man, but many were injured, and
to take care Of the injured and to help
those who were homeless taxed all the
energies Of the English-speakng people
in the place. The British Yice-Consul
lives in a large house and the back of this
fell down. He was helping his wife out
when she tainted from. fright and while
the Consul was holding her up a fence fell
On his leg: He was held a prisoner for
some minutes until another shake liberated
him. He has been very anne since then.
Boats that were moored along the water
broke loose from their moorings
and many were lost. 1t was a difficult
had passed away. The priest
there did wonders with the inhabitants
who are an ignorant and superstitious
lot, and to help things he organized a re-
ligious parade in which almost everyone
part.
After this there were shocks every day
and these got smaller and smaller until
about the end Of February they stopped.
Each day when the shock came, though,
the people were panic stricken again,
would jump into the water and stand t here
until the shock had passed over.
The inhabitants expected another tidal
and were sure that when it came
they kept to the plaza or other open
spaces, sleeping there, and no one in the
slept without his boots and clothes
When the shock was felt each day
The natives would throw themselves on the
en- their stomachs and scream with
I'VE learned that the earthquake was
for many hundred miles along the
coast and extended we'll into the interior.
The worst force though was from Esmeraldas
10 Buenaventura q distance Of about 400
miles, and Tuntaco, which is between these
places, got the worst Of it. We found
put later that near Tumaco ffty-two fami-
lies had been wiped out. These families
numbered from 300 to 400 persons, who
nearly all were drowned by the tidal wave.
From reports that were received from
places it was estimated that 2,00)
persons lost their Ii YES.
"Tumaco is separated from the mainland
by n small canal, which before the earth
1uake was only deep enough for canoes or
After the earthquake a small
steamer PASSED through the canal. The
in the waters were killed bythOusands
washed in by the tide. \ small
schooner that put in a few days after the
big shock also reported that fish were
killed out at sea.
"Down in the harbor OF Esmeraldas there
an old volcano, and it was thought that
This had started up again. That, how
ever, is only a theory. Capt. Rogers of
The steamer NIanavi and Capt. Ilawlight
Of the steamer quito, which run down the
coast, were instructed to keep well out to
sea on their trips, and in entering harbors
were very careful, particularly at tsmeraldas
and ptnna NaDtIrn ThpU rapnrfnI that