The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1906-09-19
VALPARAISO WRECKED
BY AN EARTHQUAKE
Number of Dead in Chilean Seaport Estjm.
ated at Two Thousand.
PROPERTY LOSS PUT AT $3.50, 900, 600

Dynamite Used With Good Effect to
Check the Fires That Followed
the Destructive Shocks-Nuin
More Complete Than at San
Francisco. Captain Says-Caole
Companies Estimate That 1000
Persons Were Killed in Chile
100000 Homeless-Fugitives
Huddic on Icy Hills-Wintry
Rains Drench Hundred Thou
sand Refugees From Ruins.
VALPARAISO, Chile.-At 1852 o'clock
last Thursday evening Valparaiso ex-
perienced an earthquake of great Sc
verify. That night eighty-two shocks
were felt. The shocks continue, but
are steadily diminishing in force.
Most of the buildings of the city
were either ruined or damaged
The loss will be enormous, prob
ably reaching s25O,OO0,O00.
- Two thousand persons killed is
considered to be fair estimate OF
the casualties.
The captain of a steam:hip which
has arrived from San Francisco says
that the situation here is worse than
that following the disaster at San
Francisco. 1t is generally considered
that the destruction here is more
complete than that which befell San
Francisco.
Vina del Mar (three miles from
Valparaiso and having population
of over 10000. Quirihue (22o miles
to the southwark, with a population
of 25OO): Salto, Limache cfifteen
miles to the northwest. with a popu-
lation of 650O); Quillota (twenty-
five miles to the northwest, with
'population of 100000, and villages
all around were destroyed. All the
towns in the Aconcague Valley have
suffered terribly.
Most of the damage was due to
fire, which started Immediately after
the first shock.
The whole population is sleeping
on the hills, the parks or the streets.
Some articles Of food are very
scarce. Milk costs two Chilean dol
lars a liter, and it is almost impossi-
BILE to obtain meat, even at high
prices. 1t is not, however, believed
that a famine will occur, as thou
sands of tons of -four, wheat and rice
are in stores and on the ships. The
authorities have taken charge of the
distribution Of food.
oil 1octrnvnd
Rain, which began to fall imme-
iiately after the first shock, stopped
an hour afterward.
The nights are very cold and
windy, and the people sleeping in the
open are suffering greatly. Courlers
have been dispatched both north and
south for troops. Martial law has
ruled in Valparaiso since the first
day of the shocks.
The conformation of the whole
city area has been greatly changed.
The sea now washes over most of the
low lying district, which was given
over almost exclusively to business.
Most of the wharves have disap-
peared, and only the roofs of some OF
the warehouses now show above the
waters of the bay. The southern end
of the encrcling chain Of hills seems
to have dropped many feet, while di-
rectly back of the city there are great
assures in the hillsides. Much dam
age was done by the quakes sending
rocks down the hills on the city. One
of these rocks fell into one of the big
public elevators and killed six per-
sons The elevators were used for
ho
the high terraces, but all of them
now are out of commission.
The fires that started after the
first destructive shock defled all the
efforts Of the fremen. The water
mains were broken, and the only
source of supply was from the bay.
But the peculiar formation Of the
city saved it from being swept c:can
by the confagration. While some
terraces left trails of ashes, others,
both above and below, were not even
scorched. But in the lowlands the
flames rolled almost without him
ORANGES, and tens OF millions in prop
erty were consumed.
~ Many ghouls have been shot, but
public order on the whole has been
remarkably good. One Of the worst
trials is the lack OF light. The gas
and electric light plants were both
destroyed, and not street car is in
operation. The railroads, too, are
blocked, and che only open means Of
communication is by the sea. The
overland telegraph wires are down,
and the city keeps in touch with the
/.outsiGe world Try two lines Of cables,
one running south, and the other
north. 4 repair gang started out
in the afternoon to attempt to open
communication by land with Santa
go. It is expected there will be little
difficulty in repairing the wires, as
it is reported there was not much
damage done between here and the
capital.