The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1907-04-18
EARTHQUAKE
DESTROYS TWO
MEXICAN TOWNS
Meager Reports Received From
Seat of Trouble indicate
Death List Is Large.
COVERED A WIDE AREA
5hocks Along the Gulf Coast continut
and People Are in Panic-Govern-
ment Rushes Troops and Tents
to the Stricken Districts.

Chilpancingo, Mexico, April 17.-This
city has been completely destroyed
by an earthquake. The known dead
number eleven and the badly injured
twenty-seven. The greatest panic pre-
vatis and people are fleeing to the open
country. The earth continues to rock
at half hour intervals and many minor
shocks are completing the work of des-
truction.
Word has reached here that the city
Of Chilapa, forty-two kilometers to
the northeastward, also has been
destroyed. No details have been re-
ceived as to the number of dead and
injured. The population Of Chilpan-
cingo is 7,49S, and until the panic in
to which the citizens have been thrown,
abates, it will be impossible to state
the number Of casualties. The popu-
lation of Chilapa is 1900.
Third Town Probably Wrecked.
No word has been received from
Tixtla, and it is feared 1t also has
been destroyed. According to the
movement of the earthquake Tixtla
would be in its direct line.
The following message was sent to
the federal telegraph office in Mexico
City from Chilapa:
Our boys are working in a public. garden.
a terrible panic prevail as the earth con
Send us tents that we may establish an
office out in the country.
All communication with the west
coast has been cut off since the mo-
ment Of the first big shock and it is
suffered. The nearest large town,
Acapulco, 131 kilometers to the south
west Of this place, has not been heard
from.
Both the volcanoes Of Colima and
Jorullo are in this region. h earth
quake, it is feared, may cause these
mountains to become more active and
lives. -.
Nearly Half of Republic Affected.
City of Mexico, April 1.-THE fed
eral telegraph Office here has Informed
the Associated Press that Sunday
nights earthquake had interfered with
the working of the wires in all parts of
the republic south Of a line drawn from
Acapulco on the east east to Tamp1co
on the gulf cast.
From messages received at the tele-
| graph office here it appears that the
entire southern half Of the republic, In
GLIDING the lower country and the
mesa belt, felt the shock.
Messages from rs far north as San
Luis Potosi and south to San Juan
Bautista,, in the state of Tabasco. re-
port feeling the shock in varying de-
grees. At no place, however, has a
large loss Of life or great destruction OF
property been reported except In the
state of Guerro.
The boundary line of the northern
zone of the earthquake extended across
the ountry in a northWesterly direc-
ton for over 400 miles and south over
600 miles.
Large Number Reported Dead.
The National Bank of Mexico has re-
| ceived a telegram saying that 500 lives
were lost in the destruction of Chilpan-
cingo and Chilapa. In government cir
! cles the report is not credited. 1t is ad-
mitted that both cities were leveled to
the ground, but it is not thought that
the death list will even approximate
500, owing to the fact that the houses
! are built of stone in order to resist
earthquake shocks.
The federal authorities here have been
appealed to by the governors of the dis
as the inhabitants are now living in the
| open. The governor of Guerrero has
dispatched military engineers and
troops to the stricken district, and the
work of rescue and sanitation is being
| carried on in a systematic manner
Both cities are SO isolated that it is
impossible to obtain accurate and rapid
news of the disaster.
Remarkable Record at Berkeley.
Berkeley, Cal, April 17.-Perhaps the
most remarkable shock of earthquake
recorded at the students observatory
at the University of California was reg
istered on the Omey seismograph at
an early hou Monday morning. The
shock lasted for more than half an
hour and on that account it is believed
the local station is much nearer the
center of the shock than the eastern
stations, where The duration Of the
quake was much longer.
1T is a we'll founded fact that the
shock is always shortest at the near
est point to the center Of an earth
quake" said Professor Armin Q.
Leaschner, director Of the students OBJ
%servatory and head of the department
of astronomy at the University Of Cali
fornta.