The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-01-15
GRAPHIC STORY
 OF LISBON QUAKE Where 60,OOO People LeSl
 Their Lives TOLD BY AN EYEWITNESS Two Distinct Shocks Followed By a Tidal Wave Almost Entirely De- stroyed the City and the
 Population.
BY AN EYEWITNESS


 Of all the great seismic disturb ances that have alarmed the world, the history of the great earthquake in Lis bon in 1755 is recalled, by the awful calamity that has recently happened in Italy, to those who have made such appalling events the study of years. The Lisbon disaster happened on No vember 1 of the year mentioned. All historical events mention that finer morning never daWned than on that day. The sun was shining in all It's luster; the whole face of the sky was perfectly serene and clear and there was not the slightest indication or warning of the approaching event which was to destroy that great, opu- lent city.
 A letter describing the earth quake, written by an English merchant to friend in London, gives at great length his experiences on that occasion, and graphically describes some of the scenes. The writer, as he stated. was in his apartment finishing a letter, when the papers and table he was writing on began to tremble. This was followed by a strange, frightful noise, which was the forerunner of the earth quake.
 While meditating upon the strange occurrence, the merchant wrote, the house was in shook with such violence that the upper stories immediately fell, and though my apartment (which was on the first fioor) did not then share the same fate yet everything was thrown out of place in such manner that 1t was with no small difficulty that I kept my feet, and l expected nothing else than to be crushed to To od to tbie tarrjfVinR scene the sky in moment became so gloomy that 1 could now distinguished no par ticular object; it was an Egyptian darkness, indeed owing, no doubt. to the prodigious clouds of dust and lime raised from so violent a concussion, and, as some reported, to sulphurous exhalations."
 When the gloom began to disperse. the merchant who wrote this description made his way into the streets, and with a crowd of other people made his way, unhurt, to the large open space in front of St Pauls church, which had been thrown down few minutes before and buried a great part of the congregation, which was generally pretty numerous this being reckoned one of the most popu- lar parishes in Lisbon. Here I stood" he wrote for some time considering what I should do, and not thinking my self safe in this situation, came to the resolution of climbing over the ruins of the west end of the church in order to get to the river side. that l might be removed from the tottering houses in case of a second shock.
 ..This with some difficulty I accomp- lished, and here I found a prodigious concourse of people and of all ranks and conditions among whom observed some of the principal canons of the patriarchal church in their purple robes and rochets, as those all go in the habit of bishops; several priests who had run from the al- tars in their sacredota1 vestments in the midst of their celebrating mass; ladies half dressed, and some without shoes; all these whom their mutual dangers had here assembled as to place of safety, were on their knees at prayers, every one striking his breast and crying out in- cessantly, Miserecordia men Dios.'
 Tn the midst of our devotions the sec ond shock came on, little less violent than the first and completed the ruin of those buildings which had already been much shattered The consternation now became so universal that the shrieks and cries of
 Miserecordia' could be distintcly heard from the top of St. Catherine's hill, at a considerable distance of, whither vast number of people had like%lse retreateo' at the same time one could hear the fall of the parish church there, whereby many persons were killed on the spot and others mortally wounded.
 "You may judge of the. force of this shock when I inform you that I could scarce keep on my knees, but it was at- tended with some circumstances much more dreadful than the former. On a sudden Ifheard sudden outcry The sea is coming in; we shall all be lostr
 'sUpon this I turned my eyes toward the river which in that place Is nearly four miles broad could perceive 1t heaving and swelling in a most 'unaccountable manner, as no wind was stirring. Tn an instant there apeared at some small dis tance large body of water rising. as 1t were, like a mountain. It came on, roar ing and foaming, and rushed toward the shore with such impetuosity that we all ran for our lives as fast as possible; many were actually swept away, and the rest were above their waists in water at a good distance from the bank. For my own part, I had the narrowest escepe. and should certainly have been lost had I not grasped long beam that lay on the ground till the water returned to its