The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-06-08
Tragedy Sa dden $ Day
That Was to Be Of
Rejoicing.
STILL SEEKING
DEAD IN RUINS
Many Of Victims Soldiers, Who
Are Caught Beneath Falling
Walls Of San Cosma Bar
racks Heaviest Damage :
Done by Shock in Santa
Maria Section.

a Hs
persons were killed, seventy-fve
wounded, and property worth $4,000
In gold WAS wrecked to-day by an
earthquake which shook the Mexican
capital md Injected n note of tragedy
into what was to be day Of pure
rejoicing over the arrival OF Frnncfsco
!. hIeder0, Jr.
When the work OF searching the
rufus tB completed IT Is possible that
the HIST Of dcnd will be Increased
somewhat. MS hiding here mud there
throughout the city there doubtlcsa
are many wounded. who, with tradi-
tionnl fcnr OF the nu:hori.ie. mud gov
crnmcnt hospitals, are anxious to
evndc discovery
The property loss estimate is based
on calculations made by owners and
contractors. Little OF the loss is COW
cred by insurance.
1t was :36 O'Clock when the frst
shock was felt According to the
meteorological observatory. the great
est intensity was reached at the end
of the first minute, but the Instruments
continued to record the shocks fourteen
minutes more The disturbance was
vacillating, and almost free from ire
pidatory motion
More than half of the dead ac-
counted for we're soldiers. They we're
caught beneath the falling walls of the
artillery barracks In San Cessna, near
the Mexican Central station.
Takes Toll of Death.
Another place where the earthquake
took Its toll OF death in considerably
numbers was at the city power plant
Of the street car company. There six
persons were killed and six wounded.
Two others were found in the debris.
consisting partly of steel rails. which
had been stacked In the iron and wood
departments The victims were in
hhbitants of shacks, built along beside
the structure. s
With these. two exceptions the dea tn
list was made up Of single cases, or in
few instances OF two and three per-
sons caught beneath falling walls in
substantial buildings.
Although the shock was plainly felt
in all parts OF the city, few realized
the magnitude of the catastrophe until
late in the forenoon, because theca sual :
ties were confined to a comparatively
small area The inhabitants were slow
to realize that this was the most Sc
rious shock the capital has suffered In
score of years.
No personal property OF Americans
was damaged, and, with the exception
of one Chinese killed, no foreigners
were injured. In the barracks where
the soldiers we're killed, twelve NO
men also lost their lives. They were
the wives Of artillerymen
Seventy-two soldiers were sleeping
In the house, Approximately thirty
five We're chartered on the first
floor. the remainder on the second. The
outer wall fell away and the roof,
crashing down on the sleeping SOL
diers on the second floor. hurled them
down through the ceiling on their
soldiers have been recovered. Three
are missing and sixteen are wounded.
few severely
Begin Work of Rescue.
Those who escaped began the work
of rescue at once. Women. whose SOL
der husbands were in the pile. stood
clung to their mothers dresses and
started curiously at the gruesome
scene. Ambulances later carried the
wounded to the military hospitals and
the dead to Dolores Cemetery.
Three blocks from the barracks. the
yards of the Mexican Central, at
which Madero had been scheduled to
enter, presented another spectacle of
the shocks intensity There. n long
wall, separating these yards from
those Of the Mexican Railway, was
thrown down. An engineer, who was
lying by its side. was crushed to death.
A warehouse of the Mexican Central
was mostly wrecked, one wall and a
portion Of the building collapsinE.
About one-third of the roundhouse was
torn down. No casualties were re-
ported there a'
The nO1ica rPnOrfG nf the utIa1Se
day and tonight did not record the
death of any person of prominence.
The victims we're those whose homes
were in. cheaply built houses or shacks.
In most cases the walls that fell had
little power of resistance.
The fury OF the shock was felt only
I'm the northw ester and the west
ern parts of the city. The most dam
age done was in that quarter known
at Santa Maria. although cracked
pavements and broken walls mark its
course as far the South as Colonia
Roma. inhabited largely by American MS.
In this quarter. however, little dam
age was done, and no deaths have been
reported.
Cracks show here and there in
pavements throughout the area af-
fected; and now and then asphalt Is
buckles into ridges from three to
1.-Two inches. Walls of soft stone and
adobe bricks fell in scores of places,
giving to some places ruined aspect.
Tho water mains of the city We're
not injured and the light and power
company suffered little inconvenience
In operations. it6.9
Some damage was done to street car
tracks but not enough to interfere
with traffic, except on one line.
The projection OF the front wall
OF Belem prison Was thrown Into tho
street. No great damage was done. +
i. National Pniace Injured, "
TWO of the capitals old church es
and the National Palace show effects