Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-06-08

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City In Ruins
An operator who neached the edge
of the destroyed zone reported at
$40 o'clock this morning that San
Salvador was in ruins ana that every
thing within a radius of thirty miles
mad been destroyed by the earth
quake.
The town of Santa Tecla also has
been destroyed. according to this re-
port. Residents of San Salvador are
camping in the streets and parks. At
the time the report was sent it had
been raining heavily for five hours
The disaster is supposed to have
peen caused by an eruption of the
volcano of San Salvador. at the foot
of which the city.is situated.
San Salvador is about three miles
east of the volcano of San Salvador
and is the seat of government of the
smallest but most densely populated
of the republics of Central America.
Rocked Repeatedly
First record of the earthquake
there was in 1873, when the entire
city was nearly leveled and fifty
u.
and the country surrounding it have
been rocked again and again, whole
cities and towns being razed and
many persons being killed.
The city, which was founded about
1925, is located about 120 miles
southeast of the town of Guatemala
and is on small stream which flows
into the Pacific ocean.
The city is connected by rail with
Acajutla and La LibeItad and con.
tains a large university. the national
palace, the national library and as
Economical observatory and a botani-
cal garden. 1t has a large agricul-
tural trade.
The country of San Salvador itself
consists mainly of a plateau about
1000 feet above the sea. broken by q
large number of volcanic cones. Its
population is I.133.000 and the most
recent census places the number of
inhabitants in the capital at $4,000.
In virtually all previous cases when
San Salvador has been damaged by
earthquakes or volcanic eruptions
many other nearby localities also
have suffered. Many of the shocks
have been of the greatest intensity
and a number of disturbances in re-
cent years have resulted in appeals
caring for the destitute. Some of the
to the Red Cross for assistance in
shocks have continued for several
days at time. buildings that with
stood the first tremors going down
in those that followed.
Many Volcanoes
AS the country's principal industry
is agricultural and as much agricul-
tural property has been destroyed in
previous disasters. losses TO tillers of
the soil have been tremendous. From
time to time railroad and wire COM
with stricken districts
has been prevented because of the
of the destruction done
by the quakes.
The country of San Salvador con-
tains about 1926 square miles and
has a coast line of about 16O miles !
from the mouth of the Rio de la Paz
to that of the coascoran in the bay
of Fonzeca. Its length is about 140 |
miles and its breadth about 60 miles. !
The volcanic mountains of San |
Salvador do not form a chain. but |
are series of clusters. The loftiest |
volcanoes in the country are Santa !
Ana. which is $500 feet high. and
San Miguel, which rises to 1920 feet.
The neighborhood of the capital has
been more subject to earthquakes
han any other locality and the vol
,ano OF San Miguel has been de-
scribed as one of the most trearh-
srous burning mountains in America.
several wears in compIete
'epose and then suddenly bursting
aiit with terrific fury.