The Knoxville independent. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1894-current, 1918-01-05
$4,000 MADE
HOMELESS BY
EARTHQUAKE
City of Guatemala Wiped Off the
Map-Many Killed by Fall
ing Walls.
ONE THOUSAND ARE DEAD
Message Received by Navy Depart
ment at Washington Says Bad ,
Shock Saturday Night Com
pIeted Work of Destruction.

Washington, Jan. Lone thousand
are dead in the Guatemala City earth
quake. The quake was still in progress
yesterday. Heavy shocks occurred at
fiye-minute intervals throughout the
day, the state department was advised.
The departments advices came from
the Central and South American Tele-
graph company, whose manager at San
/ Jose, Guatemala, returned to that city,
after trip to the devastated capital.
Forty per cent of the houses were de-
stroyed in the earthquake and most OF
the others collapsed President Cabrera
ordered all inhabitants from the city.
The penitentiary, the asylum, ali the
ministerial buildings, were wrecked.
The post office building and all the
large churches were demolished. Mar
tial law had been proclaimed by Presi-
dent Cabrera and good order prevailed
yesterday. Relief work. had not yet
got well under way.
New Orleans, La, Dec. 31.-Fifteen
hundred persons were killed in the
earthquake at Guatemala City, accord
ing to private messages to a fruit COM
pany here from Bells. Almost the en-
tire city was destroyed, the messages
said.
San Salvador, Jan. 1.-Guatemala
City, capital of the Republica of Guate-
mala, has been destroyed by an earth
quake. Many persons were killed in
the disaster, some in their homes and
others in the street. The Colon thea
ter, which was filled with people, col
| lapsed. There were numerous casual
ties among the audience. Various hos
pitfalls and asylums and also the prisons
were badly damaged and patients and
prisoners were killed.
U. S. Legation Wrecked.
The railroad depot, sugar mills, post
Office, the American and British lega-
lions, United States consulate and all
the churches in the city have been lev
4 eled. Deep assures opened in the midi
die Of the city The Inhabitants have
fled in panic from the capital More
| than $4,000 persons are homeless. The
stock of provisions in the city is scant
and aid isvrequired promptly. The Sal
vadorean government has suspended
| the official New Year celebration and
entered into mourning in sympathy
with Guatemala.
Washington Receives News.
Washington, Jan. /. - Guatemala
City, the capital of Guatemala, has
been wiped off the map by earthquake
and 125,000 persons-the entire pop
pulation--are homeless in the streets.
News of the destruction OF the city
reached Washington in cablegram
from Guatemala City received by the
navy department through its radio
system.
Orders have been issued by the
navy department to all of its vessels
In the vicinity of he Gulf of Hon
duras and the Pacific coast Of Guate-
mala to give all the assistance posi-
BILE to the stricken populace.
Everything in Ruins.
The message received by the navy
department stated that there had been
another bad earthquake shock Satur-
day and that this had completed the
work of destruction started by the
earlier shocks. The departments mes
sage read:
bad earthquake Saturday finished
the work Of others. Everything in
ruins and beyond description as re-
suit of the last shock. One hundred
and twenty-five thousand people are
In the streets. Parts of the country
are very cold and windy. Tents are
needed badly. Quite number killed
by falling walls" ~
Quakes Continue Three Days.
! A wireless dispatch explained that
the earthquakes began on December
%. Official advices indicate that they
have continued every day until Satur-
day. when the work of demolition of
the city had been completed. The
earlier quakes had destroyed so per
cent of the buildings. The remaining
20 per cent went down Saturday.
u. S. Consulate Destroyed.
The American consulate was de-
stroyed in the quakes that occurred
between December 25 and %.
The American legation building was
standing on the 2Sth, but was filed
with refugees 1t also has gone
down. according to the latest report.