Belington progressive. [volume] (Belington, W. Va.) 1912-1927, 1922-11-16
Death and Destruction in wake
Of Tidal Wave.
TOWNS ARE WIPED our
List Of Dead Expected to Grow as
More Remote Districts Are Heard
From-Su-vivors Starving in Hills.

Santiago, Chile. Relief forces
70 aid the thousands made home
Tess by the earthquakes through
ont Chile early Saturday morning and
the flooding waves which followed the
shocks are being modified.
The death toll will probably be at
least 1000, it is estimated, and the
property loss will run into the mill
lions, as several towns were almost
wiped out and heavy damage to build
5ngs and communication lines and par
Sicularly ships along the 400 miles
of coast affected by the huge waves
has resulted from the violent upheav-
ais of nature.
J The extent OF the casualties, proper
~ damages and distress wrought by
che catastrophe disturbances has not
yet been learned, except in a general
way, as many communication lines,
both overland and under water, were
gut out of operation.
Gradual reopening of the telegraph
lines to the north is bringing in addi-
r4onal details of the catastrophe cen
tering in Atacaina province.
The inland town of Vailsnar is in
ruins, with 360 dead and about 600
injured. In the collapse of the prison,
fwelve inmates were killed and others
injured The entire population is
without food or adequate medical as
ssstance.
AT Coquimba, where 10 were killed,
earth tremors are continuing, but the
population is eearching the ruins for
bodies and succoring the injured.
At Chanaral, north of La Serena,
the tidal wave nearly swept away the
entire district in which the stores
were situated and the inhabitants are
without food. Ten bodies have been
recovered. Many were killed by fall
ing houses.
Caldera is in ruins The sea swept
over the town, even carrying away
railroad cars.
The damage from the succession of
earth shocks, which filled the popula-
ton with terror, was heaviest in the
northern provinces of Antofagasta,
Atacana and Coquimbo.
All along the coast little ships and
big ships were swept on shore, pound
ed against the rocks or left high and
dry. At many small ports, wharves
and quays were destroyed. Naval
ships are steaming up and down the
coast, stopping at various places to
send landing parties to the relief of
sufferers in the hills, many of whom
are without food and shelter.
The tidal wave that followed the
earthquake gave evidence of gigan-
tic disturbance in the bed of the Pa
cifc itself. There must have been
such tearing at the bottom of the
sea that immense quantities of water
were sucked through, causing tre-
mendous recession or the waters along
the Chilean coast.
The waters first were drawn away
from shore, far below the low tide
mark, and then they came rushing
back in grea+ wave which some OBJ
servers said was fifty meters (164
feet) in height At Antofagasta and
other points this queer and frightful
movement of the sea was repeated
five times, and at Copiapo the waves
battered the city almost to ruins and
the entire population fled to the hills.
Chilean naval vessels in the harbor
at Halcahuano, about 300 miles south
of Valparaiso, when they felt the force
of the waters, slipped their cables and
proceeded out to the open sea.
Advices from Antofagasta report the
effects of the tidal wave at Huasco
were terrible, the sea carrying away
everything along the waterfront and
many boats being left stranded in the
woods more than mile inland.