Imperial Valley press., 1922-11-13
FOURTEEN HUNDRED
LIVES LOST in SO.
AMERICAS QUAKES
Thousands Homeless After
Great Earthquake Which
Wrecked Many Towns
Couriers Still Bringing In
Word Of Devastated Area,
Rushing Help
BY LAURENCE HAAS
nited Press Staff Correspondent

-
SANTIAGO, Chile, Nov. 13.-FOur-
teen hundred persons lost their lives in
devastating earthquake and tidal
wave which rent the coast of northern
Chile early Saturday, according to the
most accurate available estimates to-
day.
Starvation, pestilence and exposure
Fare claiming additional victims in the
wake of the disaster and relief cara
Evans are pushing to aid homeless h.
habitants of the stricken territories.
Communication with the shattered
towns along the coast from Valparaiso
to Antofagasta the district which bore
the brunt of the shock and the mp
heaval of the Pacific, was still dis
rupted, but couricrs brought word to
the capital of whole villages levelled
by the quake, with survivors, wounded
lying by hundreds in streets.
Vallenar, Copiapo, and Coquimbo,
three little coastal towns, suffered
most from the great shock at 1920
a, m. Saturday. They We're inundated
| by a rush Of the Pacific which follow
| ed the first earth tremors. But little
villages further back in the hills APP
pear also to have suffered terrible loss
OI fiIt anu VI DfbDtIlN
which it may never be possible to esti-
mate. There were reports that whole
communities were wiped out The larg-
est quake, felt over the entire South
American continent and registered on
seismographs all over the world, lasted
for over three hours, although it was
perceptablc to human senses only two
minutes. That was sufficient to drive
,vitbofonI bo cbncl
in terror into the streets where many
in coastal villages, were drowned by
the terrific tidal wave which lifted
its millions of tons of water a thousand
feet over the unprotected houses along
the shore.
Afraid To Go Home
Thousands slept in the open last
night, afraid to return to tottering
houses or even to those that had with
stood the shock, for fear of a repeti-
ton of the quake. Slight tremors were
felt Sunday afternoon, spreading
among the natives for 800 miles along
the coast.
Couricrs came to Santiago from
Vallenar and Copiapo to arrange for
caravans to take food and medicine to
the stricken towns.
The former place, they declared, was
practically obliterated. Wounded there
are being treated in the streets and
public squares Famine is already in
sight in Valenar while disease has be-
gun to spread among the quake victims
who are huddled together in rude shell
ters in the plaza.
Ramon AlcaVyago, prominent
Chilean engineer. was one of the first
to bring reliable eyewitness story of
the desolation and disaster that was
spread through the north. He declared
conta gious diseases are spreading like
wild fire and that many are threaten
ed with death from exposure and
hunger.
Arriving in La Serena. Alcayago
told dramatic story of the destrue-
ton of the Jail at Vallenar which was
crowded with prisoners sentenced for
minor offenses.
The shock hurled down the adobe
walls of the little prison. iniuring
many of the frightened inmates. Those
able to do so, rushed from the iail but
made no attempt to flee farther. re-
naming shaking in terror in an omen
space near the ruins of their late
prison. Troops today wer standing
ouard over the prisoners. with no place
i'm which to lock them mp.
Ia Serrena, as the laroest city IN
The immediate vicinito of the devastat-
ed area. has received numberless ap-
peals for assistance since Eatnrdav
morning. Ruth Copiapo and Nallenar
are without sufficient medicines to
prevent scores from DIVING unless relief
comes quickly.
Peonles in stricken towns are living
in abiect fear Of repetition of the
quake. Scenes of horror ab"nt them.
drowned victims lying unhuried, houses
ia splinters and occasional vague earth
rumblngs. have reduced them to com
plete incapacity for helping them
selves.
They are waiting for outside aid.
which in some instances. may not ar
rive for several davs owing "a destrnc-
ticn of TRANSPORTATION facilities.
This is particularly true in the ease
IF inland towns, about whose suffer-
ino little is as vet known Caravans
will start from Valparaiso and other
cities nm "a limo trak into tha hills IN