Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1922-11-13
FOURTEEN HUNDRED
DEAD IN BIG QUAKE
Norhern Chile Rent And Devastated By Severe Shock
And Huge Tidal Wave-StarvatiOn And Exposure
Claim More Victims Hourly.
COITRIERs TELL OF ENTIRE TOWNS LEvELLED
Survivors Wounded Lie About The Streets-Relet Part
les Work Under Dificultes-Caravans Leave
For Interior With Food And Medicine.
INV United Press.)


teen hundred persons lost their lives
in devastating earthquake and tidal
wave which rent the coast of North
ern Chile early Saturday, according
to the most accurate available estl-
mates today.
Starvation, pestilence and exposure
are claiming additional victims in the
wake of the disaster, and relief car
vans are pushing in to aid homeless
inhabitants of the stricken terrltor-
les.
Communication with the shattered
towns along the coast from Nalpar-
also to Antofagasta, the district
which bore the brunt of the shock
and the upheavel of the Pacific, was
, still disrupted, but couriers brought
word to the capital of whole villages
leveled by the quake, with survivors,
wounded, lying by hundreds IN the
streets.
Vallenar, Copiapa, and Coquimbo,
three little coastal towns, suffered
most from the great shock at l2:lO
a. M, Saturday. They were lnundat-
ed by a rush Of the Pacific which
followed the first earth tremors. But
little villages farther back in the
hills appear also 10 have suffered, not
so seriously.
Couriers came to Santiago today
from Yallenar and Copiapo to arrange
for caravans to take food and medl-
cine to the stricken towns. The for
mer place. they declared, was pras-
tically obliterated. All the buildings
except the schoolhouse, lay In ruined
heaps of mortar, brick and adobe.
Half of the buildings in Copiapo were
hurled from their foundations by the
shock, the couriers reported. Those
remaining standing were unlnhablta-
bic.
Injured and sick were being treat
cd in the streets and public squares
Starvation is already in sight at Val
lenar, which disease has begun to
spread among the quake victims who
are huddled together in rude shelters
IN the plaZas.
Ramon Alcayago, prominent Chill
can engineer, was one OF the first to
bring a reliable eye witness story Of
the desolation and disaster that was
spread through the north. He de-
cIared contagious diseases are spread
ing like wildfire and that many are
threatened with death from exposure
and hunger.
Arriving at La Serena. Alcayago
told Q dramatic story of the destruc-
tlon of the Jail at Vallenar, which as
usual was crowded with prisoners
sentenced for minor offenSes.
The shock hurled down the adobe
walls of the little prison, injuring
many of the frightened inmates.
Those able to do so, rushed from the
iail, but made TO attempt to flee fur
ther, remaining shaking in terror in
an open space near the ruins OF their
late prison. Troops today were
standing guard over the prisoners
with no place in which TO lock them
La Serena, as the largest city in
the immediate vicinity Of the deyas-
tated arena, has received numberieSS
appeals for assistance since SStur-
day morning. Both Copiapo and VAL
lenar are without sufficient medicines
to prevent scores from dying unless
relief comes quickly.
People in the shaken towns are hy-
ING i'm fear Of repetition of the quake.
Scenes of horror all about them, dee
imated victims lying unburied in
splinters and occasional vague earth
rumblings have reduced them to com
plete incapacity5 for helping them
selves.
They are waiting for outside aid,
which, in some instances may not ar
rive for several days owing to des-
truction of transportation facilities.
This is particularly true in the case
OF inland towns, sbopt whose surer-
ing little is as yet known. Caravans
viii start from Valparaiso snd other
cities -oday on a long trek into the
hills 10 carry relief to desolate VII
layers.
uUSsco is one Of these communities
suffering greatly. 1t was the first
to send out n hunger cry. The gov
ernment was prompt to answer the
appeal, Chilean cruisers being sent
to Coqulmbo with supplies of food
and medicines.
Officers of the Cruiser Chacabaco
reported seventy known dead ~ Co
quimbO but expressed belief this
would be but small part of the city's
actual death roll il the latter oyAr
became known. The great vavs tbst
swept in obliterated an entire cow
munity along the sea shore. sucLin,
back into the nav Of the Pacific rsnr
OF the victims. Five hundred hopSas
Offices, wharves and depots were shst
tered by the tidal wave.
Thirty-ive hundred persons were