The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1931-04-02
Suffering Of Thirst Grips
Terror Stricken People
OF Managua.
MAY NOT REBUILD CITY
Plague Peril Growing as
Relief Crews Speed
Up Their Work.
BY LEIGH STEVENSON
United Press stan Correspondent
Copyright. 1881. BY United Press

ruins of Managua as survivors OF
the demolished capital sought relief
from thirst that followed wreckage
of the city's water mains
The death toll from the catastro-
phe still was uncertain, estimates
mounting to 1000 ana more.
Destruction Of Managua, shaken
into ruins by two days of inter-
mittent earthquakes which contin-
ued sharply Wednesday night, was
revealed today as so complete that
the city may be abandoned per-
manently.
Thousands Are Fleeing
President General Jose Maria
Monchada announced that plans are
being considered by the cabinet for
evacuation Of Managua and re-
moval of the national capital to
Granada or Leon, rather than face
the colossal task of rebuilding the
city.
Thousands already have left the
desolate ruins of the capital which
is a shattered mass of burned and
crumbled buildings along the shore
of Lake Managua.
Natives walked for miles into the
hills and brought back pitifully
small quantities of water in pitch
ers and bottles.
Authorities warned against drink
ing the water of Lake Managua, but
many persons risked the danger of
pestilence and sought relief at the
waters edge.
Marine corps officials and vol
unteers worked desperately to re-
habilitate the water supply.
Thousands Of survivors were be-
ing fed ON the golf course, and men
were sent Immediately from the
bread line to work on restoring the
water system.
Curfew to Be Enforced
Curfew will be enforced at sun
down tonight, despite the fact that
there was no disorder or footing
Wednesday night.
No one sleeps indoors Or within a
distance of walls likely to be dan
gerous. Wives and children of ma
rines and other Americans here
we're given cots at the national
guard headquarters.
American women and children
will be evacuated to the Canal Zone
Friday. From there they will be re-
turned to their homes in the United
States.
Headquarters of the American
minister, the marines, and the ma
tional guard were consolidated to-
day to speed work of rescue and
rehabilitation. Many bodies had
n been recovered and cremated.
City Is Still Burning
The fire in the center of the city
was still burning. Managua looked
like French town shelled and re-
shelled by heavy artillery in the
World war.
tn shortage of water and the
Il tremendous difficulties in locating
and removing bodies of many of the
Victims increased the danger that
plague might be added to the
horrors of the city flattened by earth
shocks and swept by fire.
There were many indications of
the strain under which the popula-
ton was working to survive the
disaster. Marines were forced to
tighten martial law regulations.
3 Several ugly incidents were re-
ported as men we're pressed into
service in the relief work, particu-
\ larly removal of dead to a common
{ Rburying ground.
y Grave Diggers Shot, Buried
The workers we're watched by
guards, who were instructed to shoot
"mutineers."
Two grave diggers we're reported
shot for disobedience. and were
buried where they fell with the dead
from the quake. The report said
that after the incident the crew
worked better"
Laborers-some of them at the
point of bayonetS-carried bruised
and broken bodies from the debris
of buildings to sheets Of metal roof
ing which were used as stretchers
These we're loaded into trucks and
taken to open trenches near the
city cemetery fur burial.
Mrs. Joseph D. Murray Jr., wife
of a marine captain and one OF the
few American casualties. was killed
i, at the market place, which col
Alapsed on hundreds of women ano
#children and burned.
Many Stories of HerOiSm
II was estimated hundreds were
caught in the collapse of the market
as the earthquake occurred in the
rush hour. Most victims were be-
lieved to have been servants and
grocers.
There we're many stories of trag-
edy ano heroism. Sonora .Amela
Fernandez was seen attempting to
get into her house which collapsed
on her 4-year-old son. She dug
frantically at the debris and finally
recovered the body. The child was
resuscitated and lived
A clerk of the American legation
was sitting on the front porch of a
chalet overlooking Asososka Lagoon
when the quake came. He fed, but
narrowly escaped being swept along
with the structure as it slid down
5 the hillside in ruins