Evening star., 1934-12-09

few days in tavernS and StewS all they
had gotten, by giving themselves to all
manner of debauchery with strumpets
and wine Such of these pirates are found
who will spend two or three thousand
pieces of eight in one night, not leaving
themselves peradventure good shirt to
wear on their backs in the morning. My
own master would buy, on like occasions
a whole pipe of wine and, placing it in
the street. would force every one that
passed by to drink with him. threatening
also to pistol them in case they would not
do it. At other times he would do the
same with barrels of ale or beer. And,
very often, with both his hands, he would
throw these liquors about the streets and
wet the clothes of such as walked by,
without regarding whether he spoiled
their apparel or not, were they men or
women
MUCH for her sordid past; now for
- her present, around which has been
woven SO much of the lofty in poetry
and prose, SO many thoughts that
breathe and words that burn"
At 20 minutes to midday on June z,
Subscriptions of the cataclySm by
eye-witnesses have been preserved-a
noise resembling thunder was heard in
the mountains beyond the harbor. Three
distinct shocks followed, the last more
terrible than the first, splitting Port
Royal open in a dozen places. These
shocks were felt in all parts of the island.
A tidal wave enSued. w. j. Gardner, the
historian, summarizing two fellow his
torians, Edward Long and George Wilson
Bridges, writes of the destruction as
follows:
mot only did the earth tremble, and in
some parts open beneath the feet OF the
terror stricken inhabitants, but the hor-
rors Of the event were intensified by the
mysterious, awful sounds, that one
moment appeared to be in the air and
then in the ground. The wharfs loaded
with merchandise, and most OF the fort1-
fications, together with all. the streets
near the shore, sunk into the harbor and
we're completely overwhelmed.
Though there was no breeze, the sea
rose in mighty waves, tearing ships from
their anchorage and sweeping them over
the sunken ruins of the town. Some OF
these were utterly destroyed, while others
were saved and proved the means Of saw
ing many that were struggling In the
waves In places the earth opened, sWal-
lowing up many helpless creatures, but
in some cases persons were seen only
partially covered. Not 200 houses were
left, and in all it was computed that
nearly 1000 persons had perished."
Bridges notes: ION the road to Six
teen-Mile Walk two mountains fell and
met. The riven hills were closed with
colossal masses of disiointed rock, which
stopped up the bed of the river and
which in some places stin remain-the
eternal witness of the days dreadful
convulsion. The water, thus confined,
rose to an overwhelming height, and
then, bursting its adamantine barrier,
bore all before it.
There was scarcely a mountain in
the island that did not change It's out
line, or a rock which was not split. : . .
The tremendous convulsions were re-
peated with little intermission, though
with decreasing violence, for the space
Of three weeks, and every f1ssure In the
rocks, every cleft in the cracked and
parched earth, was steaming with sui
phurous fumes. The air reeked with
noxious miasmata and the sea exhaled
IN offensive putrid vapour.
1.-THE insupportable heat Of tropical
Midsummer was not for many weeks
refreshed. even BY partial breath Of
air: the sky blazed with irresistible