Year: 1868

/
entirely to view It was fortunate cir
cumstance that the party of which Mr..
Brown was member had already CON-
menced h, ascent of the mountain, when
the dust cloud arose, for in any other dir
eetion thoe lurked almost certain death.
he sensation one experiences ina first
class earthquake, according to our narra-
tor, is that of being thoroughly, even
outrageously, shaken by about four men.
1t seemed to him as if all nature were
dancing devilish jig, and old Beelzebub
was laundering away on his big brass
drum. In the great dust-cloud, it was
made impossible for one person to see an
other at his elbow, and as the shocks con-
tinued and increased, men, women and
children were thrown against each other
with terrible force, and to speak adequate
ly of the terror and confusion that pre-
vailed, one would fail in language. The
dust-cloud that covered the earth did not
extend higher than twenty or thirty feet,
and in ascending the mountain short
distance, an unobstructed view of


......... THE SCENE


was obtained. It was difficult task to
present in written words, as it should be
done, what is felt by an eye witness, or to
give even faint idea of the sce1 as des.
cribed by one who has yet the terror of
the awful sight before him. Mr.. Brown
and his party were at the base of the
mountain when the threatened danger
warned them to fly upwards, and hence
but few minutes had elapsed when, in
a comparatively secure place, full view,
such as few men ever had of a similar
scene, was afforded. The Spanish Amer
lean cities are generally richly endowed
with church ediices, adorned with tower
ing steeples, and these were the first to
assume an appearance of restlessness.
For moment they appeared to dance on
their base, and then swaying wildly to
and fro, fell, in conglomerated mass to
the earth, crushing whatever moved or lay
underneath. Next the larger class of
houses began to show the effect of the re.
peated shocks, and, one after another,
they gave away and fell crumbling to the
ground, mausolsum to all that abided
therein. All ola sudden, terrible shock
was felt, the very earth seemed for a mo-
ment turned up side down, trees were
torn from their roots, great rocks came
down the mountain side with terrible
velocity, and all the city lay mass of
ruins. 1t was an awful moment, trying
to the utmost the courage and fortitude
of the bravest, and with many this terror
was so great as turn their black hair to a
silvery whiteness..


THE TIDAL WAVE.


Scarcely had the force of the great
shock abated when new terror arose
The sea had left it's bed, and, lashcd by
some internal force into seething caul-
droH, rose mountain high into the air
1t is a trite saying that water always
seeks its own level, and, as the ocean rose.
it sent its maddened waters, with restless
fury, over the doomed city, and all who
up to that moment had succeeded in sutain-
ing life, were now surely dead. Fully three
fourths of the city was entirely covered
out of sight, and as the water again re.
ceded all the debris went with it. and In
many places where moment before stood
the habitations of men there remained
only the bare ground. There appears to
be prevailing impresson that this terrible
wave came from far out in the sea, and as
it was carried forward gained in strength,
and finally in all its fury came upon the
land This impression is mista Ike. The
wave really commenced on the brink, and
was caused by the rise of the water. In
many places the land was overflown seye-
raj miles inland, and an idea of the hight
to which the water rose may be gained
from the fact that the American man-ot-war
was carried half a mile up rising ground,
and was then let down without sustaining
so much as an injury to spar. AL
though the vessel was fully manned, not
human being ON board received the
slightest injury, although some were
pretty badly frightened at the sudden
change from the sea to dry land.


THE NIGHT.


In the tropical climates twilight is al
best of but short duration, but on this
afternoon it grew suddenly dark an hour
earlier than usual, and before the people
that were saved had time to collect theil
senses all was opaque. AS the nigh
grew on, and the sea had become com
paratively lulled, near sounds could b
distinguished, and the cries that came
from the MANNED, wounded and dying
that literally covered the ground wer'
appalling and terrible beyond expression
Wherever darkness found the people
there they remained all night, and some
times, even above the groans of the dy
ing, &C uld be heard the agonizing prayer
of the upharmed, lwho, i'll their despair
called upon God to deliver them from
| His wrath.


THE RUIN.


How slowly the hours Of the night
dragged along only those that sat in th'
midst of that fearful desoluation can tell
At last day dawned, and then terrible
scene met the eyes of the survivors. TIL,
city was gone, but the bay was complete
ly filled with the debris of houses, vessels
and the remains of men, women and
children. It was estimated that at leas
FIVE thousand bodies covered the water
So completely was the harbor choked VI
with these fragments of dwellings anc
lead bodies, that for several days all at


l. IL