Year: 1874

a correspondent Of the Star and Her.
aM writing from Antigua, Guatemala,
sends the following account of an earth.
quake that took place there


On the Sd o! September, at $50 p. m,
without any previous warning, strong
earthquake shook the ground violently in
a direction from west to east. The move.
ment was series of strong vertical and
horizontal impulses combined. The wave
like undulations on the surface rose and
fell at least foot. This along with the
vertica! movement made it almost impos.
sible to move about without being thrown
TO the ground Nevertheless, all ofus in
the house managed to get out into the
courtyard, expecting every moment to see
the walls come tumbling down upon US.


Taken by surprise, can scarcely say
what happened in the first seconds, but l
soon recovered equanimity enough to note
the direction Of the shocks by the swing.
ing Of the lamp which hung in the portico
Of the Hotel de Comercio, where was
staying, and other phenomena. Every
object around me was in motion. Itgave
me feeling as though had stepped into
a hole. and then stumbled against an Gle.
waited body which prevented me from re.
covering my equilibrium. Added to oil
this there were the piercing cries of the
population, the creaking and cracking OF
walls, loud sounds like thunder from the
earth beneath, the rafting noise of tiles,
houses and walls falling, which altogether
formed hideous concert which can never
he forgotten,


Ii you consider that the darkness Of
the night made this all the more impres.
sive-that every visible object was in vi.
olent motion, and that it was necessary to
balance ones self with the greatest care to
avoid fall-you will not be surprised
that my observations of the first moments
of this catastrophe are rather scanty. A
strange perplexity seemed to paralyze all
my mental faculties. | think, however
| sm correct in estimating the duration
of the first strong shock to have been
from twenty to thirty seconds. The con.
tents Of large water tank in the court.
yar,l were thrown out in a broad sheet Of
water. Wild screeches and screams con.
tinued even after the first terror had q
little subsided. at once saw our policy
was to keep quiet and away from the
walls.


Long after the first shock had passed
there was still the sound of walls falling
more or less distant. Suddenly arose the
sound OF hundreds OF voices chanting q
hymn to the Creator for mercy. The sol.
emn melody had strange effect on my
excited nerves and feelings Many shocks
followed during the night OF varying in.
tensity, every one of which gave rise to
new alarms and new petitions for mercy
The night seemed an age in length. For.
tunately no rain fell.


At daybreak | went through the town
to see the extent Of the mischief done.
judge about two dozen houses that were
inhabited have been destroyed, causing
as far as could learn. the loss Of thirty.
two lives. A considerable number of dam.
aged houses will have to bo taken down
Many Of the old ruins Of l773 have suf
fered new damages. In Guatemala the
capital slight shocks were felt The In.
dians say that three villages at the foo
Of the volcano have been destroyed. though
this wants confirmation.


! During the confusion and disaster o