Democratic Sentinel, Volume 19, Number 37, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 20 September 1895 — THE EARTH GAPED OPEN. [ARTICLE]

THE EARTH GAPED OPEN.

Honduras the Scene of a Terrible Disaster. The earthquake in Honduras was the most frightful calamity of the kind that ever befel that country. The shocks'eommenced Sunday in the Yetapan district, continuing all day at iutervule, there being much damage. The city was filled by refugees from the mountains and outlying villages. Tuesday morning the shocks ceased, quiet was restored and people left tow-n for their homes. At 9 o’clock that night heavy rumbling noises were heard, followed by a reappearance of the flames in the mountains, which shot up several hundred feet Frightened people again flocked to town. At midnight the church tower fell, carrying with it the roofs of three houses. Nine people were killed and eighteen wounded. Just before daylight another prolonged shock rocked the whole tow* as if it were a cradle. Many fleeing people were killed.by rocks, which fell in a show er like a hail storm. Smoke from the mountains to the northwest rose to an enormous height, followed shortly after by the bursting of flames from the mountain sides and the throwing out of rocks aud lava. Shortly after streams of molten lava set fire to a number of houses on the mountain side. Cattle grazing near by fled and were killed, being engulfed in the lava which continued flo\™ig in immense streams. It is reported at Yetapan that seventy-one houses were destroyed. One hundred and fifty-three dead bodies have been recovered am] many more are missing. At Covajuanca thirty-seven houses were destroyed. Ninety-five bodies were recovered. At Cayuseat tw’enty-nine houses w-ere destroyed, and eleven bodies W’ere recovered. . It is impossible yet to give a full account of the disaster. Many small settlements are believed to have been destroyed. A company of soldiers* w hich left in pursuit of bandits from Yetapan to the coast has not been heard from, and it is feared they are killed. People are still leaving the scene of the catastrophe in fear of their lives. Help for the victims is being asked for from the capital.