Rensselaer Republican, Volume 19, Number 1, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 9 September 1886 — NOT EXAGGERATED. [ARTICLE]

NOT EXAGGERATED.

Previous Reports of Uie Damage at Charleston Are Fully Confirmed. The Force of the Great Up- _... heaval Apparent Upon g* Every Side. -x2- — ' - t-y- . A Description of Some of the Scenes Witnessed in the Stricken City. ♦ ' Fissures in the Earth's Surface Vomit Forth Mud and Other Substances. People Driven from Their Homes to Vacant Lots—Millions of Dollars Lost. Extraordinary Phenomena Produced by the Earthquake at Sea Effect of the Unusual Disturbance Upon the Colored Populace of Charleston. Orgin of the Great Shake—Previous Subterranean Disturbances in the United S.ates. TAKING ACCOUNT. A Glance at the Ruin "Wrougt by the Great Upheaval. The propio are gradually taking account of the details of the injury worked by the earthquake. and the list of damage to property is startling, says a Charleston telegram. A limited section in the south of the city is a sample of the whole. Standing at the Postoffice and looking west an almost impassable roadway of debris meets the eye. The building of the Chamber of Commerce is badly damaged, a porC bon of the south and east walls having been thrown down by the violence of the shock, and the buildings of Walker, Evans A Bogswell have also suffered, while the heavy granite alabs which formed the parapet of the A’ew» awl Courier building lie u]x>n the sidewalk, leaving the slate roof and a portion of the attic floor exposed. Almost the entire front of the building occupied by Myer’s cigar store and Smith’s stencil establishment is torn out, leaving the upper floors exposed. The I’leng building, at the corner of Church street, was badly damaged. Most of the buildings on the street are more or less damaged, but the violence of the earthquake is most perceptible at the historiclntersection of Broad and‘Meeting streets. The police station is almost a complete wreck. The upper edge of the wall has been torn'down, and that of the north wall has fallen on the roof of the torch, carrying it away and leaving only the large fluted pillars standing. The City Holl apparently escaped serious damage, but fa badly cracked on the east wall, and the Court House building is badly damaged, the walls being cracked in several places, and portions of the roof and gables being thrown down. The fire-proof building seems to stand as a rock. The gables of the north and south parches, however, made of solid brown stone, have been thrown to the pavement below. This appears to be the only damage done to the building.

The worst wreck in the locality, however, is St Michael's Church, whieh seems to be doomed I to destruction. The steeple, the repairs on which had just been completed, seems to be intact. but it is out of plumb, and is in momentary danger of falling. Che massive porch has been, wrenched from the body of the church, and the building has been crackecTih 'four places. The buildings between Meeting and King Streets are all more or less damaged, the effects of the earthquake being the same in nearly every instance. What a scene of desolation the fashionable boulevard ot Charleston presents. Commencing at Broad street one passes through a block of burned houses. The fire, starting at 118, the third building from the corner of Brbad street, on the east side, consuined the entire row of buildings as far north as the Quaker graveyard. The few houses left on that side of the street are more or less shattered and gutted. The few houses on thewest side of the street, north of Broad street, have not escaped the general 14te, although the ilaiiiag is not as great as iu other portions of the street. From Queen street to Horback s alley almost every house is shattered, the tops of the. walls near the roof being thrown down. All over the city the injurv is of the same character. Near Shell street there is a cabin, occupied by a colored man, that is completely surrounded by yawning chasms extending through the eartu's surface for ten feet and over. All around this there are sinks of fresh water and masses of mud. with queer-looking soft substances that have never been seen before. It is contended bv many that the mud, and other substances found around the village' are volcanic matter. Just after the first great shock there was a decided and distinct smell of escaping sulphuric acid gas over the entire village. The smell lasted, throughout the night, and was distinct in those localities where the cavities in the earth were moat numerous. Some say that - portions of the mud were thrown up by the waterspouts are strongly impregnated 'with sulphur, and that small {xirtions of sulphur can be found in the mud. „ Not far from Charleston on the road to Summerville extensive mounds of clay were thrown up and hillocks of sand, in most cases in the Shai>e erf inverted cones, the hollow part of which had evidently been formed by the action of the water returning into the depths from which it had been raised. Iu many eases the erupted matter had streamed away from the breaks in the surface of the earth to’a distance of from twenty to fifty feet. In other places there were fissures almost invariably extending from north to south. These cracks were not wide and extended downward, always in a: anting direction. The matter that was thrown up was of a dull, dark, slaty color, and was mixed with gravel. There was also a little shale, and in general the mud resembled that which is thrown f torn the bottom of the phosphate pits along the nvw. The water in some places had the taste of our artesian water, but m many instances it was just as clear and limpid as from a mountain spring. These evidences of the great convulsions are not sporadic; they extend far and near in every direction, from the city limits of Charleston to Summerville, and kt the latter place it was found, from trustworthy information, that the cracks and fissures are everywhere risible for miles and miles around. Strangely enough, some of these were in active operation, and the constant shocks that were felt at Summerville sent the water out of these fissures in jets to the height of from fifteen to twenty feet. This w»s evidently the result of the clacks being filled with water and then the sides opening and closing by each succeeding shock. These appearances were of course, suggestive Of still more violent erruptions. and there was a constant dread everywhere that there would be a general inundation caused by some extraordinary force of the earthquake. Not only was the water emitted in the low places where it might be expected to exist all the time, but on •tops of the highest elevations the mud could be seen. This latter fact indicated that the force was being exerted at rather more than the depth that wm. at first thought to be the limit of the force. The horror of the situation in Summerville on Wednesday was much intensified by certain maaifest»ti<ms that were not observed in Charleston to any great extent. All during the day there was a constant series of detonations, now east, noW west, and from all possible directions. It resembled the discharge of heavy guns at intervals of about ten minutes, and was like the sounds of a bombardment at a great distance. All of these explosions were not accompanied by tremors of the earth, as it was only occasionally that the earth would quake from subterranean discharges. A remarkable fact was noted in Summerville in respect to the bulging of -the water from the interior of the earth. Nearly all of the wells had been at low water. There was a sadden rise in all Of these

wells, and the additional water was pur« Izx>king down into ope of these wells the observer oould. on the eve of any of the loud detonsttons, see ths rivers rise up the walls of the wells, and after the «bot>k agatn anbvfdo. In St. Andrew's parish, fourteen miles on the other side of theAghley river bridge, the country is cut up by small fissures and mud l.olos of. from an inch to two feet in diameter. These holes have emitted blue ami gray sand iu large quantities, and the whole surface of this arek is covered with little nioutidf. Jbe people living in the parish say that the mtfd and water boiled up from five to ten feet in height. At the William* farm, near the tbree-iulleport, which is planted by Mr. Jqhti Brnuiion, the surface of the ground was disturbed by vent-holes, which threw out during the night seven different kinds of sand, varying in color and shade.

DEMORALIZED NEGROES. Effect, of the Earthquake on the Colored of Charleston. ~ It would be simply impossible to exaggerate or to depict in sufficiently descriptive language the effect of the earthquake on the colored people of Charleston, says another correspondent. They fled fnini their homes, and they ran hither and thither through blinding clouds of pulverized mortar, which was shaken from houses and arose again from the streets, they filled the air with dismal groans of despair and' lamentations of terrified distress. As usiiiil with them in their funeral devotions, the name Jesus was most frequently used, apd, as it supplicating God face to face, they shrieked out in the very helplessness and pathos of despair such sentences as “Do, my Master Jesus, hWve mercy on me!” “Oh, sweet Jesus, save me, save me!” '•Let me Jive through this night, dear God, my Savior!” “Hold me up once more, thou blessed Christ, my Master!” and other tearful supplications, which intensified th" horror of the situation, and went far toward demoralizing the white people, who were also rushing blmdly hither and thither. As usual, the faces of the white man and white woman in the time of dsnger was a sight of sudden joy in the gloom to many a poor wandering colored boy .or girl, who endeavored to stop their white friends as they ran by in the confusion to suplicate that they would remain with them until the “judgment was done.” In many an instant a trembling ?irl sank down on her knees and seized w.ith rantic energy the folds of some white lady's dress, and failing to express their terror in words with scarcely moving lips, that they wanted only the moral support of a friend in the hour of distress and agony.

Immediately after the first shock there was an exhibition of joy and the voice of congratulation were heard on every side, and all mingled with words of thankgiving to the divine Providence. People clung to each other like brothers and sisters. There wore no strangers there. They all knew each other as part and parcel of a community that had eseaped a terrible fate. ■ Some with tears of repentance and joy in their eyes embraced each other. Women fell on each other's necks, and, with hearts too full to speak, rocked to and fro in the happy embrace, devoutly thanking God in silence for His blessing in the dreadful hour. Not so with the trembling and demoralized colored people. After the hand of Providence had been apparently removed they began to prophesy alia to recall all they knew, in a confused way, of Bible scenes and Bible history. "It's the night of Sodom and Gomorrah," shouted one, in a frenzy of apparent delight. “The city of St. Michael is down to the ground,” yelled another. “I told you so I" cried a third. “Ha! how about my wife's dream now?" said a fourth. “Ixx>k for the rock of Horeb to split!” said another "Pray, my white people, why don’t you pray?” said another. For fully five minutes in the’ fearful excitement the colored people never ceased to utter what might be considered a toirent of prophetic interpretations and unintelligible prayers. In the dismal gloom Mil" lady cried out: “Get to the green, get to the green!” and almost in a twinkling the reared people made a rush lor that haven of safety. It seemed as if all Charleston was already there. Women hurried along, dragging their little charges by their hands, in all kinds of night apparel. It was only, however, when the older class of the colored people arrived that a characteristic scene took place. They ran about in the crowd with cries es: "Down on your face, down on your knees, miserable smiler; pray to Go I, my sister, my brother; pray, pray, pray; don't 1 tell you, the ,night is come!” Prayer meetings were organised, andthe singing and screaming were kept Up until davlight. Thursday night, on Marion Square, the sights and scenes baffled description. The Colored people were unrestrained and committed all manner of riotous and frenzied excesses. A report of their actions as they took place would perhaps be considered blasphemous. The first object, and one that arrested everybody's attention, was an assemblage of colored boys, about a half dbzen in number, who had fallen to the ground in a paroxysm of religious frenzy. They were groveling , with their faces down in the grass, and were singing a hymn in a loud voice. The hymn was “The Angels A’rappin at the Door,” and the refrain sung rapidly was: “Oh. tell ola Noah to bill on de ark, to bill on de arte, to bill on de ark - ” This song they repeated over and over again until they were worn out, and then ceased from utter exhaustion.

REPORTS-NOT EXAGGERATED. Stories Related by Eye-Witnesses of the Terrible Scene at Charleston. “I was stopping at the Charleston Hotel," said Mr. Thomas H. Tolson.of Baltimore, to an Associated Press agent. “I was in my room, which was on the third floor. When I lit my gas I heard a noise and supposed I had broken' something, but could find nothing broken. I went to place my hat on a bureau, and just then the shock came. I would have fallen if I had not thrown my hands out and clung to the window,, It seemed as though th& hotel was lifted up and swung backward and forward a distance, <rf-fifteen -twenty inches at- each vibration. I’ was terrified. At ..the first shock the lights in the house all went out. Then the plastering began to fall. It flashed on my mind that I should endeavor to get but of the house, and I got into the corridor aud groped my way, iu utter darkness,, amid falling plaster. Other people in the house were likewise groping their wav out. The air was filled with plaster dust. All around was a terrible roaring and meaning sound, and the din was heightened by the falling of timbers. I found the front door of the house closed, a soi 5 ? tttnate thing for me. as it saved my life It took me a moment to find the knob, aud as I was looking for it tons of brick fell down from the upper part of the house, in front of the door, I ran out tnrough the heaps of fallen bricks and fell twice-in getting to the middle of the street. There I remained terror-stricken. r ■ Two shocks camo after I reached the middle of the street—a faint one seven minutes after the first, and another, more violent, ; nine minutes later. The three shocks occurred w ithin sixteen minutes. I remained in front of the hotel until 1 o'clock. I did not know what to do. I was so unnerved, that l could- -scarcely stand. As it became quieter, no more shocks occurring, I went up the street to an open space and remained there until 3 o'clock. There we had another slight shock. At 3 o'clock I went to the Battery Park and found it crowded, ’several thousands of terrified people having assembled there! There I remained during the remainder of the night. At 5 o'clock another faint shock was felt. At daylight I. like the others, felt mort encouraged, and I moved around to see what destruction had l>een done. I found at the battery front some'of the most costly houses in the city cracked from the ground to the top, and some portions of the buildings were destroyed completely. All of. the Charleston residences are built with porches in front, many having substantial pillars, and these porches were all thrown down. There was not a house in Charleston that had its chimneys Standing.

“The terror among the people during the night was intense. They rushed through the streets frantically calling on God to have mercy on them. People who, perhaps never praved before, then prayed aloud. Then to this were added the-shrieks of the wounded and the lamentations of those who had lost friends. Here and there parties with lights were looking | through the ruins for missing people. The greatest terror and confusion reigned everywhere. The people, when the shock came, rah. men. women, and children, out into the streets in their night clothing, remaining in that way during the night buddled together in the street. None would venture back into Uie bouses." Mr. P. L. Bonnett; of Washington, left Charleston on the first outward’ train, after the disaster. There were five cars packed with refugees. For the first two miles the train moved very slowly. The rails were twisted. As the train went along the,people in the car noticed another shock. This further twisted the rails. It was, however, possible to proceed slowly. “Have the reports of the disaster been exaggerated?” , “Not a bit of it It would be impossible to put into words any-description of the disaster and its effecta.' My wife and I spent two nights on the commons. as did thousands of other people. To depict the dreadful scene would be beyond any man's-powers. There is not one house in 'ten that will not have to be rebuilt. There was a peculiar difference in the manner in which brick and frame buildings went under. The walls of the brick buildings swayed and fell over, while those built of wood simply collapsed." “Were there any peculiar conditions preceding the shock?” “Yes. It became terribly hot about twenty minutes before the shock! ■ It was a peculiar, scorching heat that 1 never felt before. I saw people on the streets taking off their coats and

si vesta as they walked along Tlien there was a I rumbling noise It wax ltka.Ob.Arete-sC.tas* I passing under a tunnel on the top of which one stands. The rumbling and roar were followed ~ Tfyfhe shocks and the terrible swaying morsmente and then the falling, of walls. > STRANGE FREAKS. Singular Results of the Shocks In and > , v Around Charleston. Pedestrians in their wanderings through the rpins discover miiny interesting freaks of the earthquake. Some of them were found at the reiMdenee of Major J ; H. Rebtneen, a well-known citizen. The building was badly wrecked in some places, while in ethers it Seemed to have er.ca]>«d injury. In one liedrooin of the house the strongest freaks imaginable took, place. On one side of the chamber oil paintings were thrown from the wall w ith such force as to destroy the canvas and crush the frames, while on the mantelpiece a few feet away in the same room stood a slender, tall r ase which retained its perpendicular. On another wall, in the room two or three small photographs in frames were left undisturbed, while within three feet of them the plastering was, as ft -were, wren.hod off and ground into dust, »n<l the scantling upon which the lathing was nailed was torn out of jts place. A lounge was hurled across the room and broken , to pieces, while chairs a few feet away wore not even overturned. In some fl aces a gateqtost on one side of an entrance was twisted off, while the other post, but four feet distant, was neither loosened nor cracked. The old magazine in Cumberland street, a building constructed of brick,; stone, and concrete! in the eighteenth Century, whi -li staxl us a monument among the landmarks of the city, having weathered three wars and the many earthquakes and cyclones of, the country in its time, and which carried in its wall a shell from a British gun flrod during the revolution- a building which the oldest inliabltant lielieved could not be destroyed by any earthquake which did not ingulf the city—is in ruins. Koine curious freaks of the earthquake were found and photographed at Summerville, a suburb of Charleston. Most of the three hundred houses th»ro are wooden buildings, and, as a consequence, the damage is largely confined to their interii r. Of one building the foundation had been affected on one side to an extent that the structure had toppled over in a half-reclin-ing jxtsition, while the remainder of the foundation was unimpaired. The foundation of both sides of another house, it was found, had parted and shot outward, permitting the structure to drop to the ground. On many houses one chimney had been destroyed and the other left intact. A large number of geysers were found, some ten feet in diameter, and nothing has been found long enough to probe their depth.

PECULIAR PHENOMENA. Effect of the Earthquake Shock at SeaCaptain Voegel’s Observations. The hydrographic office in . Washington has received a letter from Captain Leo Voegel, of the steamer City of Palatka, briefly describing the effects of the earthquake at sea. He had just left Charleston, and was about twelve miles off the harbor Of Port Royal, in eight and a half fathoms, when he experienced a terrible rum-’ bling sensation which lasted one and a half minutes. There had been quite a heavy sea from the southeast, but when the rumbling began the wave motion ceased and the waters remaineeba .perfect calm until the rumbling came to an end, when the swell was again manifest. The wind was southeast and light; weather cloudy; barometer, 30.01; thermometer, 80 degrees. The sensation, Capt. Voegel says, resembled that upon a shij> screwing a pebbly bottom. The ship’s vibrations were very great. Singular Sights Witnessed in Chesapeake Hay. The officers of the revenue cutter Ewing, which was cruising in the Chesapeake Bay during the shock, had a peculiar experience. Between 11 and 12 b'clock on the night of tho earthquake a strong gale camo from the north, catching the Ewing in the vicinity of Smith’s Point. All at once there was a strange and weird appearance about everything. Nothing looked natural. In the heaven’s the stars were shooting in all directions, and the breaking seas were charged with phosphorus to such a pronounced degree that no one on board recollected ever seeing such a display. The fixed stars seemed to move and bails of fire first appeared on one bow, then on the other, which the pilot thought were vessels' lights, and he kept an anxious watch as he progressed. It was only when they became general that the pilot found they were due to an atmospherical disturbance. A haze peculiar to, earthquake countries was visible along the horizon, a»d it excited the interest of Lieutenant Brann, who had had a thrilling experience undec the same circumstances at Arica, Peru, when, as an officer of the United States steamer Wateree, he was carried ashore on that vessel by the great tidal wave and earthquake of 1868. During the strange proceeding the Ewing was brought to anchor in Cornfield harbor, inside the Potomac. Met a Heavy Sea Off Hatteras. The ship Agenor, of Boston, was off Cape Hatteras at the time of the first great quake in Charleston, and, although the weather was fair, she met a heavy sea, apparently coming without cause afid directly in thn face of the wind. No shock was felt. The captain of the Agenor was greatly puzzled to account for this phenomena until he arrived at Boston and read the accounts of the upheaval along the Southern coast. A •« ORIGIN OF THE EARTHQUAKE. Professor McGee’s " Investigations Why Charleston Was Not Obliterated by a Tidal Wave. Professor W. J. McGee, of the United States Geological Survey, who went to Charleston to investigate the origin of the earthquake, gives it as Iris opinion that tho disturbances were the result of subterranean land slides; that is, that they had rib connection with volcanic action, and extended from forty to one hundred miles under the bed of the sea. Professor McGee accounts for the absence of a tidal wave by the fact that the movement was from west to east, thus carrying its wave out to sea,_ Had the movement been in the opposite direction there would have doubtless been an enormous tidal wave to land, in which event the city of Charleston would have been swept from the face of the earth; and probably its entire population drowned. “Tidal waves’,” says the Professor, “are likely to come at any time in this region because of the settling of the earth, and there is danger of submersion. In New Jersey whole forests have been sunk beneath the water along the coast, and small trees are still growing beneath it at this time." Professor McGee visited Summerville, ground which the earthquake was particularly violent, and paid particular attention to the matter which was thrown up from the craters, which are numerous thereabout. One cavity created by the shocks was found to be sixteeh feet iri diameter and sixteen feet in depth. The Charleston Netcs and Courier says there can be no doubt that the earthquake shocks had their origin in the'islands of the Mediterranean and in Greece and Italy. An Elaborate Series of Questions Prepared by Government Savants. The Geographical Survey at Washington, in pursuance of the purpose of the Director to make a thorough study of the phenomena of ‘the earthquake of Aug. 81, has prepared a circular to be sent to all parts of. its affected area , and the adjacent country, calling for detailed information upOn the subject from whomsoevfF may have information, even of an apparently . trivial character, to impart. The observer is requested first to state his own position, whether in doors pr.out, up stairs or down, standing, walking; or sitting, arid to describe the ground of his locality, whether rocky, earthy, or sandy. Following this it is desired that a series of questions shall be answered categorically. Hardly any fact, however apparently insignificant, regarding this great earthquake will not come amiss, and it is probable, from the mass of information to be gathered, data of great scientific value will be deduced. The study Of phenomena of this kind is claimed to be of great value to science as a gtride to knowledse of the nature of the earth s interior, and for its bearing upon almost every branch of physics and geology. THE “GREAT SHAKE.” A History of the Subterranean Disturbances of 1811-12. During the year 1811 occurred what is known as the ”Great Shake.” which destroyed New Madrid, in Missouri, and affected the whole Mississippi valley. The center of its violence was thought to be near Little Prairie, twentyfive miles below New Madrid, the vibrations from which w<?re felt over the valley of the Ohio as high up as Pittsburgh. New Madrid, having suffered more than any other town on the Mississippi from its effects, was considered as situated near the focus from whence the undulation proceeded. At this period there was danger apprehended from the Southern Indians, and for safety the persons engaged iu carrying tbeir produce iu boats to New Orleans kept in company for mutual defense. In the middle of the night of the 16th of December there was a terrible shock and jarring of the boats, so that the crews were all awakened, and hurried on deck with weapons of defense in their hands, thinking the Indians were rushing on board. The ducks, geese and other aquatic birds on the river we® .thrown into the greatest tumult, anil With loud screams expressed their alarm. The noise and commotion soon became hushed.

I and nothing could bo dlsoovered to exoite apr sr/toMMion, oo that tho boatmen concluded that the shock was occasioned by the falling in of a large mass of the bahk neay‘~tß’ein. Iu the morning loud roaring and hissing was heard, like tho escape of steam from a boiler, and a tremendous boiling up of the waters of the Mississippi iirhuge swells, tossing the boats about so violently that the men with difficulty kept on their feet. The water of the river, which the day before was tolerably clear, changed to a reddish hue and became’ thic|c with mud thrown up from the liottom. while the surface, lashed by the agitation of the earth beneath, was covered with foam; which, gathering into masses the size of a barrel, floated along on the trembling surface. The earth opened in wide fissures, and closing again threw the water sand and mud iu huge jets higher, than the tops of the trees. The atmosphere was filled with a thick yajior or gas, to which the light imparted a purple tinge. At New Madrid several boats wore carried by tho reflux of the current into a small stream that puts into the river just above the town, and were left bn the. ground by the returning water!’ a considerable distance from the river. Numerous boats wore wrecked on the snags, while others were sunk or otranded on the sand-liars or island*. A man who belonged to one of the company boats was left for several hours on the upright trunk of an old snag in the middle of the river, against which his boat hod been wrecked and sunk. It stood with the root a few feet above tho water, and to these he contrived to attach himself; while every fresh shock gradually settled the tree deeper in the mud at the bottom, bringing him nearer and nearer to the water, which seemed desirous of swallowing him up. While hanging there several boats passed by without being aide to relieve him, until a skiff, well manned, was rowed a short distance above him, and dropped elose to the snag, from which he tumbled into the boat as it passed by. The scenes which occurred for several days during the repeated shocks were horrible. sulnhureted gases discharged during th® shocks tainted the air with their noxious effluvia, and so strongly impregnated the water of the river for 150 miles below that it could hardly be used for any purpose for a number of days. New Madrid, whieh stood on a bluff bank fifteen or twenty feet above the summer floods, sunk so low that the next rise covered it to a depth of flve feet. The bottoms of several lakes in the vicinity were elevated so as to become dry, and have since been planted with com. The walls of several buildings in Cape Girardeau were cracked, in some instances from the ground to the top, and wide fissures left. The shock was so severe that fowls fell from the trees as if dead ; crockery fell from the shelves and was broken, and many families left their cabins from fear of being crushed beneath their ruins.

Historical Earthquakes in the United State. One of the most remarkable earthquakes recorded in modern history occurred at New Madrid, in the State of Missouri, some miles below St. Louis, in 1811. The«quaking of the earth at and in the vicinity of the town continued at intervals for several months, during some of the most violent of which fissures were opened in the earth, from which spurted masses of mud, sand, smoke, and steam, like geysers, the ejected mud ascending as high as the tree-tops. At some localities the earth sank out of sight, and small lakes of water formed. Buildings fell into mins, and the entire valley was in a terrible state of excitement and terror for a year or two. The fissures and the little lakes formed by that earthquake are still to be seen iu the vicinity of New Madrid. The convulsion ceased as suddenly as it began, and it was subsequently ascertained that the cessation was simultaneous with the occurrence of the great earthquake which in 1812,destroyed the city of Caracas, in the South American Republic of Venezuela, where 12.000 people were swallowed up. The other.great earthquake was in New England, in 1827. when there were violent convulsions, and fissures opened in the earth at several localities, out of which arose steam and sulphurous fumes. This was the first of a series of earthquake shocks that were felt in that region at intervals until 1917. There ha,ve been frequent earthquake shocks in various parts of this country, east of the Rocky Mountains, during the past century, but these were the only disastrous ones until the recent one at Charleston, which was the most ai> palling and destructive visitation of the kind ever known in this portion of the world.

CHARLESTON. Something About the Beautiful City by the Sea. The site of the city of Charleston was originally settled in 1661) by a party of English colonists under Col.-William Say’le, but it was not until after the Revolution that the present city was incorporated—in 1783. It has since extended from the limited boundaries of colonial days until it embraces twelve large wards, and had a population, according to the census of 188(1, of 49,984. Two main streets—Meeting and King—penetrate the city from north to south/ running almost parallel, aud these are intersected at right angles by cross streets running from Cooper to Ashley River. AH streets are well paved and lighted by gas, and in some of them the electric light has been introduced. There is but little uniformity inj the style of the all classes of architecture being represented' in one street, but among the buildings which have been shattered by the force of the earthquake were some of the most elaborate structures, and some which have been exhibited with pride as landmarks of Revolutionary days. The mild and equable climate of the city is conductive to the healthy growth of foliage, and nearly every house has its little flower-garden, while many are embowered in trees, presenting pictures of beauty which are seldom seen in the limits of a Northern city. Charleston is one of the most interesting cities in the country. It is one of the few Southern cities which retain all the old customs peculiar to the South. It is a very moral city. Only on rare occasions is there any drunkenness or diaorder,.and it. is said that there are fewer people in jail there than in any of the large cities. The architecture is also peculiar to the town. The houses are mostly low and broad; they have large, commodious piazzas extending around the entire building; and, strange to say. all the entrances are from the side; it is very rare to find a front door. The ganiens are surrounded by high walls, and completely shut out the house from the street. The colored people there far outnumber the whites, there being 30,000 or 40,000. They monopolize most of the trades—are tailors, carpenters,.blacksmiths—and leave very few openings for white labor. They also are usually moral, sober, industrious, and form a very necessary part of the society. HISTORIC CHURCHES. St. Michael’s and St. Philip’s, Two of the Oldest Religious Edifices in America. St. Michael’s Church, which is now in ruins, was ene of tne oldest churches tn America, andcertainly the most interesting. Its history dates wav back before the Revolutionary War, when the Episcopalians first founded churchee in this country. During the last war it was a target for our batteries stationed on Morris Island. From it could be had a view of the entire city and bay. It was the church where the old families resorted. Ivy-covered, shaded by huge trees, it stood a landmark, and the whole town dwelt under its shadow until it seemed to exert a paßrnal influence. When its bells rang out the people said it was calling its children to prayer. In its destruction a blow is struck at the old regime from w_hich. it cannot recover. St. Philip's was also an old church, nearly as old as. St. Michael s. Here lies interred the body of John C. Calhoun. The pews were all those great box-pews, in which one seemed to enter a closet. The backs were higher than the head, and there was an air of antiquity about it suggestive of those old English cathedrals. The people here are very pious, the principal denominations being Episcopal and Presbyterian. The Bishop of Peterborough first sent a minister to Charleston, and he built several churches. '• THE SITUATION. Ttoopto-FTl'eSfirting the City—Liberal ( ash Contributions Pouring In. ■ Advices from Charleston report the excitement abating. Business has been resumed, and. as a means to aid the city, the special trade of the surrounding section is invoked. It is believed that 40,001 to 60.000 persons are sheltered bv tents. The assistance of a corps of Government engineers has been requested for the purpose of making examinations and dismantling rained structures. Aid is being liberally subscribed throughout the country for the sufferers. The proceieds of a day's racing, at Brighton Beach,.. N. Y. >81,000), were contributed. Savannah sent .85,000, Baltimore 810,000, Philadelphia $15,000. The New York Cotton Exchange has subscribed nearly 810,000, the Stock Exchange a similar amount, the Produce Ekchaage ;5,000. The Relief Committee are hard at work. Additional tents have been placed in the public squares, and for the colored people comfortable wooden shelters have been erected on Marion Square, There is accommodation already for 1,500 colored refugees, and 625 slept in shelter last night. The Subsistence Committee will meet regularly and supply provisions to all who are needy and unable to support themselves. There is still a strong disposition. to remove the women and children from the city to spare -them f urthdr danger and anxiety. , The railroads are issuing free passes, and many are availing themselves of this chance to get away from what they look upon as a doomed city.