THE RECENT EARTHQUAKE AT MANILLA.

Southland Times, Volume III, Issue 25, 4 January 1864, Page 2

THE RECENT EARTHQUAKE AT MANILLA.

(From All the Tear Bouiid.) *• -X a -To be present at/ anCearthquake, is onen of those events in. a; irian's/life which h/,8 -can* neyer-forget.; * Wholly;?^fjart^frqtn tbeß physical serisatibnsH whichf arV of ;a very s peculiar an d - d i s t ressing" fii nd ;7rese"rb till ng 5 i in ab /'intense fbrhi/ tho.se/7experieuced ml * crossing from Dbye/r/ip /Calais, in; a steamer i in rough. /weather*" arid/uns]er^/cet tain tidal conditions; there is a shock to* the/nervous system," 'which for "a -time " '.^ewilde'rs and paralyses the/strongest mind. The recent earthquake: at Manilla is onejif the most *aw ful/ and/destructive, both regards life .and/property^ ;-'tiiriesV- ■■-■--" 7777- (A -7.-/7.7 77"'''*7.[ ; -: f AAA.. Early; 6nl'Wedriesday-morning--I7ieft the city'tq'go to a. merchant's .-private house,! between two and 1 three rriiles: intfthe in-S teri6r, : ihbj)ing ihat/I^s^ rlturn jbefore the air became 'so heated as! it hadbeen about noon for'SOme/days past j I was detained to/breakfast, and /it was past! /ten o'clock 'before^l- ; m'ou'riteid7«my|;-'-inule tog ieturn ; lo the/cityi -The heat was/unusual, | and/ the air so dense Uh.at-it was almost! unfit to breathe, causing a feelingbf suffo-g cation which niade me gasp/foi-breath on 1 the least exertion; -<) nee I/*thoughi--I had! Jrec'ei y ed a < s'u nstrbk e , i f or -ha vih'g" to dis-a mbu riftnferiiove 7a "■ storib. which had got § fast.inthe mule's, shoe, when I attempledl to raise; 'myself up 1 felt ;■' r.s if "struck by 1 lightning. The / fib w«ts v and herbage | Ibtiifced" shrivelled; 'arid/a* • hoiigr'Tism tliel moisture had ' evaporatfri . from 'them,| "and -'far.- : - bright*; quive^--; ->u ; st" ap-| pearedx rising -from- ■XUeV^c^fis^.on alll sides"r7 Very.: lew './"rjeopje/^^re in the | 'streetsj"."aria thob'b -* see.mpu/;'scF(;r^e'y able tot crawl blpng. Subject thou »re to I shocks/; of "earthquake : ■in/Maniiia, iiobodyf breathed the word to jne,/s.a I presume tlio, I Tdea'thatjanjearthquake: was imminent no I more. bccuKred to -..others -to jrnyself. J About four /b'clock.-in r ihe'atVernopu7h av i ing.no appetite for food,- 1 n to 8 jthe/isea ; to .bathe ; but ' the" Ava'uer seeuijj.l ■ jto t :, jiajre loit /.i ts7refreshingi £po.\yei" an^ 7a g portioniof/Hts v fluidity- ;^it gave -me" the i -sensationr of ; swimming, in - a ;sea-;of_ oil. I After dressing, T - walked^ slowly home-§ -ward, and,- having to /-pass near- the B cathedrril, I'"werit--in. - ! lßeirig the eve ofg Ihe. ''Fete'-rpieui "l /found , /it7cro,wdeH -with I -worshippers.. ;Men "and women* of 'every I hue of colbi-/were. mingled; with children I •Whose/ fairer skins 'tfbrit.fas.ie 3 dl.%tiririgly.with I that of rthereldera,>.espeeially^ whose j| .parents yvere -if There ;is- all[| tim'es/a/s/t'vikii^ in :| the chufchesjjbut tliisstruc^ me especially | pnjhis..evenlrig,.rib-,/d6ubi-becaiisa-of the | solemnity jof: thenbecasioni . H ow many I were an^^ the vbuilding-t^l: .cannot -say, but || the number. was-very great,. ifor though the P cathedral \^asj^xceedingly large, I could | not see a space large -enough -for a single | . additional person .- beyond' a" 'few-feet from - the door by /which ;?l; r enteredi*|{Sprife. notion may jbe- ;foriwed7of *; the number present, ifrqriijthe.fact-that-at this -time7there were | not less than .twenty- fi.ve.pries^s;ofiiciating 1 An different parts -bf thb'-/sacred-;edifice. | The; airjwas-sb bad; 7 that^Baid 7 not remain § ;m6re;-than- two or: iliree c iniriufe'Sy. :tKough | ; the ser-vibeihad [ridfc long ,begun 7 There | were- severaT7p6br- JT bfeaitures round then entrance waiti ng - : fdr--alms. I.stobped to | put 'arijjjjtrTiii. the7haridp^"a/rT old/woman. 1 AsJP^as dbing/ihisj/ m^watch/.fell^rom 4my- pocketinto her lapXThircjrcumltance -enables ""me' to- sta^ nuteaiAthe-'titriewhen Ih^'fir^ f shqel^was "felt./ T. looked at iriy/^a.fcKjas r I picked it .uj>,'.. and it.theri "*hl'arked"'-ftye J 'minutea'.after 'se»'enJ .7. l was i n^.doors //ten < ? iniriutes 'later, and had/just drujnkVglass of wine, aria was _in .theact, of jpla'cing tJie„glass;ori :x the..table, when vj.wtthp,ut?"jthe '-'slightest r^arningt'tnenopr-anrj^ ieVerij£articie in the room shake |/^jo!e^itiy./ *; /I was unable to stand; upright, or to move in any -directioni though I instinciively^held out my hands"arid tried to ; grasp the different articles^< of furniture whieE werK/Sil ling about. -' There- was a^bf ief ' pause/but I "wais/iif sucha bewildered "stated tlmt'l had , not/ thought/ bf "to escape intp the : street/befpre'.a /s'ecbn^d: r shbc^carhe| /This was; brilike/the// pth^ being^rir kind of nj ( o tip n , ■: w-J; ereas the; first is best described by saying that it resem bjeH^he iribtibns; * observe oie bn the surface/pf boilm;*; \iolently.?j/AnotherT; and., another/ shb</^ pillowed, iri which the movement w-as; •lifferent from' eith'er^ofl>the preceding. The :house:was/whii-led;jri^ a/cbircrilar;direclion, backwards .-and - for wards, 7 ; G reafc cracks bperiedinihe - wall^arid'.tab rnatti tig- v/'oich Icovered the floor w^jreritdri^ -. A large Iboking-glass-whici-l; Av^eastened 7tb %he wall. was/thrbwri frames were; brolcen/Jtb/ piec^^/ahd alii the panes shaken out, andf &Hyve}j£i9i di n| whichthis/caiised ;Icbrild^he^the%rack-I irig bf^tiin her /'and; the" bragli /of piaj*onry.l TThe hpbse 'was ; ivyo storie^hi-jri, ;At the! ■ Jast'sHonk/bf tion, I felt^the -iiooi-/ sinking7beneath my feet, and I; fell/ yiolenllyon^^ wall j on/ ope /^sidWqf ;. the/sT^mt/^pwever, still remained uprrgfrQaf teethe^ bflfers h-id ■ fallerilaway^.ana r to/thiiß ':t'lib,':flopc-heid..fast' As I- dropped,^riiy'fi%ersyslipped^/into nn t, o perii ngi- bet w eeri ; the /bbar tl s>bt- y*'h ich -tho --. -floor: was cbristructe/d'^arid^ I |;was:very;mubhrbattered-by pbrtibns of the ceiling rand, roof striking rioe^ but I was

almost unconscious- of-this at the time, in consequence of the fear I was in lest/ the "remaining wall; should fall arid bufyjme./ Looking down into the street,/! saw that ""■ ihV floor sloped down till it seemed on its . side to- rest^^bn the rcrins; Without vliesitating a moment, I- loosed my hold/and /propped, rolling over and. over among; the - ; rubbish. I rose and looked 'round;, but so complete was the ruin and desolation on every : side, that I had the; greatest difficulty in distinguishing the direction I wished lo take. ... ./.However much a man's heart iriay be "hardened to the suffering^ of bthersby the knowledge that^his own life, js in imminent 'dangers-it' was impossible to see: the^dread- ; "fur'spectacles/that met my eyes ori all sides without horror. Limbs pfbjectedhere: and there -from among the v ruins ; ;. sometimes, a leg- or an arm, but in cases the heads an* l shoulflers wereiYisible, often f ri gh if u Ily niu ti i ated . Life si illre - ./.inained in many of these: ;poor. creatures, ariil:lheir groans were heartrending : but :i could give them no help alone,and there 'were none to assist me ;• the/few persons -•' -who were uninjured staggered along over "the ruins without pausing, and looked Hk.e ../phantoms through the.dust which filled the air. I was so much /bruised that I ihade my way very slowly. .At last,* finding I was becoming exhausted,. I sat down on a heap of rrubbish, which, as far as I could, make out from the appearance of thefragnients. had once beena church ; as indeed, it had been, and- one of ten destroyed by the same catastrophe. I tried my utmost toshut out the s*mnd of the screams and groans which filled the air all night, -,*by. tying my handkerchief tightly over my ears ; but I found it impossible to sleep, and as soon as the sun fbse"r*got:Up, r stiff and* weary, and made . lny way towards a group: of men and women who were assembled about a heap ■of ruins, the magnitude of which enabled me to recognise them as the remains of a cathedral. Of all the sights of that dreadful morning, there was none which equalled this. The service in the cnthedral not only began later than in the other churches, hut was longer ; so ihat whilst those who had attended the latter had for the most part left them, . the whole congregation was present in the former. Th? earthquake was so sudden, that probably not more than a dozen persons esc.-iped out of the building before it came crashing down, buiying -every one of the two or three thousand persons within it* beneath its heavy roof massive walls. 'When I reached the ruins, men and women were already working at those parts where appearances indicated ihe possibility of most speedily reaching bodies. The largest group was collected round a chapel, a small portion of which was upheld by the peculiar way in which a beam had fallen. Women were sobbing, and men were listening anxiously at a small opening where a window had formerly been. Seeing I was foreigner, the Spaniards and Indians, with the politeness they invariably practice, made way for me, and I ,approached close to the opening. Faint groans issued from it, and I could hear a voice— that of a girl, I thought, but it turned out to be one of the choristers — asking piteouslv for help and and deliverance. He was dug out alive, or eight hours afterwards. Then a *' -tow but deep bass voice, doubtless that of the priest who was officiating at the time of the calamity, uttered ihe wellknown words, " Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord. " Yea, saith the Spiiit, for they rest from their labors." As these words catne forth, those outside burst into a passion of tears, which was soon choked, in order that they might hear if the voice spoke again. There were some deep groans, apparently wrung from the speaker by intense pain, -and then the same voice spoke in a calm and even tone, •as thou sjh addressing a congregation: — " For the Lord himself shall descend from Heaven with a shout, with the voice of the Archangel, and with the trump of -God." Silence followed for some minutes, and then a deep voice came forth which was -so low that only I and a few others near the hole could hear it : "Father, into thy hands I commit my spirit," and with the utterance of those words of faith and prayer, the spirit must have left the tortured body, for not a sound was heard aiter this, except the piteous prayers of a child. Being too weak to assist in the efforts that were making to enlarge the opening, I left the spot with a sad heart. What I saw as I wandered through the xuined city on the following, morning was more horrible still. In the principal street, where the largest shops and warehouses stood, scarcely a wall was left standing The inhabitants of the housf s, their cattle in the stables, and- the rich merchandise . which filled the shops, ; were "all entombed beneath a mass of stones and timber. The street itself was almost blocked up with rubbish ; and it was: here that portions of the mutilated J-odies of victims were most ,numerou<, owing to its being traversed by a great number of people, who, at the time of the occurrence of the calamity, had lefc their houses to take the usual evening walk, or weie returning from the numerous churches. _ The fronts of some of the houses, instead of crumbling to pieces, had fallen outward in a mass, crushing and burying, or partially burying, those who ..^SSL® 1 ".?.. P? ss ing at moment.. Jn one, "place a priest waslying, the lower part of * his . body '/flatteri'e'd beneatlv ■ a huge: b eam, his head resting uninjured ori liisjeft arm,. ,his right , arm : ibdt^his hand. still; holding a pareeUof local idaily newspapers, which" he had 'probably fetched just before from the postoffice., Further^ on, a woman and; two little children lay beneath a window-frame and some large; stones; some of which I moved; in the hope that life-might -still remain;aniong; them./ All,' however, were dead j one of the little creatures had been struck on the jieck, but the other, who. wap enveloped all but the feet in. her , ™»thcr> dress, had. seemingly been suffocated, 'for) L -could 1 rierceive no sign ofextemal injury/and the expression of the ■ f " cc was that ; /of. si eep. 1 1 was a pretty .-us c creature, with fair hair and ;biue '4?'^"'' •"*'-■• sat and held At on niy knees. *or mihfitesilobkirig at-it; -whilb my tnnughts were fixed on a little darling in t£&L hstant land whom I fancied she resembled. 77 ;*'yx : Not to harroWthe.. feelings. of those; who ? read this with instances of individual --"utilation, I will not mention any more of, the cases of this kind which met my ▼lew by scores in tbe course of the morn-' "g. The hospital, in which there -were many sick persons, met with the same fate '-as the cathedral, the inmates being all crushed or suffocated. The palace of the ?;< archbishqprwas overthrown. T i he I gbvernor'B \ palace was shaken down piecemeal, his wife and daughter rushing frbm one part , to another seeking to , escape, while the . . governor himself, who (I/was told) was ' ontside at the tiriie,7yairily: endeavored to make his way in, to rescue them or

share Jheir '?fate.77 I heard ot thb most extraordinary instances of escape. The tower of one of thechurcbes, fell in at riiass? across the 7open space in -front of the-church. 7 A ? Spaniard, his wife,/and two children, were passing,al the moment; -the man, who had' just- turned to take his children in his arms, was /crushed, together- Mth7 his} little Tchildren; while his wife, who was not a yard distant from him,L escaped unhurt, as did also, with the exception of a few bruises^ five persons who -were standing within the basement of the tower when it fell: A womari : had : been ordered to;fetch some water from a spring, but had neglected to do it, wl»i°h made her master so angry, 'that, briber refusing to go, he took her by the- arm and put. her out of the house She had only got as far as the open space wh'icS' surfbu lids the nearest' church; when the earthquake took p-lace; wh.ich- £ shoolc down the . house from which she had -just been expelled, and killed all who were in it. One Pietro Mastai, the driver of a public vehicle, had just left a wine-shop at the corner of a little street facing the church of Vera Cruz, with a friend of his ,-r-a muleteer — when the latter saw something glittering at his feet. He picked it. up, and it was a small silver coin. Both turned back to spend the money in wine. •At-the door ihe .muleteer turned round and jestingly told Pietro that he should not share it ; and with the rough playfulriessof that class, he gave Pietro a push whichsent him staggering some distance Before he had time to recover himself and follow his friend, the earthquake came, the wine-shop crumbled to pieces and buried all within its walls, leaving him s:anding at the threshold uninjured. In spite of the efforts which were immediately begun to recover bodies from the ruins, comparatively few of the many thousands buried beneath them have yet been dugout; to heighten the hoirible nature of this labor, immediately after the calamity rain fell in torrents, which, joined to the intense heal, caused putrefaction to proceed with. great rapidity. . The atmosphere was still -further poisoned by the noxious vapors which rose from the nnmerous cracks in the ground. Many are still open in various places, though the largest of them — from which, I am informed, torrents of hot black sand were thrown out during the earthquake — is closed. It is not possible yet to form any accurate estimate of the number who have perished, but they probably amount to several thousands, Of the pecuniary loss this frightful calamity has occasioned, it is easier to form an opinion ; this is roughly estimated at between seven and eight millions of pounds sterling.