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TERRIBLE EARTHQUAKES IN PERU AND ECUADOR.

I Arica no longer exists ; at about fiv<> o'clock in I the afternoon of the 13th we were visited with a ) tremendous earthquake. I had barely time to get my wife and children into the street, when the flhole of the walls of my house fell,— fell is hirdly the word, as they were blown out as if they were spit at me, at the same time the earth opened, probably two or three inches and belched out dust, accompanied with a terrible stench, as of powder, the air was darkened and I could not see my wife who was within two feet of me with the children. If this had lasted any time we must have been suffocated, but in about a couple of minutes ifc cleared, and, collecting my household gods together T X than, started for the hills, jlow we passed through falling houses, when we saw men struck down, some stone dead, others maimed, is to me a mystery, but a merciful Providence was over us. We wended our sad way as well as we could towards the hills with the earth shaking, makiDg us stagger as drunken people, when a great cry went up to Heaven. " The sea has retired." I hurried on and I had barely got to the outskirts of the town when I looked back and saw all the vessels in the bay carried out irresistably to sea, probably with a speed of ten miles an hour. In a few minutes the great outward current stopped, then arose a mighty wave, I should judge about 50 feet high, and came in with a fearful rush, carrying everything before it in its awful majesty ; the whole of the shipping came back wifch ifc, sometimes turning in circles, but all speeding on to an inevitable doom. Meanwhile the wave had passed in, struck the mole into atoms, swallowed up my office as a giant's mouthful, and rouring on swallowed up the Custom house and rushing down the same street carried everything before it in its irresistable course. The remains of my dweUing house disappeared faster than the change of scene in a Christmas Pantomime, my launches had long since disappeared and my ruin was thus completed. I stood, breathless looking afc the awful sight, but thanking God life had been preserved fco me and my loved ones, but each second was aUfetime ; looking seawards I saw tho ships still hurrying on to their doom, and in a few minutes all was completed. Every vessel was either ashore or bottom upwards. The Peruvian War Steamer America, lost aboufc 85 hands. The United States steamer Wateree escaped with the loss of one life ; wifch a smaU draft of water she was carried bodily on the top of tbe sea and landed about a quarter of a mUe inshore of the Railway track. The Fredonia, United States store ship, was bottom upwards, every soul on board perished, (excepting the captain, surgeon and paymaster who were on shore and were saved.) The British bark ChanarciUo of Liverpool was lying high up on the beach, the remains of a huU, half of her crew perished. An American bark laden with guano was swaUowed up and has not left a vestige to tell her fate. The last of the iU-fated squadron, a Peruvian brig, was placed on the Railway track apparently without losing a rope or spar. On what has since happened it is needless to dweU, for nearly two days we lay on the hills without covering and without food, in a constant state of alarm, as the shocks of earthquake were incessant." The United States steamer Powhattan went South to Arica two days ago and the government have forwarded stores and funds to reUeve the present necessities of the sufferers. Mr Calderon has given a Überal donation of $50,000, and Mr Meiggs, the Railroad'contractor, a similar sum in behalf of the thousands who have been thus suddenly aud unexpectedly left destitute o£ aU their possessions. — — —

From the mining province of Juancavelion we learn that all the cities in that department have been destroyed. Cerro de Pasco is in ruins. The loss of life and property in the mining regions ia reported very large. From Puno and Cuzco we have no tidings yet, but it is feared the news from these cities will be quite as sad as any yet received, as the motion of the earthquake Beems to have come from the direction of these places. The loss of property by the earthquake is estimated at three hundred millions of dollars. The house of Gibbs alone is said to have lost one million. The U.S. flagship Powhattan with Admiral Turner on board, has sailed from Callao for Arica with supplies and to render all assistance possible to the sufferers. The steamer Union had been loaded with provisions, &c., and despatched from Callao by the Peruvian Government to render assistance to the destitute along the < coast, but, owing to some defect in her machinery, she was obliged to put back to port. We have to lament the death at Arica, of Mr Charles L. Worm, manager of the Arica and Tacna railroad, and at Iqique that of Mr William E. Billinghurst, who, with half of his family, j perished in the ruins. Some members of Mr , Billinghurst _ family made their escape in a j boat which was carried through the ruins of his dwelling by the sea. Dr. Bokenham also lost his life at Iquique. At Pisagua the captain of the British ship Kamahamaha was drowned whilst trying to board his vessel during the eruption. The British bark Dona Henrietta was wrecked on the rocks at Junin, all hands saved ; and the American bark Condor was lost at Mejillones, all the crew saved. The people of Iquique are said to be suffering terribly for want of water. The neighborhood is entirely void of fresh water and was solely de- • pendent for a supply upon the condensing works situated close to the sea, which were washed away completely, The shock appears to have extended along the coast from Callao south to Cobija and was felt with about equ»l seventy at these two points, whilst nearly all of the intermediate ports are j left in ruins. How far inland the shock was felt ' is not yet known j but it w believed to have carried destruction far up into the Cordilleras. ! _

THOUSAND OF LIVES LOST, CITIES, VILLAGES, AND tfOWNS IN RUINS. We are in receipt of the Panama * Star and Herald,' to the 31st August. The news is invested with deep interest. The tidal wave that was so severely felt on the coast of New Zealand on the 15th August is now accounted for. The following is the particulars as published va. the above mentioned journal: — PERU. (Special Correspondent ofthe 'Star' and 'Herald.') Cai__o, August 22, 1868. When the mails left us on the 14th inst., wo little thought what a sad story we should have to write by to-day's steamer, tbe story of a calamity so widespread, and so awful in its severity that to think of the loss of life and property, the complete ruin, the misery and destitution is perfectly appalling. Cities, towns, an-i villages once well known in the interior of Peru as well as many rising and important ports along the coast are now no more. The earthquake of wliich we advised you by last" mail, is probably the most dreadful and terrific that ever occurred in the world's history. Certainly nothing approaching to the dire catastrophe of the 13th inst., has ever been recorded of this Continent, noted for volcanic eruptions.We have no intelligence further south than Co.ija, and, from what we have ascertained, the shock there was much the same as we experienced in Callao, the sea receded not more than fifty yards and gradually returned to its original level. At Iquique the town is completely swept away. Nothing but a mass of ruins remains. The loss of life must have been very great; at present no estimate can be given; by next mall we may have definite information. The ports of Mejillones, Pisagua, Arica, Do and Chala have likewise shared the unfortunate fate of Iquique. Arequipa, the Second city of the Republic, is levelled to the ground; not one house is lefc standing, unless a few wooden erections on the outskirts of the city. The magnificent cathedral is not completely destroyed, but the towers are gone, and the building is doubtless in a very dangerous condition, liable to fall at any moment. Moquegua, in the neighborhood of Arequipa, is likewise overthrown. Tacna haß escaped with only the loss of sixty houses. There are endless rumors as to entire towns and districts having been swallowed up, but it were idle to repeat or give them currency until we have more reliable news. The earthquake, it iB reasonable to suppose, must have been so severe in many places that great chasms may have heen formed and many new streams of water broken out in the hills. It is reported that in Tambo Valley just beyond the new port of Mejia, (near to IsJay) a small town was Bwept away, and out 500 inhabitants, only 20 managed to escape. From Arica we have the most graphic picture of the sad event. The Agent of the Pacific Steam Navigation Company in Ms letter to the Manager, writes: " Into other matters it is now useless to enter, as I write under the shadow of a great grief.

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/ST18681012.2.9.1

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Southland Times, Issue 1037, 12 October 1868, Page 2

Word count
Tapeke kupu
1,595

TERRIBLE EARTHQUAKES IN PERU AND ECUADOR. Southland Times, Issue 1037, 12 October 1868, Page 2

TERRIBLE EARTHQUAKES IN PERU AND ECUADOR. Southland Times, Issue 1037, 12 October 1868, Page 2

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