TERRIBLE EARTHQUAKE.

Taranaki Daily News, 17 April 1920, Page 9

TERRIBLE EARTHQUAKE.

TUB MEXICAN HOLOCAUST THOUSANDS REPORTED KILLED. A MOUNTAIN TOPPLES OVER. Los Angelos, Fob. 7. Very little news has been received regarding the great earthquake which occurred in Mexico 011 January 3rd. It was then reported that the city of Coutzlan in the State of Vera Cruz, had been destroyed with 2000 casualties, including more, than 1000 killed. At leocelo, 30 were killed and 30 injured. This was the entire garrison. Virtually all roads in the surrounding districts were flooded or destroyed. At Barrannca Grande, near Couztlan. 300 were reported to have been killed. The water level at Port Barranca t\pl Agua rose 25 metres. Twelve soldiers were among those buried under the ruins of the church at C oscomatcpec. The first details were telegraphed from Monterey, Mexico, on 25th January, W'hen the first refugee arrived. This was Stephen Trumble, wbo, for several years has -been manager of a large coffee plantation, near Tlatanalan, which is one of the several towns destroyed by the earthquake, and then inundated to a depth of more than 200 feet. The water, Mr. Trumble said, burst out of the ground at the base of a crumbling mountain. The plantation headquarters were in the path of the flood, and it was by floating to shore on a piece of wreckage that he saved his life. The several hundred natives who lived at Tlatannalan were drowned.

RICH REGION DAMAGKD. 'I journeyed across country from UnntatuiW .Talapa." he said, "and on every .mnrt were to Tie seen the mins raused by the shocks. I was told that t.)B lam on s El Salto de Xico waterfall, v.'hirh furnisher! thfi initial power for a large hvdro-electric plant, hail, been ren(.wot,, useless Ity i-]ie diversion of the stream as a result of the shocks. The topography of the entire country was so (handed as to he almost unrccognisnule It wa:: onlv with the greatest difficulty »"»t T was able to follow broken mountain paths and finally reach the iTitfr-'i" ."n ilroncl making mv wav finally to Pachuca, thence to Queretaro and Monteroy. _ The new earthquake zone extends rrom the northern part of the State of ( taxaea lo , lie southern part of the (State of \ era Cruz, more than 150 miles, and .rom Perot e to. Vera Cruz. It embraces the heart of the richest agricultural resri,,,, n f Mexico. ft is there that the finest co(Tee in the world is grown. The p -<'° tliis coflee is so hi_e.li that very ! of if }i;k ever found its war into the cxnort trade. Far in advance nf the annual harvest, it is all contracted for by the wealthy people of Mexico. The coffee industry was probably irreparably uamatred by the earthquake. •'Whole mountain-: tumbled down, vast stretches of cultivated areas wore flooded by the damming of mountain streams, the homes of thousands of natives laborers were destroyed, and in some cases the whole plantations disappeared in enormous crevasses that were >or>iW 'i . the> place of the delightful verdure that covered the mnu-i';,;., hiaokoned rocks disfigure, the landscape. TREMORS FOX! TWELVE HOURS. "No one can picture the terror of the ri'-tli *r>-i>!!sr! that for twelve hours followed each other .with only it few minutes' interval. The first *of the shocks came shortly after nightfall, and it was not till next morning that the. f "" terrible calamity wore to be seen. The roar of tumbling rocks from high mountains, the terrible noise of the torrents of water that poured up from the newly opened holes in the side of the mountain near Tlatanalan, the cries and the prayers of the overwhelmed pconle of the'village, the howling of the wild beasts, and erics of domestic animals all helped to make the niixlit the most horrible I have ever known.

"In the. air the odour of sulphur was almost, overpowering. To the south was to lie seen the blazing (ire of the new crater of M<nr ' When morning came it, was seen that the top of Cofre do I'erote, one of the most impressive mountains in that region had been shaken or blown oft 1 , and the height of the mountain, 13,500 feet, had been reduced by several hundred or perhaps thousands of feet. At the foot of the mountain wore several villages, which must have been wiped out of existence by the tons of rock that fell down. "In Jalapa evidence, of the destruction was to be seen on every haml. The great, cathedral, in the tower of which stood the oldest clock on the American Continent, is partly in ruins. The palace of the .Govornor of the State of Vera Cruz, f.lm "National Military Academy, and various other buildings were damaged, some beyond repair. Only a few lives were lost in Jalapa, and the people gave what relref they could to the stricken natives: in the outlying districts-

"Slight, earthquake tremors have been felt in the devastated period from time immemorial, but never before were the shocks so severe, and the affected territory as widespread. Following past custom, hundreds of the pious, ignorant natives flocked into the stone churches and chapels when the first tremors were felt. Then came the terrible shaking, which seemed about to overturn the world. . The church towers and many of the walls tumbled down, burying the faithful parishioners beneath them.

SAVED P.V PARROTS. '"T believe I saved my life mid' those of several servants and employees by accept inf.' the warnings of the impending disaster that were given most vociferously by t wo parrots which made their home in the patio of my house. The building was a two-storied stone structure, with living rooms on both floors. I spent several years in (lie heart of the earthquake zone in tlic State of Guerrero, where T was mining. While there I learned to know the almost uncanny prescience of parrots in forctelliing earthquakes. I'snally the birds begin sounding their warnings at least twenty-four hours before the first shocks. They make loud strange noises and display intense excitement and restlessness. More Uian twenty-four hours before the first scries of shocks T noticed the weird calls and wild antics of the parrots. I at once began making preparations. As the excitement of the p?rrnt* increased I thought it would be i i wi lo spend the night out of doors. explained the situation to my Mexican employees, who I wore easily persuaded to take heed of

the warning. It was fortunate that v,-e did so, for the building collapsed in a heap. The .parrots were moved into the open and also escaped harm." Mr. Trumble thinks that the full extent of the low of life and destruction of property in the affected area will not be known for weeks. Mountain trails and roads have been completely .obliterated in most. localities, the crevasses and uplifts 011 the surface making travelling there extremely dangerous. AN ACTIVE VOLCANO. "No one knows the moment when tlu> revival of Mount Orizaba may reach a death-dealing and destructive stage," he added. ''lt. is evident that some groat, subterranean change is going on in that part of Mexico. I understand that a large party of American and Mexican scientists will visit the earthquake region soon for the purpose of investigating the geological changes that may have taken place. It will not be surprising if Popocatepetl volcano, after a sleep of more, than a hundred years, shakes oil' its stupor and throws a hot blast down upon the city of Mexico at 110 distant date. It is already showing signs of revival."