268 ANNUAL OF SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERY. 



open ; the earth shook and every structure swayed to and fro from 

 north to south. It seemed in my own house as if the walls were 

 about to meet and smother us. In about 3 minutes the soil 

 shook so that it was almost impossible to hold one's feet. The 

 strongest buildings began then to cast off stones, bricks, pieces of 

 wood, etc., and the weakest began to fcill, almost all of them level 

 with the ground. In about 5 minutes from the first movement 

 the whole city was enveloped in clouds of dust and darkness, and 

 resounded with the crash of falling buildings. There is not one 

 house left standing in Arequipa. 



" Thus the work of the Arequipenos for 300 years has been de- 

 stro5"ed in a few minutes ; it will take 500 years to do the same 

 work over." 



At Lima, the capital of Peru, as at Callao, the neighboring port, 

 the shock was terrible, but the damage comparatively slight. A 

 writer gives the following account : — 



" The duration of the movement was about 3^ minutes, and the 

 shock, instead of following the usual vertical motion, appeared 

 to be lateral, and, consequently, was regarded as all the more dan- 

 gerous. The aspect of the city during the movement was truly 

 exciting. Every one in Lima, at the first coming of the shock, 

 always seeks the protection of an arch, or the threshold of a door 

 is selected as a safe refuge, and on this occasion these favored 

 spots were much occupied. 



•' In an incredibly short space of time the great public plaza was 

 filled with frightened men, women, and children ; the houses 

 shook visibly, and the high towers of the cathedral swayed to and 

 fro like a ship's mast in a storm. The great length of the shock 

 was particularly alarming ; but fortunately no damage took place 

 in this city." 



The terrible scenes at Arica are thus described by an eye-wit- 

 ness : — 



" The hour was that when by custom most of the inhabitants had 

 just closed their daily labors and were at their homes. The in- 

 stant the startling indications of an earthquake were felt there 

 was a general rush for uncovered spaces. The streets became a 

 scene of terror. All the houses in the city trembled, then they 

 surged, and some of them fell to pieces with crash after crash. 

 At this juncture, when the undulations were active, the earth 

 opened in several places in long and almost regular lines. The 

 fissures were from 1 to 3 inches in width. The sensation was dis- 

 tinc^t as though something was rolling underneath. From every 

 fissure there belched forth dry earth like dust, which was followed 

 by a stifling gas. Owing to the demolition of buildings and the 

 general destruction of all kinds of property, and the dust belched 

 forth as well as that set in motion bj^ the general tumult, a dense 

 cloud fornied over the city and obscured the light. Beneath the 

 cloud was the gas which severely oppressed every living creature, 

 and would have sufibcated all these if it had lingered longer sta- 

 tionary than it did, which was only about 90 seconds. The undu- 

 lations were 3 in number. Each succeeding one was of greater 

 magnitude than the former. When the undulations ceased, the 



