228 



EARTHQUAKES. 



Government fitted ont and dispatched all the 

 available Government vessels to take surgeons, 

 medicines, provisions, clothing, water, etc., to 

 the various points where the greatest suffering 

 prevailed. The American and French consuls 

 tendered their vessels to the Government, all 

 of which were accepted. The consignees of 

 guano placed the sum of $500,000 at the dis- 

 posal of the Government without interest. 

 Congress authorized the President to raise the 

 sum of two millions toward alleviating the 

 distress. Sefior Andres Alvarez Oalderon pre- 

 sented the sum of $50,000 as a voluntary con- 

 tribution. Mr. Henry Meiggs, the contractor 

 of the Arequipa railroad, gave an equal sum, 

 to be distributed as follows : $20,000 for Are- 

 quipa, $10,000 for Arica, and $10,000 for 

 Iquique, and the balance for other ports. The 

 Government also sent the military to different 

 points to keep order and render assistance. 

 The Pacific Steam Navigation Company's 

 steamer Chili sailed from Callao on the 21st 

 of August with a large quantity of provisions, 

 on account of the company, to be distributed 

 among the sufferers. In view of the great na- 

 tional calamity, Congress adjourned for three 

 days, and all places of amusement were closed. 

 The disastrous consequences of one of the 

 same series of earthquakes occurring in the 

 Republic of Ecuador, on the morning of August 

 16th, are stated as follows by Mr. A. P. Hovey, 

 United States minister to Peru, in a communi- 

 cation to Secretary Seward. He says that 

 " the earthquake seems to have had its centre 

 in the province of Imbabura, near the volcano 

 of Ocampo, about sixty miles north of the city 

 of Quito. Eight towns, with the adjoining 

 haciendas and populations, are said to have 

 been destroyed, numbering from 40,000 to 

 50,000 inhabitants. The cities of Otavato and 

 Ootacachi, containing respectively about 12,000 

 and 8,000 inhabitants, and both situated on the 

 shores of the Lake Mejanda, are said to have 

 been swallowed up, with their entire popula- 

 tions, and their sites have become a part of the 

 lake. The city of Ibarra, with a population of 

 13,000, was totally destroyed, only about three 

 thousand of the inhabitants escaping ; and the 

 town of Atunlaque is levelled with the earth, 

 burying all its inhabitants in its ruins. Nor is 

 the injury confined to the cities and towns, but 

 all the haciendas of the province, the richest 

 in Ecuador, growing sugar and grain, and pro- 

 ducing large numbers of cattle and sheep, have, 

 as it were, been swept out of existence. Quito 

 did not suffer in the same ratio in the loss of 

 life, but its walls and houses are destroyed. 

 The most of the inhabitants, including the Eng- 

 lish charg6 d'affaires, Mr. Hamilton, with his 

 large family, were driven to the open square 

 or plaza in the centre of the city. To heighten 

 the gloom, despondency, and misery of all, the 

 terrific thunder-storms of the tropics redoubled 

 their force, and literally deluged the whole 

 country. ^ The difficulty of conveying food from 

 Guayaquil was very great, as the journey re- 



quired twelve days' severe travel, with mules 

 carrying small burdens over rugged and pre- 

 cipitous mountains, deep gorges, and narrow 

 passes. These shocks have almost ruined the 

 Republic of Ecuador. Had the earthquake in 

 Peru taken place at night-time, as it did in Ecua- 

 dor, the loss of life would have exceeded 100,- 

 000 souls. As it was, the loss of life in Peru 

 is less, but the loss of property far greater." 



Other accounts state that in Guayaquil but 

 little damage was done. The towns of San 

 Pablo and Imantad, besides those already men- 

 tioned, were destroyed. A lake of water occu- 

 pied the site of the town of Cotacachi. Almost 

 the entire population of those towns and of 

 Otavato lost their lives. 



At Quito, the earthquake commenced at 

 twenty minutes past 1 A. M., and continued at 

 intervals, with varying degrees of severity, for 

 several days. All the churches, public build- 

 ings, and many private residences, were laid in 

 ruins. The towns adjoining Quito, named 

 Perucho, Puellaro, and Cachiguanjo, almost 

 entirely disappeared, with their inhabitants, 

 the few left alive being obliged to flee to escape 

 the pestilence arising from decomposed dead 

 bodies. The towns of Pincho and San Antonio 

 were also destroyed. The number of lives lost 

 in. the neighborhood of Quito was estimated at 

 20,000. 



At Valparaiso the tide rose and fell three 

 or four times an hour, in a most remarkable 

 manner, during the progress of the earthquake, 

 but the city sustained no injury. On the night 

 of the 14th of August, about 9 o'clock, three 

 shocks occurred at Talcahuano, the second of 

 which caused an immense tidal wave, which 

 swept away fully one half of the town and ren- 

 dered the other half almost uninhabitable. Four 

 lives only were lost, the inhabitants fleeing to 

 the hills. At Tome the same occurred, but, 

 being higher, little damage was done. The 

 port of Constitucion suffered from the wave, 

 but not much damage was done. Several small 

 vessels were driven ashore, and five men 

 drowned. The town of Concepcion was also 

 damaged by the same causes. Cabaja, the 

 Mexillons Islands, Pisqua, and all the cities and 

 towns from Cape Francisco in Ecuador to the 

 Magellan Straits, suffered more or less terrible 

 visitations. 



At La Paz, Bolivia, a place where earth- 

 quakes have been almost unknown, a slight 

 shock was felt on the 13th of August, and twice 

 repeated in the night. 



The entire loss of life by the earthquakes in 

 South America, in August, has been estimated 

 at 30,000 persons ; and the value of property 

 destroyed at $300,000,000. 



The United States Government, through its 

 representatives in the afflicted regions, rendered 

 great aid to the sufferers. The U. S. steam- 

 ship Kearsarge was at Caldera at the time of 

 the first reports of the disaster, and, as soon as 

 provisions could be put on board by the muni- 

 cipality, she started for Arica, arriving there 



