SOME PERSONAL EXPERIEXCES WITH EARTHOUAKES 



65 



to human gaze, with struggling fish and 

 monsters of the deep left high and dry. 

 The round-bottomed ships keeled over on 

 their beam ends, while the "Wateree" 

 rested easily on her floor-like bottom; 

 and when the returning sea, not like a 

 wave, but rather like an enormous tide, 

 came sweeping back, rolling our unfortu- 

 nate companion ships over and over, 

 leaving some bottom up and others 

 masses of wreckage, the "Wateree" rose 

 easily over the tossing waters, unharmed. 



the; seas defy ael nature 



From this moment the sea seemed to 

 defy the laws of nature. Currents ran in 

 contrary directions, and we were borne 

 here and there with a speed we could not 

 have equaled had we been steaming for 

 our lives. At irregular intervals the 

 earthquake shocks recurred, but none of 

 them so violent or long-continued as the 

 first. 



The Peruvian man-of-war "America," 

 said to be the fastest ship in the world 

 at that time, had hastily gotten up steam 

 and attempted to get to sea. She was 

 well out when the receding water left her 

 partly afloat and broke her back;, of 

 course destroying her engines. With her 

 funnels still vomiting black smoke and 

 apparently under full command of her 

 people, she backed down toward the help- 

 less "Fredonia" which was then rapidly 

 setting in toward the Morro, as if intend- 

 ing to help her. 



Lieutenant Commander Dyer, com- 

 manding the "Fredonia" saw the maneu- 

 ver, and, thinking the "America" was 

 coming to their aid, and that a nearer ap- 

 proach would only involve them both in 

 destruction, ran on the poop and hailed 

 the approaching ship, then but a few 

 yards distant: " 'America,' ahoy! You 

 can do nothing for us ; our bottom is 

 crushed. Save yourselves. Good-bye." 

 Then down to his station among his si- 

 lent, unshrinking crew he ran again. 

 The next moment the "Fredonia" was 

 crushed, and of that ill-fated company 

 not one was saved, while a counter-cur- 

 rent catching the Peruvian ship drove 

 her rapidly in another direction. 



Facing the Morro, and a short distance 

 away, a rocky islet rose some feet above 



the sea. On it the Peruvians had hewn 

 a fort from the solid rock and had 

 mounted therein two 15-inch guns, the 

 garrison numbering some 100 souls. We 

 were but a short distance from this fort 

 and were fearing to be cast against its 

 rocky sides, when suddenly we saw it 

 disappear beneath the waves. Whether 

 it sank or the water rose we could not 

 tell ; we only knew it vanished ; and when 

 it reappeared, after a few moments, like 

 a huge whale, not only were the unfortu- 

 nate garrison gone, but the guns and car- 

 riages as well. Imagine, if you can, how 

 the water lifted those immense masses 

 of iron, weighing many tons and offer- 

 ing no holding surface from their resting 

 places and tumbled them out of the 8- 

 foot parapet. It is a problem never to 

 be solved. 



Before the earthquake Arica had one 

 of the best and most modern machine- 

 shops between Callao and Valparaiso. 

 Many of the machines were ponderous 

 and properly secured on cement founda- 

 tions. There were also several locomo- 

 tives, cars, and many heavy castings. 

 These all disappeared ; not a vestige was 

 left. It seems impossible they could have 

 been swept out to sea, but assuredly they 

 could not be found on shore. 



During the first of the disturbance we 

 had lowered one of our large cutters and 

 sent it, in charge of a midshipman, to 

 rescue a number of persons drifting 

 about on some wreckage. There was no 

 sea on at this time, but to our astonish- 

 ment we saw that, with all the efiforts of 

 the crew, the boat could make no head- 

 way, but went sailing about in the most 

 erratic fashion. 



The midshipman, finding it impossible 

 to rescue the people he had been sent to 

 save, attempted to return to the ship. 

 That, too, was impossible, and presently 

 his efiforts were ended by having his boat 

 dashed violently against the side of the 

 "America" and crushed like an egg-shell. 

 He and his crew managed to scramble to 

 her deck. 



There they found a scene which beg- 

 gars description. A condition of panic 

 prevailed. Officers and men in abject 

 terror were running about, imploring all 

 the saints in the calendar to help them. 



