COSTA RICA— VULCAN'S SMITHY 



501 



and these increased in both intensity and 

 frequency up to the date of the two suc- 

 cessive catastrophes that befell the un- 

 fortunate httle RepubHc. Information, 

 however, is lacking, owing to the regret- 

 table fact that the condition and assist- 

 ance of the observatory in San Jose are 

 no longer what they used to be. 



SHOCKS IN APRIL 



On April 13. thirty-seven minutes af- 

 ter midnight, the population of the cen- 

 tral plateau were suddenly awakened 

 from their slumber to realize that every- 

 thing around — the houses and their be- 

 longings, the churches, in the belfries of 

 which the bells were madly ringing, the 

 trees and the ground itself — was vio- 

 lently shaking. Without losing time 

 even to put on the most elementary cov- 

 ering, every one ran to the open, and in 

 a few minutes the streets ana plazas 

 were filled by terrified, clamoring crowds, 

 some already discussing the probable 

 origin of the quake, but most of them on 

 their knees, loudly imploring the protec- 

 tion of the Saints. 



Meanwhile the earth continued trem- 

 bling, and up to 8.15 a. m. there were 

 felt no less than 23 shocks, which, how- 

 ever, were of steadily decreasing inten- 

 sity. Then everything was quiet again 

 until I. II p. m., when there was another, 

 apparently isolated shock, followed by 

 two more at about 3 p. m., and again a 

 single one a little after 10 o'clock. C)n 

 April 14, 24 tremors of minor intensity 

 were recorded, and on the 15th 12 more 

 had been reported up to 2 p. m. ; but only 

 the first shock, at 12.37 ^- "i- of the 13th, 

 and possibly the following shock at 1.07,, 

 were of a destructive character. 



There was no loss of life, but in San 

 Jose several public buildings were so 

 badly wrecked as to become unfit for 

 use, and walls of hundreds of private 

 houses, many of them substantially 

 built, were cracked or otherwise injured. 



Cartago suffered damages of the same 

 kind, and, moreover, the ground in its 

 surroundings was rent and fissured at 

 several places. The strongest shocks 



THE ERUPTION OF I'0.\S GEYSER, JANUARY 



25, 1910 (see page 500) 



The photograph was taken in San Jose, 

 about 25 miles distant, by M. R. Soriano, and 

 sent to the National Geographic Mag.\zinE 

 by Prof. J. Fid Tristan, of San Jose. 



were felt along the foot of the Cordillera 

 volcanica from Siquirres, at the eastern 

 foot of Turrialba, to Lake Nicaragua, 

 but they were most severe in the central 

 plateau. In Port Limon the two first 

 shocks only were felt, but w^ere scarcely 

 perceptible. 



After a few days, no more seismical 

 records were reported, though it is 

 doubtful whether the earth tremors 

 ceased completely. The excitement sub- 

 sided, the throngs, camping in the parks 

 under military tents and other impro- 

 vised shelters, began to flock back to 

 their usual abodes, and everybody's at- 

 tention became fixed again on the com- 

 ing political event, the inauguration of a 

 new administration. This was to take 

 place — as it did, although under the most 

 distressing circumstances in the history 

 of Costa Rica — on Mav 8. 



