1835. 



SITUATION — ANECDOTES. 



405 



hering to the remains of the walls were left the lower parts of 

 some buttresses — the upper parts of others — while in one place 

 a buttress stood on its own foundation, separated entirely from 

 the wall. 



The city of Concepcion stands upon a plain, very little higher 

 than the level of the river Bio Bio. The soil is loose and allu- 

 vial. To the eastward and northward lie rocky irregular hills : 

 from the foot of which the loose earth was every where parted 

 by the great convulsion, large cracks being left, from an inch 

 to more than a foot in width. It seemed as if the low land had 

 been separated from the hills, having been more disturbed by 

 the shock. 



Women washing in the river near Concepcion were startled 

 by the sudden rise of the water — from their ankles to their 

 knees — and at the same moment felt the beginning of the con- 

 vulsion. It was said that the dogs avoided the ruin, by run- 

 ning away before it occurred. This, though known with 

 certainty to have been the case at Talcahuano, wants con- 

 firmation with respect to Concepcion. Of nine men who were 

 repairing the inside of a church, seven were killed, and two 

 severely hurt. One of these poor fellows was half-buried in the 

 ruins, during five days, with a dead body lying across him, 

 through which it was necessary to cut, for his release. A mother, 

 escaping with her children, saw one fall into a hole; a wall 

 close to her was tottering ; she pushed a piece of wood across 

 the hole, and ran on ; the wall fell, covering the hole with 

 masses of brick-work ; but, next day, the child was taken out un- 

 hurt. Another woman missed a child ; saw that a high wall was 

 tottering, but ran for her son, and brought him out. As she 

 crossed the street, the wall fell, but they were safe ; when the 

 tremendous crash came, the whole street, which she had just 

 crossed, was filled up wi th part of the ruins of the cathedral. 

 Besides a waving or undulatory movement, vertical, horizontal, 

 and circular or twisting motions were felt. An angular stone 

 pinnacle was particularly noticed, which had been turned half 

 round, without being thrown down, or leaving its base. 



Persons riding at the time of the great shock, were stopped 



