MEXICO CITY'S DEATH ROLL.

Auckland Star, Volume XLII, Issue 136, 9 June 1911, Page 5

MEXICO CITY'S DEATH ROLL.

REDUCED TO 63. MANY SOLDIERS KILLED. (Received 2 p.m.) NEW YORK, June 8. Later information from Mexico City as to the loss of life by the earthquake reduces the total in the capital to 63. The number of injured at present in the hospitals amounts to 80. The heaviest loss of life was caused by the collapse of the artillery barracks, which were filled with artillerymen, many of whom were instantly killed by the falling walls and the roof. Twelve women, wives of the artillerymen, were among the victims. MEXICO'S MISFORTUNES. THE EARTHQUAKE POSITION. ESIPDAINED BY EX-RESIDENT. "It was rather a surprise to mc to hear of such a tremendous shock in Mexico City of all places in Mexico," remarked Mr. David Kussell to a "Star" reporter this morning. Mr. Russell has learnt his Mexico thoroughly during the course of 25 years' residence, and he mentioned that where he would have expected reports of a big shock would be from a place like Colima, where there is an active volcano, or from the barrancas of the State of Jalisco. "In Mexico City," he said, "we always had continual small shocks, slight tremors of no importance, and of which nobody took any notice. The city is built practically on a swamp. There is a large lake (La Viga) just outside the city which is practically six inches higher than the city level, and it has cost the Government thousands of dollars to get suitable foundations for the buildings. In fact, ten years ago, it was a common thing for Mexico City to be inundated in the rainy season by water from the lake, and to see six inches of water in the streets was not unusual. Since then a canal to carry the surplus lake water to the : coast has been completed. The city is in i a beautiful valley surrounded by extinct volcanoes, and till the completion of the : canal, by the Diaz administration, there was always the double danger of eruption by the volcanoes and inundation of ■the lake. I should say that the houses which have been cast down by this shock are probably the old houses, which are innumerable in the city and whose foundations are very poor, practically 'floating' in some instances." WHERE QUAKES ARE DREADED. '"The people on the Pacific coast of Mexico," continued Mr. Russell," have always lived in dread of the active volcano of Colima. which is about 20 miles from the city of Colima. one of the principal cities on the west coast of Mexico. That volcano erupted about two years ago, and the ashes from it covered the city with a light coating. The sight of the eruption was one of the most magnificent I have ever seen. There was a great ball of fire erupted from the mouth of the volcano. This was topped by a wide-spreading cumulus of smoke made luminous by the heart of fire in-, side it. An engineer friend of mine, named Kearaes, happened to be at the foot of the mountain at the time the eruption started, and he secured some unique photos of it. These photos have since become rather famous, and some scientists were inclined to doubt their authenticity, but I know that Kearnes was there at the 'time, and I know the man well enough to believe that he printed them just as they were got from the camera. These photographs give some idea of the beauty of the eruption, but they, of course, do not convey the magnificent colour that characterised it. Fortunately for the people of Colima the eruption was short-lived." MORE TO FOLLOW. Mr. Russell remarked that the barrances of the western part of Jalisco showed tremendous thermal activity. There they had springs at 5000 feet above sea level showing a heat from 108 deg. to 212 deg. FaJirenhedt, = and throwing jets of boiling water forty and j fifty feet into the air. It was hk experience that seismic disturbances were felt slightly at Mexico C.itv first, j then more severely at Colima (500 miles' 1 away), and later in a lesser degree at the j Jalisco barrancas, another 300 miles from I Mexico City. Consequently he feels cer- | tain that the news of this severe shock in j Mexico City would be followed by news of something serious at Colim-a. A BAD OMEN. | Touching another phase of the disturbi ance. Mr. Russell expressed fear that the earthquake may have a bad effect on the : political situation. The people, he said, tare very superstitious, and were certain Ito look on the simultaneous advent of Mad'ero and the earthquake as a bad

omen, while Madero's political enemies would not hesitate to play on the superstitions of the people. The volcano of Colima, which is reported to have resumed activity, is a cone 12,750 ft high, near the Pacific Coast, near the town of Colima. Its first outburst in historical times was in June, 1869, but after a brief period of great activity it gradually subsided, and has been dormant for some years.