EARTHQUAKE STRIKES TERROR

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 28, 27 July 1911, Page 3

EARTHQUAKE STRIKES TERROR

TRAGIC ENTRY OF THE MEXICAN REBEL LEADER. SUPERSTITION OF THE PANICSTRIKEN NATIVES. Now York, June 8. An earthquake caused great damage and the loss of at least 100 lives in Mexico City early this morning, a few hours before General Madero, the rebelleader, and chief adviser to the provincial President, made his triumphant entry into the capital. Thousands of superstitious peasants who had ctnne to the capital to witness the beginning of the new administration were filled with terror, believing the earthquake to be a manifestation of Divine wrath. They thronged the cathedral and the churches praying for assistance and that the city might not be utterly destroyed.

Telegrams from Mexico City give a graphic picture of these scenes of terror, which prevailed before sunrise and for several hours after the earthquake. The superstitious Indians and half-breeds became unmanageable, and many of them fled from the capital. Those who remained witnessed the entry of General Madero in silence, considering that the revolution was contrary to Divine will.

CITY CROWDED. General Madero's arrival was to have been the occasion of great popular rejoicing. The revolutionary leader travelled to the capital in a private car, and the insurgents sent word throughout the surrounding country for the inhabitants to come to Mexico City to welcome him. Consequently the city was crowded with peasants who slept in the streets, parks, and public square. At 4.55 this morning the first earthquake tremor shook the sleeping city. The inhabitants awoke panic-striken, and almost immediately there was a strong, steady vibration, lasting six minutes, which caused many buildings to collapse and damaged many others, especially in the commercial quarter and the western suburbs.

The superstitious natives who were sleeping in the vicinity of the Federal palace and the principal square rushed into the cathedral of St. Domingo. They Tefused to listen to the police, who attempted to clear all buildings, and induce the frightened populace to concentrate in the open spaces. Not only the cathedral but the majority of the parish churches were soon filled with frantic worshippers. The peasants who had been sleeping in the open- air were reinforced by half-dressed residents, who (led from their houses. The terror of the congregation in the cathedral was intensified when the walls of the nave cracked, and' portions of plaster fell from the roof. .

Many dwellings were wrecked by the walls falling outwards, instead of inwards, leaving 'the moms resembling rows of pigeon-holes in a desk. This phenomenon saved many lives, as the sleepers awoke unharmed, to find the walls of their homes mere 'heaps of rubish.

STREETS IN DARKNESS. All the street lights were extinguished after the first shock, the electric wires and gas mains being broken. It was difficult to rally the troops in the barracks, or send detachments in search of wounded. Parties of soldiers and police went out with lanterns, removing the injured, until daybreak, when it was possible to bring relief operations on a large scale. Eleven soldiers were killed at the San Cosme barracks, which collapsed while the. occupants were asleep. Thirty were wounded, and the officers in charge state that many are missing. The municipal prison is in ruins, and many of the prisoners injured. Many of the hospitals are filled with wounded.

The authorities succeeded in restoring , order by seven o'clock, when the crowds were sufficiently calmed to assemble at the railway station to greet General Madero. When he alighted from his private car and drove to the Federal palace there was a noticeable lack of cheering, although the majority of the spectators were in sympathy with the. insurgent movement. A large number of civilians escorted his carriage to the palace accompanied by a number of military bands. I

It is feared that many lives have been lost in the districts south of the capital. Telegraph communication is interrupted, but the earthquake shock is said to have been even heavier than in Mexico City. V HISTORIC CATHEDRAL.

Mexico City, capital of the Republic of Mexico, has a population of about 400,000. The western section of the city, which appears to have suffered most, contained the better built and more modern residences.

The cathedral of San, Domingo, which has been damaged, was consecrated in 1045 It was begun in 1573. on the site of the Aztec temple destroyed by Cortes in 152 V, and is a magnificent edifice nearly 450 ft long by 197 ft wide, built in the. torm of a Creek cross, with rare wall paintings and costly decorations. There are about sixty other churches in the