CHILOE AND CONCEPCION: GREAT EARTHQUAKE
San Carlos, Chiloe--Osorno in eruption, contemporaneously with
Aconcagua and Coseguina--Ride to Cucao--Impenetrable Forests--Valdivia
Indians--Earthquake--Concepcion--Great Earthquake--Rocks
fissured--Appearance of the former Towns--The Sea Black and
Boiling--Direction of the Vibrations--Stones twisted round--Great
Wave--Permanent Elevation of the Land--Area of Volcanic Phenomena--The
connection between the Elevatory and Eruptive Forces--Cause of
Earthquakes--Slow Elevation of Mountain-chains.
ON JANUARY the 15th we sailed from Low's Harbour, and three days
afterwards anchored a second time in the bay of S. Carlos in Chiloe. On
the night of the 19th the volcano of Osorno was in action. At midnight
the sentry observed something like a large star, which gradually
increased in size till about three o'clock, when it presented a very
magnificent spectacle. By the aid of a glass, dark objects, in
constant succession, were seen, in the midst of a great glare of red
light, to be thrown up and to fall down. The light was sufficient to
cast on the water a long bright reflection. Large masses of molten
matter seem very commonly to be cast out of the craters in this part of
the Cordillera. I was assured that when the Corcovado is in eruption,
great masses are projected upwards and are seen to burst in the air,
assuming many fantastical forms, such as trees: their size must be
immense, for they can be distinguished from the high land behind S.
Carlos, which is no less than ninety-three miles from the Corcovado. In
the morning the volcano became tranquil.
I was surprised at hearing afterwards that Aconcagua in Chile, 480
miles northwards, was in action on the same night; and still more
surprised to hear that the great eruption of Coseguina (2700 miles
north of Aconcagua), accompanied by an earthquake felt over a 1000
miles, also occurred within six hours of this same time. This
coincidence is the more remarkable, as Coseguina had been dormant for
twenty-six years; and Aconcagua most rarely shows any signs of action.
It is difficult even to conjecture whether this coincidence was
accidental, or shows some subterranean connection. If Vesuvius, Etna,
and Hecla in Iceland (all three relatively nearer each other than the
corresponding points in South America), suddenly burst forth in
eruption on the same night, the coincidence would be thought
remarkable; but it is far more remarkable in this case, where the three
vents fall on the same great mountain-chain, and where the vast plains
along the entire eastern coast, and the upraised recent shells along
more than 2000 miles on the western coast, show in how equable and
connected a manner the elevatory forces have acted.
Captain Fitz Roy being anxious that some bearings should be taken on
the outer coast of Chiloe, it was planned that Mr. King and myself
should ride to Castro, and thence across the island to the Capella de
Cucao, situated on the west coast. Having hired horses and a guide, we
set out on the morning of the 22nd. We had not proceeded far, before
we were joined by a woman and two boys, who were bent on the same
journey. Every one on this road acts on a "hail fellow well met"
fashion; and one may here enjoy the privilege, so rare in South
America, of travelling without fire-arms. At first, the country
consisted of a succession of hills and valleys: nearer to Castro it
became very level. The road itself is a curious affair; it consists in
its whole length, with the exception of very few parts, of great logs
of wood, which are either broad and laid longitudinally, or narrow and
placed transversely. In summer the road is not very bad; but in
winter, when the wood is rendered slippery from rain, travelling is
exceedingly difficult. At that time of the year, the ground on each
side becomes a morass, and is often overflowed: hence it is necessary
that the longitudinal logs should be fastened down by transverse poles,
which are pegged on each side into the earth. These pegs render a fall
from a horse dangerous, as the chance of alighting on one of them is
not small. It is remarkable, however, how active custom has made the
Chilotan horses. In crossing bad parts, where the logs had been
displaced, they skipped from one to the other, almost with the
quickness and certainty of a dog. On both hands the road is bordered
by the lofty forest-trees, with their bases matted together by canes.
When occasionally a long reach of this avenue could be beheld, it
presented a curious scene of uniformity: the white line of logs,
narrowing in perspective, became hidden by the gloomy forest, or
terminated in a zigzag which ascended some steep hill.
Although the distance from S. Carlos to Castro is only twelve leagues
in a straight line, the formation of the road must have been a great
labour. I was told that several people had formerly lost their lives
in attempting to cross the forest. The first who succeeded was an
Indian, who cut his way through the canes in eight days, and reached S.
Carlos: he was rewarded by the Spanish government with a grant of land.
During the summer, many of the Indians wander about the forests (but
chiefly in the higher parts, where the woods are not quite so thick) in
search of the half-wild cattle which live on the leaves of the cane and
certain trees. It was one of these huntsmen who by chance discovered,
a few years since, an English vessel, which had been wrecked on the
outer coast. The crew were beginning to fail in provisions, and it is
not probable that, without the aid of this man, they would ever have
extricated themselves from these scarcely penetrable woods. As it was,
one seaman died on the march, from fatigue. The Indians in these
excursions steer by the sun; so that if there is a continuance of
cloudy weather, they can not travel.
The day was beautiful, and the number of trees which were in full
flower perfumed the air; yet even this could hardly dissipate the
effects of the gloomy dampness of the forest. Moreover, the many dead
trunks that stand like skeletons, never fail to give to these primeval
woods a character of solemnity, absent in those of countries long
civilized. Shortly after sunset we bivouacked for the night. Our
female companion, who was rather good-looking, belonged to one of the
most respectable families in Castro: she rode, however, astride, and
without shoes or stockings. I was surprised at the total want of pride
shown by her and her brother. They brought food with them, but at all
our meals sat watching Mr. King and myself whilst eating, till we were
fairly shamed into feeding the whole party. The night was cloudless;
and while lying in our beds, we enjoyed the sight (and it is a high
enjoyment) of the multitude of stars which illumined the darkness of
the forest.
January 23rd.--We rose early in the morning, and reached the pretty
quiet town of Castro by two o'clock. The old governor had died since
our last visit, and a Chileno was acting in his place. We had a letter
of introduction to Don Pedro, whom we found exceedingly hospitable and
kind, and more disinterested than is usual on this side of the
continent. The next day Don Pedro procured us fresh horses, and
offered to accompany us himself. We proceeded to the south--generally
following the coast, and passing through several hamlets, each with its
large barn-like chapel built of wood. At Vilipilli, Don Pedro asked
the commandant to give us a guide to Cucao. The old gentleman offered
to come himself; but for a long time nothing would persuade him that
two Englishmen really wished to go to such an out-of-the-way place as
Cucao. We were thus accompanied by the two greatest aristocrats in the
country, as was plainly to be seen in the manner of all the poorer
Indians towards them. At Chonchi we struck across the island,
following intricate winding paths, sometimes passing through
magnificent forests, and sometimes through pretty cleared spots,
abounding with corn and potato crops. This undulating woody country,
partially cultivated, reminded me of the wilder parts of England, and
therefore had to my eye a most fascinating aspect. At Vilinco, which
is situated on the borders of the lake of Cucao, only a few fields were
cleared; and all the inhabitants appeared to be Indians. This lake is
twelve miles long, and runs in an east and west direction. From local
circumstances, the sea-breeze blows very regularly during the day, and
during the night it falls calm: this has given rise to strange
exaggerations, for the phenomenon, as described to us at S. Carlos, was
quite a prodigy.
The road to Cucao was so very bad that we determined to embark in a
_periagua_. The commandant, in the most authoritative manner, ordered
six Indians to get ready to pull us over, without deigning to tell them
whether they would be paid. The periagua is a strange rough boat, but
the crew were still stranger: I doubt if six uglier little men ever got
into a boat together. They pulled, however, very well and cheerfully.
The stroke-oarsman gabbled Indian, and uttered strange cries, much
after the fashion of a pig-driver driving his pigs. We started with a
light breeze against us, but yet reached the Capella de Cucao before it
was late. The country on each side of the lake was one unbroken
forest. In the same periagua with us, a cow was embarked. To get so
large an animal into a small boat appears at first a difficulty, but
the Indians managed it in a minute. They brought the cow alongside the
boat, which was heeled towards her; then placing two oars under her
belly, with their ends resting on the gunwale, by the aid of these
levers they fairly tumbled the poor beast heels over head into the
bottom of the boat, and then lashed her down with ropes. At Cucao we
found an uninhabited hovel (which is the residence of the padre when he
pays this Capella a visit), where, lighting a fire, we cooked our
supper, and were very comfortable.
The district of Cucao is the only inhabited part on the whole west
coast of Chiloe. It contains about thirty or forty Indian families,
who are scattered along four or five miles of the shore. They are very
much secluded from the rest of Chiloe, and have scarcely any sort of
commerce, except sometimes in a little oil, which they get from
seal-blubber. They are tolerably dressed in clothes of their own
manufacture, and they have plenty to eat. They seemed, however,
discontented, yet humble to a degree which it was quite painful to
witness. These feelings are, I think, chiefly to be attributed to the
harsh and authoritative manner in which they are treated by their
rulers. Our companions, although so very civil to us, behaved to the
poor Indians as if they had been slaves, rather than free men. They
ordered provisions and the use of their horses, without ever
condescending to say how much, or indeed whether the owners should be
paid at all. In the morning, being left alone with these poor people,
we soon ingratiated ourselves by presents of cigars and mate. A lump
of white sugar was divided between all present, and tasted with the
greatest curiosity. The Indians ended all their complaints by saying,
"And it is only because we are poor Indians, and know nothing; but it
was not so when we had a King."
The next day after breakfast, we rode a few miles northward to Punta
Huantamo. The road lay along a very broad beach, on which, even after
so many fine days, a terrible surf was breaking. I was assured that
after a heavy gale, the roar can be heard at night even at Castro, a
distance of no less than twenty-one sea-miles across a hilly and wooded
country. We had some difficulty in reaching the point, owing to the
intolerably bad paths; for everywhere in the shade the ground soon
becomes a perfect quagmire. The point itself is a bold rocky hill. It
is covered by a plant allied, I believe, to Bromelia, and called by the
inhabitants Chepones. In scrambling through the beds, our hands were
very much scratched. I was amused by observing the precaution our
Indian guide took, in turning up his trousers, thinking that they were
more delicate than his own hard skin. This plant bears a fruit, in
shape like an artichoke, in which a number of seed-vessels are packed:
these contain a pleasant sweet pulp, here much esteemed. I saw at
Low's Harbour the Chilotans making chichi, or cider, with this fruit:
so true is it, as Humboldt remarks, that almost everywhere man finds
means of preparing some kind of beverage from the vegetable kingdom.
The savages, however, of Tierra del Fuego, and I believe of Australia,
have not advanced thus far in the arts.
The coast to the north of Punta Huantamo is exceedingly rugged and
broken, and is fronted by many breakers, on which the sea is eternally
roaring. Mr. King and myself were anxious to return, if it had been
possible, on foot along this coast; but even the Indians said it was
quite impracticable. We were told that men have crossed by striking
directly through the woods from Cucao to S. Carlos, but never by the
coast. On these expeditions, the Indians carry with them only roasted
corn, and of this they eat sparingly twice a day.
26th.--Re-embarking in the periagua, we returned across the lake, and
then mounted our horses. The whole of Chiloe took advantage of this
week of unusually fine weather, to clear the ground by burning. In
every direction volumes of smoke were curling upwards. Although the
inhabitants were so assiduous in setting fire to every part of the
wood, yet I did not see a single fire which they had succeeded in
making extensive. We dined with our friend the commandant, and did not
reach Castro till after dark. The next morning we started very early.
After having ridden for some time, we obtained from the brow of a steep
hill an extensive view (and it is a rare thing on this road) of the
great forest. Over the horizon of trees, the volcano of Corcovado, and
the great flat-topped one to the north, stood out in proud
pre-eminence: scarcely another peak in the long range showed its snowy
summit. I hope it will be long before I forget this farewell view of
the magnificent Cordillera fronting Chiloe. At night we bivouacked
under a cloudless sky, and the next morning reached S. Carlos. We
arrived on the right day, for before evening heavy rain commenced.
February 4th.--Sailed from Chiloe. During the last week I made several
short excursions. One was to examine a great bed of now-existing
shells, elevated 350 feet above the level of the sea: from among these
shells, large forest-trees were growing. Another ride was to P.
Huechucucuy. I had with me a guide who knew the country far too well;
for he would pertinaciously tell me endless Indian names for every
little point, rivulet, and creek. In the same manner as in Tierra del
Fuego, the Indian language appears singularly well adapted for
attaching names to the most trivial features of the land. I believe
every one was glad to say farewell to Chiloe; yet if we could forget
the gloom and ceaseless rain of winter, Chiloe might pass for a
charming island. There is also something very attractive in the
simplicity and humble politeness of the poor inhabitants.
We steered northward along shore, but owing to thick weather did not
reach Valdivia till the night of the 8th. The next morning the boat
proceeded to the town, which is distant about ten miles. We followed
the course of the river, occasionally passing a few hovels, and patches
of ground cleared out of the otherwise unbroken forest; and sometimes
meeting a canoe with an Indian family. The town is situated on the low
banks of the stream, and is so completely buried in a wood of
apple-trees that the streets are merely paths in an orchard. I have
never seen any country, where apple-trees appeared to thrive so well as
in this damp part of South America: on the borders of the roads there
were many young trees evidently self-grown. In Chiloe the inhabitants
possess a marvellously short method of making an orchard. At the lower
part of almost every branch, small, conical, brown, wrinkled points
project: these are always ready to change into roots, as may sometimes
be seen, where any mud has been accidentally splashed against the tree.
A branch as thick as a man's thigh is chosen in the early spring, and
is cut off just beneath a group of these points, all the smaller
branches are lopped off, and it is then placed about two feet deep in
the ground. During the ensuing summer the stump throws out long
shoots, and sometimes even bears fruit: I was shown one which had
produced as many as twenty-three apples, but this was thought very
unusual. In the third season the stump is changed (as I have myself
seen) into a well-wooded tree, loaded with fruit. An old man near
Valdivia illustrated his motto, "Necesidad es la madre del invencion,"
by giving an account of the several useful things he manufactured from
his apples. After making cider, and likewise wine, he extracted from
the refuse a white and finely flavoured spirit; by another process he
procured a sweet treacle, or, as he called it, honey. His children and
pigs seemed almost to live, during this season of the year, in his
orchard.
February 11th.--I set out with a guide on a short ride, in which,
however, I managed to see singularly little, either of the geology of
the country or of its inhabitants. There is not much cleared land near
Valdivia: after crossing a river at the distance of a few miles, we
entered the forest, and then passed only one miserable hovel, before
reaching our sleeping-place for the night. The short difference in
latitude, of 150 miles, has given a new aspect to the forest compared
with that of Chiloe. This is owing to a slightly different proportion
in the kinds of trees. The evergreens do not appear to be quite so
numerous, and the forest in consequence has a brighter tint. As in
Chiloe, the lower parts are matted together by canes: here also another
kind (resembling the bamboo of Brazil and about twenty feet in height)
grows in clusters, and ornaments the banks of some of the streams in a
very pretty manner. It is with this plant that the Indians make their
chuzos, or long tapering spears. Our resting-house was so dirty that I
preferred sleeping outside: on these journeys the first night is
generally very uncomfortable, because one is not accustomed to the
tickling and biting of the fleas. I am sure, in the morning, there was
not a space on my legs the size of a shilling which had not its little
red mark where the flea had feasted.
12th.--We continued to ride through the uncleared forest; only
occasionally meeting an Indian on horseback, or a troop of fine mules
bringing alerce-planks and corn from the southern plains. In the
afternoon one of the horses knocked up: we were then on a brow of a
hill, which commanded a fine view of the Llanos. The view of these
open plains was very refreshing, after being hemmed in and buried in
the wilderness of trees. The uniformity of a forest soon becomes very
wearisome. This west coast makes me remember with pleasure the free,
unbounded plains of Patagonia; yet, with the true spirit of
contradiction, I cannot forget how sublime is the silence of the
forest. The Llanos are the most fertile and thickly peopled parts of
the country, as they possess the immense advantage of being nearly free
from trees. Before leaving the forest we crossed some flat little
lawns, around which single trees stood, as in an English park: I have
often noticed with surprise, in wooded undulatory districts, that the
quite level parts have been destitute of trees. On account of the
tired horse, I determined to stop at the Mission of Cudico, to the
friar of which I had a letter of introduction. Cudico is an
intermediate district between the forest and the Llanos. There are a
good many cottages, with patches of corn and potatoes, nearly all
belonging to Indians. The tribes dependent on Valdivia are "reducidos y
cristianos." The Indians farther northward, about Arauco and Imperial,
are still very wild, and not converted; but they have all much
intercourse with the Spaniards. The padre said that the Christian
Indians did not much like coming to mass, but that otherwise they
showed respect for religion. The greatest difficulty is in making them
observe the ceremonies of marriage. The wild Indians take as many
wives as they can support, and a cacique will sometimes have more than
ten: on entering his house, the number may be told by that of the
separate fires. Each wife lives a week in turn with the cacique; but
all are employed in weaving ponchos, etc., for his profit. To be the
wife of a cacique, is an honour much sought after by the Indian women.
The men of all these tribes wear a coarse woolen poncho: those south of
Valdivia wear short trousers, and those north of it a petticoat, like
the chilipa of the Gauchos. All have their long hair bound by a
scarlet fillet, but with no other covering on their heads. These
Indians are good-sized men; their cheek-bones are prominent, and in
general appearance they resemble the great American family to which
they belong; but their physiognomy seemed to me to be slightly
different from that of any other tribe which I had before seen. Their
expression is generally grave, and even austere, and possesses much
character: this may pass either for honest bluntness or fierce
determination. The long black hair, the grave and much-lined features,
and the dark complexion, called to my mind old portraits of James I. On
the road we met with none of that humble politeness so universal in
Chiloe. Some gave their "mari-mari" (good morning) with promptness,
but the greater number did not seem inclined to offer any salute. This
independence of manners is probably a consequence of their long wars,
and the repeated victories which they alone, of all the tribes in
America, have gained over the Spaniards.
I spent the evening very pleasantly, talking with the padre. He was
exceedingly kind and hospitable; and coming from Santiago, had
contrived to surround himself with some few comforts. Being a man of
some little education, he bitterly complained of the total want of
society. With no particular zeal for religion, no business or pursuit,
how completely must this man's life be wasted! The next day, on our
return, we met seven very wild-looking Indians, of whom some were
caciques that had just received from the Chilian government their
yearly small stipend for having long remained faithful. They were
fine-looking men, and they rode one after the other, with most gloomy
faces. An old cacique, who headed them, had been, I suppose, more
excessively drunk than the rest, for he seemed extremely grave and very
crabbed. Shortly before this, two Indians joined us, who were
travelling from a distant mission to Valdivia concerning some lawsuit.
One was a good-humoured old man, but from his wrinkled beardless face
looked more like an old woman than a man. I frequently presented both
of them with cigars; and though ready to receive them, and I dare say
grateful, they would hardly condescend to thank me. A Chilotan Indian
would have taken off his hat, and given his "Dios le page!" The
travelling was very tedious, both from the badness of the roads, and
from the number of great fallen trees, which it was necessary either to
leap over or to avoid by making long circuits. We slept on the road,
and next morning reached Valdivia, whence I proceeded on board.
A few days afterwards I crossed the bay with a party of officers, and
landed near the fort called Niebla. The buildings were in a most
ruinous state, and the gun-carriages quite rotten. Mr. Wickham
remarked to the commanding officer, that with one discharge they would
certainly all fall to pieces. The poor man, trying to put a good face
upon it, gravely replied, "No, I am sure, sir, they would stand two!"
The Spaniards must have intended to have made this place impregnable.
There is now lying in the middle of the courtyard a little mountain of
mortar, which rivals in hardness the rock on which it is placed. It
was brought from Chile, and cost 7000 dollars. The revolution having
broken out, prevented its being applied to any purpose, and now it
remains a monument of the fallen greatness of Spain.
I wanted to go to a house about a mile and a half distant, but my guide
said it was quite impossible to penetrate the wood in a straight line.
He offered, however, to lead me, by following obscure cattle-tracks,
the shortest way: the walk, nevertheless, took no less than three
hours! This man is employed in hunting strayed cattle; yet, well as he
must know the woods, he was not long since lost for two whole days, and
had nothing to eat. These facts convey a good idea of the
impracticability of the forests of these countries. A question often
occurred to me--how long does any vestige of a fallen tree remain? This
man showed me one which a party of fugitive royalists had cut down
fourteen years ago; and taking this as a criterion, I should think a
bole a foot and a half in diameter would in thirty years be changed
into a heap of mould.
February 20th.--This day has been memorable in the annals of Valdivia,
for the most severe earthquake experienced by the oldest inhabitant. I
happened to be on shore, and was lying down in the wood to rest myself.
It came on suddenly, and lasted two minutes, but the time appeared much
longer. The rocking of the ground was very sensible. The undulations
appeared to my companion and myself to come from due east, whilst
others thought they proceeded from south-west: this shows how difficult
it sometimes is to perceive the directions of the vibrations. There
was no difficulty in standing upright, but the motion made me almost
giddy: it was something like the movement of a vessel in a little
cross-ripple, or still more like that felt by a person skating over
thin ice, which bends under the weight of his body. A bad earthquake at
once destroys our oldest associations: the earth, the very emblem of
solidity, has moved beneath our feet like a thin crust over a
fluid;--one second of time has created in the mind a strange idea of
insecurity, which hours of reflection would not have produced. In the
forest, as a breeze moved the trees, I felt only the earth tremble, but
saw no other effect. Captain Fitz Roy and some officers were at the
town during the shock, and there the scene was more striking; for
although the houses, from being built of wood, did not fall, they were
violently shaken, and the boards creaked and rattled together. The
people rushed out of doors in the greatest alarm. It is these
accompaniments that create that perfect horror of earthquakes,
experienced by all who have thus seen, as well as felt, their effects.
Within the forest it was a deeply interesting, but by no means an
awe-exciting phenomenon. The tides were very curiously affected. The
great shock took place at the time of low water; and an old woman who
was on the beach told me that the water flowed very quickly, but not in
great waves, to high-water mark, and then as quickly returned to its
proper level; this was also evident by the line of wet sand. The same
kind of quick but quiet movement in the tide happened a few years since
at Chiloe, during a slight earthquake, and created much causeless
alarm. In the course of the evening there were many weaker shocks,
which seemed to produce in the harbour the most complicated currents,
and some of great strength.
March 4th.--We entered the harbour of Concepcion. While the ship was
beating up to the anchorage, I landed on the island of Quiriquina. The
mayor-domo of the estate quickly rode down to tell me the terrible news
of the great earthquake of the 20th:--"That not a house in Concepcion
or Talcahuano (the port) was standing; that seventy villages were
destroyed; and that a great wave had almost washed away the ruins of
Talcahuano." Of this latter statement I soon saw abundant proofs--the
whole coast being strewed over with timber and furniture as if a
thousand ships had been wrecked. Besides chairs, tables, book-shelves,
etc., in great numbers, there were several roofs of cottages, which had
been transported almost whole. The storehouses at Talcahuano had been
burst open, and great bags of cotton, yerba, and other valuable
merchandise were scattered on the shore. During my walk round the
island, I observed that numerous fragments of rock, which, from the
marine productions adhering to them, must recently have been lying in
deep water, had been cast up high on the beach; one of these was six
feet long, three broad, and two thick.
The island itself as plainly showed the overwhelming power of the
earthquake, as the beach did that of the consequent great wave. The
ground in many parts was fissured in north and south lines, perhaps
caused by the yielding of the parallel and steep sides of this narrow
island. Some of the fissures near the cliffs were a yard wide. Many
enormous masses had already fallen on the beach; and the inhabitants
thought that when the rains commenced far greater slips would happen.
The effect of the vibration on the hard primary slate, which composes
the foundation of the island, was still more curious: the superficial
parts of some narrow ridges were as completely shivered as if they had
been blasted by gunpowder. This effect, which was rendered conspicuous
by the fresh fractures and displaced soil, must be confined to near the
surface, for otherwise there would not exist a block of solid rock
throughout Chile; nor is this improbable, as it is known that the
surface of a vibrating body is affected differently from the central
part. It is, perhaps, owing to this same reason, that earthquakes do
not cause quite such terrific havoc within deep mines as would be
expected. I believe this convulsion has been more effectual in
lessening the size of the island of Quiriquina, than the ordinary
wear-and-tear of the sea and weather during the course of a whole
century.
The next day I landed at Talcahuano, and afterwards rode to Concepcion.
Both towns presented the most awful yet interesting spectacle I ever
beheld. To a person who had formerly known them, it possibly might have
been still more impressive; for the ruins were so mingled together, and
the whole scene possessed so little the air of a habitable place, that
it was scarcely possible to imagine its former condition. The
earthquake commenced at half-past eleven o'clock in the forenoon. If
it had happened in the middle of the night, the greater number of the
inhabitants (which in this one province must amount to many thousands)
must have perished, instead of less than a hundred: as it was, the
invariable practice of running out of doors at the first trembling of
the ground, alone saved them. In Concepcion each house, or row of
houses, stood by itself, a heap or line of ruins; but in Talcahuano,
owing to the great wave, little more than one layer of bricks, tiles,
and timber with here and there part of a wall left standing, could be
distinguished. From this circumstance Concepcion, although not so
completely desolated, was a more terrible, and if I may so call it,
picturesque sight. The first shock was very sudden. The mayor-domo at
Quiriquina told me, that the first notice he received of it, was
finding both the horse he rode and himself, rolling together on the
ground. Rising up, he was again thrown down. He also told me that
some cows which were standing on the steep side of the island were
rolled into the sea. The great wave caused the destruction of many
cattle; on one low island near the head of the bay, seventy animals
were washed off and drowned. It is generally thought that this has
been the worst earthquake ever recorded in Chile; but as the very
severe ones occur only after long intervals, this cannot easily be
known; nor indeed would a much worse shock have made any difference,
for the ruin was now complete. Innumerable small tremblings followed
the great earthquake, and within the first twelve days no less than
three hundred were counted.
After viewing Concepcion, I cannot understand how the greater number of
inhabitants escaped unhurt. The houses in many parts fell outwards;
thus forming in the middle of the streets little hillocks of brickwork
and rubbish. Mr. Rouse, the English consul, told us that he was at
breakfast when the first movement warned him to run out. He had
scarcely reached the middle of the courtyard, when one side of his
house came thundering down. He retained presence of mind to remember,
that if he once got on the top of that part which had already fallen,
he would be safe. Not being able from the motion of the ground to
stand, he crawled up on his hands and knees; and no sooner had he
ascended this little eminence, than the other side of the house fell
in, the great beams sweeping close in front of his head. With his eyes
blinded, and his mouth choked with the cloud of dust which darkened the
sky, at last he gained the street. As shock succeeded shock, at the
interval of a few minutes, no one dared approach the shattered ruins,
and no one knew whether his dearest friends and relations were not
perishing from the want of help. Those who had saved any property were
obliged to keep a constant watch, for thieves prowled about, and at
each little trembling of the ground, with one hand they beat their
breasts and cried "Misericordia!" and then with the other filched what
they could from the ruins. The thatched roofs fell over the fires, and
flames burst forth in all parts. Hundreds knew themselves ruined, and
few had the means of providing food for the day.
Earthquakes alone are sufficient to destroy the prosperity of any
country. If beneath England the now inert subterranean forces should
exert those powers, which most assuredly in former geological ages they
have exerted, how completely would the entire condition of the country
be changed! What would become of the lofty houses, thickly packed
cities, great manufactories, the beautiful public and private edifices?
If the new period of disturbance were first to commence by some great
earthquake in the dead of the night, how terrific would be the carnage!
England would at once be bankrupt; all papers, records, and accounts
would from that moment be lost. Government being unable to collect the
taxes, and failing to maintain its authority, the hand of violence and
rapine would remain uncontrolled. In every large town famine would go
forth, pestilence and death following in its train.
Shortly after the shock, a great wave was seen from the distance of
three or four miles, approaching in the middle of the bay with a smooth
outline; but along the shore it tore up cottages and trees, as it swept
onwards with irresistible force. At the head of the bay it broke in a
fearful line of white breakers, which rushed up to a height of 23
vertical feet above the highest spring-tides. Their force must have
been prodigious; for at the Fort a cannon with its carriage, estimated
at four tons in weight, was moved 15 feet inwards. A schooner was left
in the midst of the ruins, 200 yards from the beach. The first wave
was followed by two others, which in their retreat carried away a vast
wreck of floating objects. In one part of the bay, a ship was pitched
high and dry on shore, was carried off, again driven on shore, and
again carried off. In another part, two large vessels anchored near
together were whirled about, and their cables were thrice wound round
each other; though anchored at a depth of 36 feet, they were for some
minutes aground. The great wave must have travelled slowly, for the
inhabitants of Talcahuano had time to run up the hills behind the town;
and some sailors pulled out seaward, trusting successfully to their
boat riding securely over the swell, if they could reach it before it
broke. One old woman with a little boy, four or five years old, ran
into a boat, but there was nobody to row it out: the boat was
consequently dashed against an anchor and cut in twain; the old woman
was drowned, but the child was picked up some hours afterwards clinging
to the wreck. Pools of salt-water were still standing amidst the ruins
of the houses, and children, making boats with old tables and chairs,
appeared as happy as their parents were miserable. It was, however,
exceedingly interesting to observe, how much more active and cheerful
all appeared than could have been expected. It was remarked with much
truth, that from the destruction being universal, no one individual was
humbled more than another, or could suspect his friends of
coldness--that most grievous result of the loss of wealth. Mr. Rouse,
and a large party whom he kindly took under his protection, lived for
the first week in a garden beneath some apple-trees. At first they were
as merry as if it had been a picnic; but soon afterwards heavy rain
caused much discomfort, for they were absolutely without shelter.
In Captain Fitz Roy's excellent account of the earthquake, it is said
that two explosions, one like a column of smoke and another like the
blowing of a great whale, were seen in the bay. The water also
appeared everywhere to be boiling; and it "became black, and exhaled a
most disagreeable sulphureous smell." These latter circumstances were
observed in the Bay of Valparaiso during the earthquake of 1822; they
may, I think, be accounted for, by the disturbance of the mud at the
bottom of the sea containing organic matter in decay. In the Bay of
Callao, during a calm day, I noticed, that as the ship dragged her
cable over the bottom, its course was marked by a line of bubbles. The
lower orders in Talcahuano thought that the earthquake was caused by
some old Indian women, who two years ago, being offended, stopped the
volcano of Antuco. This silly belief is curious, because it shows that
experience has taught them to observe, that there exists a relation
between the suppressed action of the volcanos, and the trembling of the
ground. It was necessary to apply the witchcraft to the point where
their perception of cause and effect failed; and this was the closing
of the volcanic vent. This belief is the more singular in this
particular instance, because, according to Captain Fitz Roy, there is
reason to believe that Antuco was noways affected.
The town of Concepcion was built in the usual Spanish fashion, with all
the streets running at right angles to each other; one set ranging S.W.
by W., and the other set N.W. by N. The walls in the former direction
certainly stood better than those in the latter; the greater number of
the masses of brickwork were thrown down towards the N.E. Both these
circumstances perfectly agree with the general idea, of the undulations
having come from the S.W., in which quarter subterranean noises were
also heard; for it is evident that the walls running S.W. and N.E.
which presented their ends to the point whence the undulations came,
would be much less likely to fall than those walls which, running N.W.
and S.E., must in their whole lengths have been at the same instant
thrown out of the perpendicular; for the undulations, coming from the
S.W., must have extended in N.W. and S.E. waves, as they passed under
the foundations. This may be illustrated by placing books edgeways on
a carpet, and then, after the manner suggested by Michell, imitating
the undulations of an earthquake: it will be found that they fall with
more or less readiness, according as their direction more or less
nearly coincides with the line of the waves. The fissures in the
ground generally, though not uniformly, extended in a S.E. and N.W.
direction, and therefore corresponded to the lines of undulation or of
principal flexure. Bearing in mind all these circumstances, which so
clearly point to the S.W. as the chief focus of disturbance, it is a
very interesting fact that the island of S. Maria, situated in that
quarter, was, during the general uplifting of the land, raised to
nearly three times the height of any other part of the coast.
The different resistance offered by the walls, according to their
direction, was well exemplified in the case of the Cathedral. The side
which fronted the N.E. presented a grand pile of ruins, in the midst of
which door-cases and masses of timber stood up, as if floating in a
stream. Some of the angular blocks of brickwork were of great
dimensions; and they were rolled to a distance on the level plaza, like
fragments of rock at the base of some high mountain. The side walls
(running S.W. and N.E.), though exceedingly fractured, yet remained
standing; but the vast buttresses (at right angles to them, and
therefore parallel to the walls that fell) were in many cases cut clean
off, as if by a chisel, and hurled to the ground. Some square
ornaments on the coping of these same walls, were moved by the
earthquake into a diagonal position. A similar circumstance was
observed after an earthquake at Valparaiso, Calabria, and other places,
including some of the ancient Greek temples. [1] This twisting
displacement, at first appears to indicate a vorticose movement beneath
each point thus affected; but this is highly improbable. May it not be
caused by a tendency in each stone to arrange itself in some particular
position, with respect to the lines of vibration,--in a manner somewhat
similar to pins on a sheet of paper when shaken? Generally speaking,
arched doorways or windows stood much better than any other part of the
buildings. Nevertheless, a poor lame old man, who had been in the
habit, during trifling shocks, of crawling to a certain doorway, was
this time crushed to pieces.
I have not attempted to give any detailed description of the appearance
of Concepcion, for I feel that it is quite impossible to convey the
mingled feelings which I experienced. Several of the officers visited
it before me, but their strongest language failed to give a just idea
of the scene of desolation. It is a bitter and humiliating thing to
see works, which have cost man so much time and labour, overthrown in
one minute; yet compassion for the inhabitants was almost instantly
banished, by the surprise in seeing a state of things produced in a
moment of time, which one was accustomed to attribute to a succession
of ages. In my opinion, we have scarcely beheld, since leaving
England, any sight so deeply interesting.
In almost every severe earthquake, the neighbouring waters of the sea
are said to have been greatly agitated. The disturbance seems
generally, as in the case of Concepcion, to have been of two kinds:
first, at the instant of the shock, the water swells high up on the
beach with a gentle motion, and then as quietly retreats; secondly,
some time afterwards, the whole body of the sea retires from the coast,
and then returns in waves of overwhelming force. The first movement
seems to be an immediate consequence of the earthquake affecting
differently a fluid and a solid, so that their respective levels are
slightly deranged: but the second case is a far more important
phenomenon. During most earthquakes, and especially during those on
the west coast of America, it is certain that the first great movement
of the waters has been a retirement. Some authors have attempted to
explain this, by supposing that the water retains its level, whilst the
land oscillates upwards; but surely the water close to the land, even
on a rather steep coast, would partake of the motion of the bottom:
moreover, as urged by Mr. Lyell, similar movements of the sea have
occurred at islands far distant from the chief line of disturbance, as
was the case with Juan Fernandez during this earthquake, and with
Madeira during the famous Lisbon shock. I suspect (but the subject is
a very obscure one) that a wave, however produced, first draws the
water from the shore, on which it is advancing to break: I have
observed that this happens with the little waves from the paddles of a
steam-boat. It is remarkable that whilst Talcahuano and Callao (near
Lima), both situated at the head of large shallow bays, have suffered
during every severe earthquake from great waves, Valparaiso, seated
close to the edge of profoundly deep water, has never been overwhelmed,
though so often shaken by the severest shocks. From the great wave not
immediately following the earthquake, but sometimes after the interval
of even half an hour, and from distant islands being affected similarly
with the coasts near the focus of the disturbance, it appears that the
wave first rises in the offing; and as this is of general occurrence,
the cause must be general: I suspect we must look to the line, where
the less disturbed waters of the deep ocean join the water nearer the
coast, which has partaken of the movements of the land, as the place
where the great wave is first generated; it would also appear that the
wave is larger or smaller, according to the extent of shoal water which
has been agitated together with the bottom on which it rested.
The most remarkable effect of this earthquake was the permanent
elevation of the land, it would probably be far more correct to speak
of it as the cause. There can be no doubt that the land round the Bay
of Concepcion was upraised two or three feet; but it deserves notice,
that owing to the wave having obliterated the old lines of tidal action
on the sloping sandy shores, I could discover no evidence of this fact,
except in the united testimony of the inhabitants, that one little
rocky shoal, now exposed, was formerly covered with water. At the
island of S. Maria (about thirty miles distant) the elevation was
greater; on one part, Captain Fitz Roy founds beds of putrid
mussel-shells _still adhering to the rocks_, ten feet above high-water
mark: the inhabitants had formerly dived at lower-water spring-tides
for these shells. The elevation of this province is particularly
interesting, from its having been the theatre of several other violent
earthquakes, and from the vast numbers of sea-shells scattered over the
land, up to a height of certainly 600, and I believe, of 1000 feet. At
Valparaiso, as I have remarked, similar shells are found at the height
of 1300 feet: it is hardly possible to doubt that this great elevation
has been effected by successive small uprisings, such as that which
accompanied or caused the earthquake of this year, and likewise by an
insensibly slow rise, which is certainly in progress on some parts of
this coast.
The island of Juan Fernandez, 360 miles to the N.E., was, at the time
of the great shock of the 20th, violently shaken, so that the trees
beat against each other, and a volcano burst forth under water close to
the shore: these facts are remarkable because this island, during the
earthquake of 1751, was then also affected more violently than other
places at an equal distance from Concepcion, and this seems to show
some subterranean connection between these two points. Chiloe, about
340 miles southward of Concepcion, appears to have been shaken more
strongly than the intermediate district of Valdivia, where the volcano
of Villarica was noways affected, whilst in the Cordillera in front of
Chiloe, two of the volcanos burst-forth at the same instant in violent
action. These two volcanos, and some neighbouring ones, continued for
a long time in eruption, and ten months afterwards were again
influenced by an earthquake at Concepcion. Some men, cutting wood near
the base of one of these volcanos, did not perceive the shock of the
20th, although the whole surrounding Province was then trembling; here
we have an eruption relieving and taking the place of an earthquake, as
would have happened at Concepcion, according to the belief of the lower
orders, if the volcano at Antuco had not been closed by witchcraft. Two
years and three-quarters afterwards, Valdivia and Chiloe were again
shaken, more violently than on the 20th, and an island in the Chonos
Archipelago was permanently elevated more than eight feet. It will give
a better idea of the scale of these phenomena, if (as in the case of
the glaciers) we suppose them to have taken place at corresponding
distances in Europe:--then would the land from the North Sea to the
Mediterranean have been violently shaken, and at the same instant of
time a large tract of the eastern coast of England would have been
permanently elevated, together with some outlying islands,--a train of
volcanos on the coast of Holland would have burst forth in action, and
an eruption taken place at the bottom of the sea, near the northern
extremity of Ireland--and lastly, the ancient vents of Auvergne,
Cantal, and Mont d'Or would each have sent up to the sky a dark column
of smoke, and have long remained in fierce action. Two years and
three-quarters afterwards, France, from its centre to the English
Channel, would have been again desolated by an earthquake and an island
permanently upraised in the Mediterranean.
The space, from under which volcanic matter on the 20th was actually
erupted, is 720 miles in one line, and 400 miles in another line at
right angles to the first: hence, in all probability, a subterranean
lake of lava is here stretched out, of nearly double the area of the
Black Sea. From the intimate and complicated manner in which the
elevatory and eruptive forces were shown to be connected during this
train of phenomena, we may confidently come to the conclusion, that the
forces which slowly and by little starts uplift continents, and those
which at successive periods pour forth volcanic matter from open
orifices, are identical. From many reasons, I believe that the
frequent quakings of the earth on this line of coast are caused by the
rending of the strata, necessarily consequent on the tension of the
land when upraised, and their injection by fluidified rock. This
rending and injection would, if repeated often enough (and we know that
earthquakes repeatedly affect the same areas in the same manner), form
a chain of hills;--and the linear island of S. Mary, which was upraised
thrice the height of the neighbouring country, seems to be undergoing
this process. I believe that the solid axis of a mountain, differs in
its manner of formation from a volcanic hill, only in the molten stone
having been repeatedly injected, instead of having been repeatedly
ejected. Moreover, I believe that it is impossible to explain the
structure of great mountain-chains, such as that of the Cordillera,
were the strata, capping the injected axis of plutonic rock, have been
thrown on their edges along several parallel and neighbouring lines of
elevation, except on this view of the rock of the axis having been
repeatedly injected, after intervals sufficiently long to allow the
upper parts or wedges to cool and become solid;--for if the strata had
been thrown into their present highly inclined, vertical, and even
inverted positions, by a single blow, the very bowels of the earth
would have gushed out; and instead of beholding abrupt mountain-axes of
rock solidified under great pressure, deluges of lava would have flowed
out at innumerable points on every line of elevation. [2]
[1] M. Arago in L'Institut, 1839, p. 337. See also Miers's Chile, vol.
i. p. 392; also Lyell's Principles of Geology, chap. xv., book ii.
[2] For a full account of the volcanic phenomena which accompanied the
earthquake of the 20th, and for the conclusions deducible from them, I
must refer to Volume V. of the Geological Transactions.