1880 Luzon earthquakes
Encyclopedia
The earthquakes of July 1880 on Luzon, the largest island of the Philippines, was one of the most destructive on record. The shocks continued, with greater or less interruption, from the 14th to the 25th of the month, highlighted by three violent shaking events, which destroyed churches and other buildings, producing some loss of life. Coinciding with the tectonic activity was an increased in volcanic activity in Taal Volcano
in southwestern Luzon.
The Luzon
provinces of Manila
, Cavite
, Bulacan
, Laguna
, Pampanga
, and Nueva Ecija
, were the chief victims from the terrible convulsions with Manila and Laguna receiving the most damages. In many parts, buildings were converted into shapeless heaps of ruins, and the materials of their prosperity buried beneath the rubbish.
) and Abra
provinces, in the Central Cordillera of Luzon, in latitude 16° 22' N and longitude 127° E, from the Spanish Observatory of San Fernando. At first the movements were weak and little frequent, but in the month of June they became quite intense, and extended from north to south over a large zone. This direction never changed; and the few discordances recorded appear to have been a result of haste or want of care in the method of taking the observations, exactness being hardly attainable without special instruments for the purpose.
Taal Volcano
was observed to start showing increase in activity from the 8th of June and sometimes at night the crater is covered with glare.
Early in July some vibrations were felt, but from the 5th to the 14th none were recorded at Manila or any point on the island. On the July 14 at 12:53 p.m., as a storm from the northeast of Luzon was threatening as indicated by an extraordinary fall of the barometer, the first shock occurred. After this first tremor, there were two more shocks at the end of an hour and a half. On the 15th and 16th no perceptible shocks occurred; and on the 17th, only two small shocks.
Fortunately, The first shocks were slight, which gave time for people to run out of the houses to places of security accounting for lesser loss of life. The quake also happened on a Sunday, the public and private establishments being closed, permitted the families to be collected. Had the earthquake happened at night with the majority using lamp with kerosene oil, nothing could have stopped a fallen lamp from spreading fire to a fallen building.
In Manila, among the buildings which sustained damage on the 18th, was the Mint House, which suffered considerably in the first storey. Orders were given to pull down the buildings which threatened any danger to the pedestrians, and engineers were going around surveying the buildings, examining the interior of the dwellings, ordering out the inhabitants where danger existed. The pillars supporting some of the wooden houses were found forced into the earth by one-fourth of their length.
From then on, small tremors continued throughout the day. The frightened, terrified look of the people going through the streets, the slightest noise being sufficient to startle and set every soul running out of the houses to the middle of the streets, and to the squares, every slight shock of the earth strikes terror into the soul of every one, each and every one expecting unheard-of calamity. Whole families were emigrating from the city to the country on a large scale.
The view during the earthquake from the vessels in Pasig River
, was, as described by an eyewitness, something to be seen to be appreciated. The rocking to and fro of the buildings was something terrific, the vessels moving about and bumping each other as though in a heavy seaway; the water of the river, bubbling up and mixed with the black mud of the river, was all the colour of ink; hundreds of people rushed off to the ships and remained all night. In Manila Bay
, the same bubbling appearance was observable on the water, and the shock was distinctly felt on board the ships; the water's depth close in shore has been shallowed some four feet in some places.
In Lingayen, Pangasinan
, the earthquake occurred at 12:42 p.m., reported as violent, oscillating NE to SE, with a duration of 1 minute 50 seconds accompanied by deep subterranean noise. In Santa Cruz
, Laguna province, the shock was also felt at 12:42 p.m. and continued for more than a minute: the Government House, the Convent, the Telegraphic Office and the rest of the province formed a single mass of ruins. In Tayabas, Quezon
, Quezon province, the oscillation continued for 2 minutes and 30 seconds.
The day after, in the afternoon, Taal Volcano
started issuing large mass of smoke, according to a telegraphic news from Taal
, Batangas
.
across the bay saw Manila, on the occasion of the earthquake, enveloped in a dense cloud of dust, and thought that Manila was completely destroyed. Also, a very interesting phenomenon was observed. During the intensity of the earthquake, in the anchorage of Cavite, columns of black mud were seen to burst up, with a strong smell of sulphur. The very interesting phenomenon was also observed a few days previous to the destructive earthquake of 1863, in front of the Colgante suspension bridge in the river. A column of blackish water was seen to burst up, which attracted the attention of the people. In 1869, the same phenomenon occurred, then also previous to an earthquake.
In Cañacao, Cavite and a few other places crevices were opened, and from them fine sand and dirty water were ejected. In one of these crevices opened in Nueva Ecija
, the crack was so wide and deep that an old man and a boy disappeared in it.
As soon as the earthquake ceased, the authorities turned out into the streets, amongst whom the first were the Governor-General
, the Archbishop and General Director of the Civil Administration, the Civil Governor, and the Colonial Secretary, giving to every one who saluted them a consoling word.
Crevices were opened in several places, and among them the Plaza de Palacio. Numerous buildings have sustained damages, some of them completely razed to the ground. The highest buildings suffered most, such as churches, palaces, and towers. The belfry
of the Manila Cathedral
that survived the great 1863 earthquake fell in. A detailed description of list of damages would be considered too long and almost unnecessary.
The sensations produced amongst the inhabitants who remain in Manila were painful indeed, but fortunately several persons with true courage were going round, and with words of consolation, trying to diminish the anxiety of the alarmed and terror-stricken people.
One circumstance as a precursor of tranquillity for the future, that was the eruption of the Taal Volcano
, which was ignited yesterday, sending forth a large quantity of smoke, a fact which may be regarded as a favourable change in the geological state.
Telegraphic news from the provinces were received, giving the time and strength of the shock felt at each place. In Biñan
, Laguna province, the Church, Court House, and all the brick houses were destroyed.
The state of the city and the whole provinces of Luzon, where all the brick buildings, together with some of the wooden houses with metallic roofs, have sustained damages of more or less consideration, and with especially those of Manila which are in a complete ruin.
The Governor-General sent by telegraph the details of the earthquake of the 18th on the afternoon of the 20th to Spain, but as soon as that was forwarded, the terrific earthquake of the 20th was felt at 3:40 p.m., owing to which he began to telegraph anew, after going through the streets to infuse peace into the minds of the inhabitants with his presence.
With the shocks of the night of the 20th, the part of the bell tower of the old Cathedral that was still standing, came almost completely to the ground, the debris falling upon two adjoining houses which had been rendered uninhabitable for the last two days.
In Santa Ana, Manila
all the brick houses came to the ground, some of them built at great expense, and with iron roofs. The church was rendered useless, and a mass was said yesterday in the middle of the field by all the residents.
From the port city of Cavite
, large numbers of inhabitants have abandoned their houses, to go to the neighbouring village of San Roque, in view of the security offered by houses of light construction. The panic is great, and terror is painted in all faces. Those who could not leave this place contented themselves by living in lower houses, fearing a repetition of the earthquake. In Cañacao, the public buildings have sustained more or less damage, and in some places boiling water was poured forth from crevices in the earth opened by the shocks. In a place called Sapa, in the village of Pandacan, several crevices were opened, some of two palms wide, from which a kind of clay was thrown out; yesterday these crevices wero somewhat reduced in width.
According to the opinion of persons from the Observatory in Manila
, the center of the great geological commotion of these few days is described as covering Manila and Laguna especially. In the rest of the provinces the effect is believed to be of smaller consideration.
The greatest portion of the private establishments, both inside and outside the walls of Manila, were closed, and the sight was a mournful one to contemplate; very few pedestrians were to be seen, and the carriage traffic was considerally reduced. Many local families passed the night of the 20th in the fields and public grounds, some of them being exposed to the rain which fell at daylight.
A most touching pastoral letter was published by the Archbishop of Manila of that time, Fray Pedro Payo, infusing consolation and devotion into the people asking them to practise penitence in order to decrease the anger of God. According to this pastoral, a mass was to be celebrated in the camp of Bagumbayan
on the 22nd, to which the army and navy, public officers, will have to be present by order of the Governor General.
The mass in Bagumbayan camp took place this day. The ceremony was imposing in the extreme, after which the Pastoral Benediction and a sermon followed. The congregation dispersed in processional form.
A petition was sent to the Secretary of State for the Colonies, by wire, requesting an increase in the public works staff to give a greater impulse to the works of reconstruction.
An immense number of residents sought refuge afloat on board the steamers in the bay and in the port, and also in every insignificant vessel in the harbour during the shaking. In the Cadiz alone there are no less than twenty families, with some forty or more children; some forty people were in the Churruca, and as many in the Elcano; eighty in the Salvadora. Even in the dredging vessel five or six families found refuge shortly after the violent trepidation of the 20th and several more in the lorcha and boats.
, some 6 miles (9.7 km) distant from Taal Volcano
, report that from time to time a small ball of fire (apparently about 2.5 foot (0.762 m) in diameter) above the crater. These balls after reaching a considerable height burst into small fragments, some of which fell back into the crater and the remainder upon the exterior slope. This increased in activity or phenomenon though is not recorded as an eruption of Taal Volcano.
It appears that at the time of the great shock on the 18th, it was ebb tide; and the water in Pasig River
suddenly rose 3.5 feet (1.1 m), and almost as suddenly fell again. Thousands of fish were found lying on the surface of the water in the bay.
It was calculated that the top of a building thirty feet from the ground was thrown five feet out of its perpendicular; and one of the towers of the cathedral oscillated over twenty feet.
In one of the provinces, the local houses
, which are built of bamboo and thatch, were sent flying; that canoes were thrown out of the water; and the growing rice torn out of the ground. The earth sunk in many places, the bed of one river sinking quite six feet. Great chasms, ten to twelve feet wide and of immense depth, were ripped in the earth.
The churches of Guadalupe (now Guadalupe Viejo in Makati), Paco
, Pandacan, Santa Ana
, San Sebastian Church
and San Miguel were in ruins. Within the walls of Manila the San Augustin Church
, San Francisco Church and Santo Domingo Church were very seriously damaged. The Landnay barracks are down and the soldiers are now in one of the cigar factories; the barracks near the Luneta are down and the men are building nipa houses there.
Taal Volcano
Taal Volcano is a complex volcano located on the island of Luzon in the Philippines. Historical eruptions are concentrated on Volcano Island, an island near the middle of Lake Taal. The lake partially fills Taal Caldera, which was formed by powerful prehistoric eruptions between 140,000 to 5,380 BP...
in southwestern Luzon.
The Luzon
Luzon
Luzon is the largest island in the Philippines. It is located in the northernmost region of the archipelago, and is also the name for one of the three primary island groups in the country centered on the Island of Luzon...
provinces of Manila
Manila (province)
Manila, also formerly known as Tondo, was a historical province in the Philippines, encompassing the former Kingdom of Tondo and Kingdom of Maynila. In 1898, it included the City of Manila and 23 other municipalities. It was incorporated into the Province of Rizal in 1901.-Cities and...
, Cavite
Cavite
Cavite is a province of the Philippines located on the southern shores of Manila Bay in the CALABARZON region in Luzon, just 30 kilometers south of Manila. Cavite is surrounded by Laguna to the east, Metro Manila to the northeast, and Batangas to the south...
, Bulacan
Bulacan
Bulacan , officially called the Province of Bulacan or simply Bulacan Province, is a first class province of the Republic of the Philippines located in the Central Luzon Region in the island of Luzon, north of Manila , and part of the Metro...
, Laguna
Laguna
Laguna may refer to:* Laguna Pueblo, a Native American people of the southwestern United States- Asia :* Laguna , Philippines, a province of the Philippines found in the CALABARZON region in Luzon...
, Pampanga
Pampanga
Pampanga is a province of the Philippines located in the Central Luzon region. Its capital is the City of San Fernando, Pampanga. Pampanga is bordered by the provinces of Bataan and Zambales to the west, Tarlac and Nueva Ecija to the north, and Bulacan to the southeast...
, and Nueva Ecija
Nueva Ecija
Nueva Ecija is a landlocked province of the Philippines located in the Central Luzon region. Its capital is Palayan City...
, were the chief victims from the terrible convulsions with Manila and Laguna receiving the most damages. In many parts, buildings were converted into shapeless heaps of ruins, and the materials of their prosperity buried beneath the rubbish.
Initial vibrations
The vibrations began during the months of April and May, in the northern provinces of Luzon. The center of oscillation, as indicated by the directions registered at Manila, appears to coincide with a volcano, which has been long extinct, situated between Lepanto (now part of KalingaKalinga
Kalinga is a landlocked province of the Philippines in the Cordillera Administrative Region in Luzon. Its capital is Tabuk and borders Mountain Province to the south, Abra to the west, Isabela to the east, Cagayan to the northeast, and Apayao to the north...
) and Abra
Abra
- Places :* Abra, Burkina Faso* Abra, Côte d'Ivoire* Abra , a province of the Philippines* Abra River, in the Philippines* El Abra, an archaeological excavation site in Colombia* Abra, Lebanon, a municipality of Lebanon- Other uses :...
provinces, in the Central Cordillera of Luzon, in latitude 16° 22' N and longitude 127° E, from the Spanish Observatory of San Fernando. At first the movements were weak and little frequent, but in the month of June they became quite intense, and extended from north to south over a large zone. This direction never changed; and the few discordances recorded appear to have been a result of haste or want of care in the method of taking the observations, exactness being hardly attainable without special instruments for the purpose.
Taal Volcano
Taal Volcano
Taal Volcano is a complex volcano located on the island of Luzon in the Philippines. Historical eruptions are concentrated on Volcano Island, an island near the middle of Lake Taal. The lake partially fills Taal Caldera, which was formed by powerful prehistoric eruptions between 140,000 to 5,380 BP...
was observed to start showing increase in activity from the 8th of June and sometimes at night the crater is covered with glare.
Early in July some vibrations were felt, but from the 5th to the 14th none were recorded at Manila or any point on the island. On the July 14 at 12:53 p.m., as a storm from the northeast of Luzon was threatening as indicated by an extraordinary fall of the barometer, the first shock occurred. After this first tremor, there were two more shocks at the end of an hour and a half. On the 15th and 16th no perceptible shocks occurred; and on the 17th, only two small shocks.
July 18, Sunday
On the 18th at 12:40 p.m., occurred the first great shock described as one of oscillation, also of "trepidation," and spoken of commonly at the time as one of rotation. Its duration was 70 seconds. The people immediately ran for places of security, and those in the streets were filled with confusion, Some ran without a fixed direction; others fell on their knees, giving forth fearful cries. The sight presented by the city was frightful in the extreme; for seventy mortal seconds the city was in oscillation, and the inclinations threatened to raze to the ground the creaking edifices; the noise of the falling buildings increased the general panic.Fortunately, The first shocks were slight, which gave time for people to run out of the houses to places of security accounting for lesser loss of life. The quake also happened on a Sunday, the public and private establishments being closed, permitted the families to be collected. Had the earthquake happened at night with the majority using lamp with kerosene oil, nothing could have stopped a fallen lamp from spreading fire to a fallen building.
In Manila, among the buildings which sustained damage on the 18th, was the Mint House, which suffered considerably in the first storey. Orders were given to pull down the buildings which threatened any danger to the pedestrians, and engineers were going around surveying the buildings, examining the interior of the dwellings, ordering out the inhabitants where danger existed. The pillars supporting some of the wooden houses were found forced into the earth by one-fourth of their length.
From then on, small tremors continued throughout the day. The frightened, terrified look of the people going through the streets, the slightest noise being sufficient to startle and set every soul running out of the houses to the middle of the streets, and to the squares, every slight shock of the earth strikes terror into the soul of every one, each and every one expecting unheard-of calamity. Whole families were emigrating from the city to the country on a large scale.
The view during the earthquake from the vessels in Pasig River
Pasig River
The Pasig River is a river in the Philippines that connects Laguna de Bay to Manila Bay. Stretching for , it is lined by Metro Manila on each side...
, was, as described by an eyewitness, something to be seen to be appreciated. The rocking to and fro of the buildings was something terrific, the vessels moving about and bumping each other as though in a heavy seaway; the water of the river, bubbling up and mixed with the black mud of the river, was all the colour of ink; hundreds of people rushed off to the ships and remained all night. In Manila Bay
Manila Bay
Manila Bay is a natural harbor which serves the Port of Manila , in the Philippines.The bay is considered to be one of the best natural harbors in Southeast Asia and one of the finest in the world...
, the same bubbling appearance was observable on the water, and the shock was distinctly felt on board the ships; the water's depth close in shore has been shallowed some four feet in some places.
In Lingayen, Pangasinan
Lingayen, Pangasinan
Lingayen is a 1st class municipality in the province of Pangasinan on the island of Luzon in the Philippines. It is the capital municipality and the seat of government of the province of Pangasinan. According to the latest census, it has a population of 95,773 people in 16,467 households.Lingayen...
, the earthquake occurred at 12:42 p.m., reported as violent, oscillating NE to SE, with a duration of 1 minute 50 seconds accompanied by deep subterranean noise. In Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz, Laguna
Santa Cruz is a 1st class urban municipality in the province of Laguna, Philippines. It is also the capital town of the province of Laguna. According to the latest census, it has a population of 101,914 people in 19,627 households and with a growth rate of 1.37%)...
, Laguna province, the shock was also felt at 12:42 p.m. and continued for more than a minute: the Government House, the Convent, the Telegraphic Office and the rest of the province formed a single mass of ruins. In Tayabas, Quezon
Tayabas, Quezon
The City of Tayabas is a city located in Quezon. According to the 2007 census, it has a population of 87,252 people...
, Quezon province, the oscillation continued for 2 minutes and 30 seconds.
The day after, in the afternoon, Taal Volcano
Taal Volcano
Taal Volcano is a complex volcano located on the island of Luzon in the Philippines. Historical eruptions are concentrated on Volcano Island, an island near the middle of Lake Taal. The lake partially fills Taal Caldera, which was formed by powerful prehistoric eruptions between 140,000 to 5,380 BP...
started issuing large mass of smoke, according to a telegraphic news from Taal
Taal, Batangas
Taal is a 4th class municipality in the province of Batangas, Philippines. According to the latest census, it has a population of 51,459 people in 8,451 households.It is the Balisong and Barong Tagalog Capital of the Philippines...
, Batangas
Batangas
Batangas is a first class province of the Philippines located on the southwestern part of Luzon in the CALABARZON region. Its capital is Batangas City and it is bordered by the provinces of Cavite and Laguna to the north and Quezon to the east. Across the Verde Island Passages to the south is the...
.
Strange phenomenon in Cavite
The people in CaviteCavite City
The City of Cavite is a fourth class city in the province of Cavite, Philippines. The city occupies a hook shaped peninsula jutting out into Manila Bay. Cavite City used to be the capital of the province...
across the bay saw Manila, on the occasion of the earthquake, enveloped in a dense cloud of dust, and thought that Manila was completely destroyed. Also, a very interesting phenomenon was observed. During the intensity of the earthquake, in the anchorage of Cavite, columns of black mud were seen to burst up, with a strong smell of sulphur. The very interesting phenomenon was also observed a few days previous to the destructive earthquake of 1863, in front of the Colgante suspension bridge in the river. A column of blackish water was seen to burst up, which attracted the attention of the people. In 1869, the same phenomenon occurred, then also previous to an earthquake.
In Cañacao, Cavite and a few other places crevices were opened, and from them fine sand and dirty water were ejected. In one of these crevices opened in Nueva Ecija
Nueva Ecija
Nueva Ecija is a landlocked province of the Philippines located in the Central Luzon region. Its capital is Palayan City...
, the crack was so wide and deep that an old man and a boy disappeared in it.
July 20, Tuesday
From that first shock on July 18th, there was an uninterrupted series of small shocks which continued until July 20th at 3:40 p.m., when then occurred a repetition of extraordinary violence, with movements of oscillation and trembling ("trepidation") lasting 45 seconds. The earth shook again reducing to complete ruins the buildings partially destroyed and damaged buildings being secured, startling many workmen who were engaged in the reconstructing the City. Clouds of dust covered the whole town in a few seconds afterwards and obscuring the view of everything.As soon as the earthquake ceased, the authorities turned out into the streets, amongst whom the first were the Governor-General
Governor-General of the Philippines
The Governor-General of the Philippines was the title of the government executive during the colonial period of the Philippines, governed mainly by Spain and the United States, and briefly by Great Britain, from 1565 to 1935....
, the Archbishop and General Director of the Civil Administration, the Civil Governor, and the Colonial Secretary, giving to every one who saluted them a consoling word.
Crevices were opened in several places, and among them the Plaza de Palacio. Numerous buildings have sustained damages, some of them completely razed to the ground. The highest buildings suffered most, such as churches, palaces, and towers. The belfry
Belfry
The term belfry has a variety of uses:*Bell tower, an architectural term*Belfry, a type of medieval siege tower*Belfry, Montana, a town in the United States*The Belfry, an English golf club...
of the Manila Cathedral
Manila Cathedral
Minor Basilica of the Immaculate Conception is also known as Minor Basilica of Our Lady of Immaculate Conception or Basilica Minore dela Inmaculada Concepcion or Basilica Minore dela Nuestra Señora de Inmaculada Concepcion A Roman Catholic church having a higher status of "Minor Basilica" with...
that survived the great 1863 earthquake fell in. A detailed description of list of damages would be considered too long and almost unnecessary.
The sensations produced amongst the inhabitants who remain in Manila were painful indeed, but fortunately several persons with true courage were going round, and with words of consolation, trying to diminish the anxiety of the alarmed and terror-stricken people.
One circumstance as a precursor of tranquillity for the future, that was the eruption of the Taal Volcano
Taal Volcano
Taal Volcano is a complex volcano located on the island of Luzon in the Philippines. Historical eruptions are concentrated on Volcano Island, an island near the middle of Lake Taal. The lake partially fills Taal Caldera, which was formed by powerful prehistoric eruptions between 140,000 to 5,380 BP...
, which was ignited yesterday, sending forth a large quantity of smoke, a fact which may be regarded as a favourable change in the geological state.
Telegraphic news from the provinces were received, giving the time and strength of the shock felt at each place. In Biñan
Biñan, Laguna
The City of Biñan is a first class component city in the Republic of the Philippines. It is located in the Province of Laguna, in the island of Luzon, and also accessible from Metro Manila via the South Luzon Expressway, Biñan City has become both a suburban residential community of Metro Manila...
, Laguna province, the Church, Court House, and all the brick houses were destroyed.
July 20th evening quake
With those ever-present movements of trepidation at short intervals, the pendulum continued oscillating during all the evening in a NE and SW direction. At 10:40 p.m., occurred the third violent repetition that lasted 55 seconds; the violence of earthquake was even greater than that afternoon of the 20th. It was also greater than that of the 18th.The state of the city and the whole provinces of Luzon, where all the brick buildings, together with some of the wooden houses with metallic roofs, have sustained damages of more or less consideration, and with especially those of Manila which are in a complete ruin.
The Governor-General sent by telegraph the details of the earthquake of the 18th on the afternoon of the 20th to Spain, but as soon as that was forwarded, the terrific earthquake of the 20th was felt at 3:40 p.m., owing to which he began to telegraph anew, after going through the streets to infuse peace into the minds of the inhabitants with his presence.
With the shocks of the night of the 20th, the part of the bell tower of the old Cathedral that was still standing, came almost completely to the ground, the debris falling upon two adjoining houses which had been rendered uninhabitable for the last two days.
In Santa Ana, Manila
Santa Ana, Manila
Santa Ana is a district of the City of Manila in the Philippines, located at the southeast banks of the Pasig River, bounded on the northeast by Mandaluyong City, Makati City to the east, southwest is the Manila district of Paco, and to the west, Pandacan....
all the brick houses came to the ground, some of them built at great expense, and with iron roofs. The church was rendered useless, and a mass was said yesterday in the middle of the field by all the residents.
From the port city of Cavite
Cavite City
The City of Cavite is a fourth class city in the province of Cavite, Philippines. The city occupies a hook shaped peninsula jutting out into Manila Bay. Cavite City used to be the capital of the province...
, large numbers of inhabitants have abandoned their houses, to go to the neighbouring village of San Roque, in view of the security offered by houses of light construction. The panic is great, and terror is painted in all faces. Those who could not leave this place contented themselves by living in lower houses, fearing a repetition of the earthquake. In Cañacao, the public buildings have sustained more or less damage, and in some places boiling water was poured forth from crevices in the earth opened by the shocks. In a place called Sapa, in the village of Pandacan, several crevices were opened, some of two palms wide, from which a kind of clay was thrown out; yesterday these crevices wero somewhat reduced in width.
According to the opinion of persons from the Observatory in Manila
Manila Observatory
The Manila Observatory is a non-profit research institute housed in the campus of the Ateneo de Manila University in Quezon City, Philippines.Founded in 1865 by the Jesuits, it has served many purposes over the years including weather...
, the center of the great geological commotion of these few days is described as covering Manila and Laguna especially. In the rest of the provinces the effect is believed to be of smaller consideration.
The greatest portion of the private establishments, both inside and outside the walls of Manila, were closed, and the sight was a mournful one to contemplate; very few pedestrians were to be seen, and the carriage traffic was considerally reduced. Many local families passed the night of the 20th in the fields and public grounds, some of them being exposed to the rain which fell at daylight.
A most touching pastoral letter was published by the Archbishop of Manila of that time, Fray Pedro Payo, infusing consolation and devotion into the people asking them to practise penitence in order to decrease the anger of God. According to this pastoral, a mass was to be celebrated in the camp of Bagumbayan
Rizal Park
Rizal Park, also known as Luneta Park or colloquially Luneta, is a historical urban park located in the heart of the city of Manila, Philippines, adjacent to the old walled city of Manila, now Intramuros. Since the Spanish Colonial Era, the park has been a favorite spot for unwinding, socializing,...
on the 22nd, to which the army and navy, public officers, will have to be present by order of the Governor General.
July 22
Vibrations continued, but there was a marked diminution in frequency and intensity. A reassuring wire from the Jesuit Fathers regarding the earthquake reported that the commotions continue, but it is observed in them a sensible decrease in the shortness of the intervals as well as in the intensity of the shocks. The pendulum of the seismometer, which had not been quiet since the 18th up to 3 p.m. of the 21st, that morning and evening had been several times in complete quietness. From the 21st in the morning, the state of Taal volcano has improved and presumed returning to its normal condition, as reported from Lipa.The mass in Bagumbayan camp took place this day. The ceremony was imposing in the extreme, after which the Pastoral Benediction and a sermon followed. The congregation dispersed in processional form.
A petition was sent to the Secretary of State for the Colonies, by wire, requesting an increase in the public works staff to give a greater impulse to the works of reconstruction.
An immense number of residents sought refuge afloat on board the steamers in the bay and in the port, and also in every insignificant vessel in the harbour during the shaking. In the Cadiz alone there are no less than twenty families, with some forty or more children; some forty people were in the Churruca, and as many in the Elcano; eighty in the Salvadora. Even in the dredging vessel five or six families found refuge shortly after the violent trepidation of the 20th and several more in the lorcha and boats.
July 23 thereafter
The seismometer pendulum, which had not been quiet since the 18th until 3 p.m. of the 21st, was motionless for long intervals in the three following days. On the 25th, at 4:02 a.m., another shock was felt; it was of feeble intensity, yet of interest since the record bears evidence as to the gradual change in the center of seismic radiation which had been in progress.Taal Volcano
From the 8th of June, the volcano was observed to be more active than normal, and sometimes at night the crater was covered with a glare. From 17th to the 21st of July, subterranean noises were heard, and many witnesses in Talisay, Batangas, a town located along the shore of Taal LakeTaal Lake
Taal Lake is a freshwater lake in the province of Batangas, on the island of Luzon, Philippines. The lake is situated within a caldera formed by very large eruptions between 500,000 and 100,000 years ago. It is the country's third largest lake...
, some 6 miles (9.7 km) distant from Taal Volcano
Taal Volcano
Taal Volcano is a complex volcano located on the island of Luzon in the Philippines. Historical eruptions are concentrated on Volcano Island, an island near the middle of Lake Taal. The lake partially fills Taal Caldera, which was formed by powerful prehistoric eruptions between 140,000 to 5,380 BP...
, report that from time to time a small ball of fire (apparently about 2.5 foot (0.762 m) in diameter) above the crater. These balls after reaching a considerable height burst into small fragments, some of which fell back into the crater and the remainder upon the exterior slope. This increased in activity or phenomenon though is not recorded as an eruption of Taal Volcano.
Observations
The severest shocks seem to have been felt over the whole island of Luzon about 400 miles (643.7 km) North to South, and 200 miles (321.9 km) East to West. From observations taken it seems that the difference in the time between the extreme points was not more than ten minutes.It appears that at the time of the great shock on the 18th, it was ebb tide; and the water in Pasig River
Pasig River
The Pasig River is a river in the Philippines that connects Laguna de Bay to Manila Bay. Stretching for , it is lined by Metro Manila on each side...
suddenly rose 3.5 feet (1.1 m), and almost as suddenly fell again. Thousands of fish were found lying on the surface of the water in the bay.
It was calculated that the top of a building thirty feet from the ground was thrown five feet out of its perpendicular; and one of the towers of the cathedral oscillated over twenty feet.
In one of the provinces, the local houses
Nipa Hut
The nipa hut also known as bahay kubo, is an indigenous house used in the Philippines. The native house has traditionally been constructed with bamboo tied together and covered with a thatched roof using nipa/anahaw leaves....
, which are built of bamboo and thatch, were sent flying; that canoes were thrown out of the water; and the growing rice torn out of the ground. The earth sunk in many places, the bed of one river sinking quite six feet. Great chasms, ten to twelve feet wide and of immense depth, were ripped in the earth.
The churches of Guadalupe (now Guadalupe Viejo in Makati), Paco
Paco, Manila
Paco, is a district of Manila, Philippines. It is located south of Pasig River, and San Miguel, west of Santa Ana, southwest of Pandacan, north of Malate, northwest of San Andres, and east of Ermita. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 64,184 people in 13,438 households...
, Pandacan, Santa Ana
Santa Ana, Manila
Santa Ana is a district of the City of Manila in the Philippines, located at the southeast banks of the Pasig River, bounded on the northeast by Mandaluyong City, Makati City to the east, southwest is the Manila district of Paco, and to the west, Pandacan....
, San Sebastian Church
San Sebastian Church
The Basilica Minore de San Sebastián, better known as San Sebastián Church, is a Roman Catholic minor basilica in Manila, the Philippines. It is the seat of the Parish of San Sebastian and the National Shrine of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel....
and San Miguel were in ruins. Within the walls of Manila the San Augustin Church
San Agustin Church, Manila
San Agustin Church is a Roman Catholic church under the auspices of The Order of St. Augustine, located inside the historic walled city of Intramuros in Manila. Completed by 1607, it is the oldest church still standing in the Philippines...
, San Francisco Church and Santo Domingo Church were very seriously damaged. The Landnay barracks are down and the soldiers are now in one of the cigar factories; the barracks near the Luneta are down and the men are building nipa houses there.