Taianfu, Sbt., 20th July.
The Death of the Rev. A. G. Jones, The night of July 16 will be a memorable one in Taiaufu. The day had been very hot, the ground steaming from the effect of a heavy rain the previous day. pin. heavy banks of clouds to form all round the horizon, and low rumbling, growling thunder was heard in almost every direction. A cloud which had hung all day about the semmit of the mountain idly downward, covering ly from view, and and d fell, however, till about nine p.an., when the storm burst in all its fury. For more than six hours it raged like myriads of demons. Crash after crash of thunder from the clouds which seemed to hang just about one's cars, mingled with the more distant rumbling, kept ups horrible and most indescribable din; while the blaze of lightning from the clouds far and near showed the whole storm gyrating about the mountain ina way most fearful to behold. By daylight of the 17th the rain was reduced tos drizzle, but the clouds still clung heavy on the hill, and it could be seen that it was still raining smartly there.
About seven a.m. a message came from Mr. Tedder, who is staying at a temple about half-way from the city to Hueimaling, where Mr. Jones was, saying that the latter place had been washed away, and Mr. Jones could not be found. Ascertaining that news had been sent to all the foreigners in the city, the writer set out at once for the scone of the catastrophe, almost every step of the way showing some new evidence of the violence of the storm. Some natives met on the way reported that the place had not been swept away, but was a total wreck, and that no doubt Mr. Jones was buried there in the ruins, This revived hope that tire re was a possible chance of rescue, and all speed possible was made through the water, which was rushing in a torrent down the stone steps of the mountain road.
On arriving, it was found that Me. Tedder had been there some considerable time, and after great effort, had succeoded in getting a number of men, who collected from mountain huts here and there, to help him clear away the debris from over the place where Mr. Jones's bed was known tobe. The first thing that met the eye was Mr. Todder supporting th upper part of the body, while som men were making—rather ineffectual efforts to clear something off the lewer limbs, This was discovered to be his cot bed, one end of which was jammed by some timbers of the wrecked building, He had evidently been struck by the falling debris while in a sitting posture on the side of the cot. Whether {he had been startled into this position by some unusual noise, or was sitting up unable to sleep, there was no means of discovering, soon as the cot could be wrenched he was removed and every effort made to discover any sign of life. There was a rather severe wound at the base of the brain, -but otherwise no serious injury. No bones were broken in any part of the body, but he had beau buried for so long " time in the mud that jot was forced upon us There was evidence too that the blow on the back of the head had at the least produced uncon sciousness.
'A rude stretcher was constructed, and a number of men were prevailed on to bear the remains down ithe bill, After they ted a hasty survey was made of and its surroundings to discover the cause of the catastrophe. It soon became evil it that the cause was landslip, which, starting a lot of immense boulders, ca ith it the stone distance ud poured ti mass into quadrangle, of which the house in which Mr. Jones so unfortunately was, formed the west side, Fortunately, if anything about the terrible business may be so denominated, the wass only struck the building in which he was, knocking it down, but not falling squarely on it." If it bad done 60 the recovery of the body would have been rendered wollnigh, if not wholly impossible.
A most remarkable circumstance is that servant who was sleeping on the other side of a very thin wooden partition, his bed not four inches from Mr. Jones's cot, escaped with his life, and indeed with no serious bruises, though he was buried to the armpits in' the muddy debris, The cook tells a most theiliing story. Ho was in a small building on the south side of the quadrangle, at the door of which thf avalanche came to a stop. The concussion of it threw him from his bed to the tieer, where he was almost buried in the rush of mud which went in at the door, soon ashe could drag himself from this he stumbled wildly out into the debris, calling frantically for Mr. Jo: and the servant who was in the building with him. The lightning flashes revealed to his horrified gaze a ragged mass of ish where the house had been. Finally he heard a faint reply from his follow-servant, but half crazed with horror and fright, and blinded by the lightning,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.