Ap For the © second time in its comparatively short career as capital of Nicaragua, the town of Managua has been wiped out. De ils of the tragedy, which descended unheralded upon the defenceless city, are too horrible to be dwelt upon. At can only be hoped that, as in the case of the recent similar disaster in Hawkes Bay, New land, the first reports will turn out to be graver than the actual situation warrants, though it is difficult to imagine anything. more terrible than following ries of severe city in the grip of panic
earthquake shocks with a pal) of smoke overhanging the gallant] men who are fighting to what is left from the flames. At the time of writing no reason for the earthquake shocks had been received. Communications throughout the wide western ection of the small American republic had been "severed. What disasters had overtaken the outlying districts was not known. The area which seems} to have been affected, however, ig situated in the neighbourhood of a chain of volcanic cones, which have in the past been the scenes of some of the most terrible eruptions in the world. This chain of volcanic cones terminates in Mount Coseguina, which, in 1835, burst forth the biggest eruption on record—big that islands in th Caribbean as far away Jamaica felt the showers of ash and lava hurled into the air. Across the isthmus of land hich separates Lake Managua from Lake Nicaragua, is the {sland of Omotepe, one of whose twin volcanic peaks erupted with great destruction in 1888. There are other volcanic areas in the district, where low cones emit sulphurous vapour and smoke and sometimes. at night light up the land with bluish flames.
Managua has been the capital of Nicaragua since 1855, when it was chosen as the centre of the government "tp decide between the rival claims of two other cities. Since that time, up to 67 years ago when the city. was partially destroyed by. a great inundation, it has thriven until a few days ago it could claim to be an. important and growing industrial centre. What it might even yet rise to be out of the ashes of its present ruins can only be conjectured. A canal such is at present projected to join the Pacific and the Atlantic Oceans would be the making of the wealth of the country and provide yet another focal point for the world's shipping.
The news of the disaster will come as a special shock to many members of the United States Marines Corps now in Shanghai. They will be able to reconstruct, from personal knowledge some of the scenes of devastation which must prevail over a large section of the country which they, unweltomed and unthanked, sought for many years to restore from chaos and revolution to some semblance of order. Assailed by the liberals of Nicaragua as "imperialists" and the object of vociferous attacks from a certain species of politicians in their own country, the Marines have covered themselves with glory during the closing stages of their stay in the land.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.