Page:A history of Chile.djvu/448

 402 A HISTORY OF CHILE its walls and many of its buildings thrown down; and the fifth, on May the 26th, 1751, completely destroyed the latter city with a great tidal wave and threw down all the villages between the thirty-fourth and fortieth parallels of latitude. But, as is usual with Chilean earthquakes, there were sufficient warnings of it by preceding slight shocks to enable the inhabitants to find places of shelter and safety. There was also an earthquake in 1737, on the Island of Chilo6. Concepcion was rebuilt on a new site in the valley of Mocha after the earthquake of 1730. In 1835, the city was again destroyed by a great earthquake and tidal wave. The wave swept up Talcahuano Bay, de- stroying shipping in the harbor, and then, leaping over the land, inundated the country for miles, destroying everything in its path. Concepcion was left in ruins, each row of houses being a line of debris. Talcahuano was also a heap of ruins, hardly, one brick or stone being left above another. Besides these two cities, seventy villages of southern Chile were to a greater or less extent destroyed. Other earthquakes have oc- curred, but with the exception of this terrible visita- tion of 1835, comparatively little damage has been done during this century. One occurred on August 13th, 1868, another on March 25th, 1871. The latter destroyed considerable property in Santiago and Valparaiso. An- other on July ist, 1873, caused some damage. There are few good harbors connected with the Chil- ean ports, but there are a number of an inferior sort, some fifty-five in all, but only a few which could be utilized for anchorage purposes. Valparaiso is the most important port, but not the best. Its harbor is pro- tected, save when northerly winds are blowing, for on that side it is exposed and damage to shipping some- times happens. The best harbor is that of Talcahuano ;