Great Shakes

San José, Costa Kica, Jan. 16. - A.t 4:20 on December 30 the severest earthquake exporienced since 1882 was feit throughout the republic of Costa Rica. In Ban José both ' the national capítol and the magnificent cathedral fronting the public squure, which required ten years' labor to erect, at an expenditure of frl,000,000, are in ruins. The Presidential palace, city hall, national post-offlce and a dozen other pubiic buildings were ilmost wrecked. Advicosfroin surrounding cities report the shock even more severo and bring accounts of loss of both lil'o and property. The la tost estímate of the damage throughout the country exceeds 5,000,000. An average of three slight shocks have been lelt daily since the first. Business in th;s city is suspended. Houses are deserted and the entire population are living and eleepinp under tents in the streets or public squares iu expectancy of anuther shock even more severe and destructiva thun the first. The volcano so suddenly becoming active is the Poas, located some twenty-eight miles northwestof this place at an altitude of S.S'.iü feet f rom the soa. It h.id been slee ing i'or years and on. y a couple of week f since a party of explorers af ter a visit there reported the cráter entirely filled up. But now it has broken out with all its fury and in another place half a milo distant from the original mouth.