December 29, 1897 Earthquake: Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

Ref #535: 1897, Dec 29. St. Domingo, Puerto Plata (VIII) 06.45 h. A violent earthquake, lasting about 25 sec. Sleepers ran out of doors. Followed by 8 brief shocks between 07.35 h. and 12.20 h. (Jamaica Post 28.1.1898).

St. Domingo, Santiago (VIII) 06.45 h. In this town of about 12,000 inhabitants, public buildings and all the business sections were severely damaged. 92 houses were damaged. Many houses were evacuated by their fearful occupants, and all business places were closed for 3 days. The cathedral appeared to be damaged beyond repair. Santiago Cemetery was reduced to a pile of ruins. (Jamaica Post, 28.1.1398)

St. Domingo, Altamira Village (near Puerto Plata) (VIII) 06.45 h. "Partly disappeared" during the earthquake, but there was no loss of life. The cemetery sank "as if nature has dropped enormous pile-driver on the spot" and tombs were ruined. (Jamaica Post, 28.1.1898.

Damage in Cibao province is estimated at one million dollars. Greatest disaster since earthquake of 1842. (Jamaica Post, 28.1.1898)

Maizar (VIII). Mountain landslips occurred (Jamaica Post, 28.1.1898)

Reference #530: 1897, Dec 29. At 6:32:31 in the morning, the city of Port-au-Prince experienced a very strong earthquake, but as the Saint Joseph quarter, in the capital was nearly destroyed by a fire in the night, the earthquake made less of an impression. The intensity according to the R-F scale was V; the direction east-northeast and northeast; the duration was 1 min and 31 sec according to the diagrams of our Cecchi seismograph. But the same shock was registered by seismographs… at Toronto, Canada; at Rome; lschia; Catania, Italy; at Shide, England; and at Nicolaiew, Russia. This earthquake had its maximum intensity in the Republic of Santo Domingo… This earthquake caused no deaths, it seems, but it disturbed the ground to such an extent that it is surprising that the buildings were able to withstand it.

At Guyaubin great cracks were formed, and there was even subsidence of the ground. Happily the houses in this district were of wood and furthermore rested on pilings. None were thrown down in spite of the shocks, which were of an intensity of IX to X, R-F scale. At Santiago the Pico Diego Campo, 1,220 meters high, showed enormous cracks; in the same city many houses of light masonry were badly cracked, but none fell; on the other hand public buildings, like the governor's residence, the cathdral, the chapel of Ste. Marie du Carmel, and that of the cemetery were so badly damaged that they had to be abandoned, and the governor's residence, with the cemetery chapel, have never been reconstructed. The direction of the oscillatory movement seems indicated by the lightning-conductor on the cathedral, which inclines twenty degrees toward the southwest. But at Altamira, north of Santiago all the monuments in the cemetery and on the enclosing wall remain only a heap of ruins. The railway from Puerto Plata to Santiago was damaged in some places. The rails were dislocated just at the point of a curve. A bridge over Guanabano had one of its piers thrown down; but neither the bridge over the Cumbre nor the viaduct of Guanabano were hurt. To the east of Puerto Plata the submarine cable was broken. The shock was also felt very forcibly at Mirebalais and at Jacmel; but it was feeble at Santo Domingo. The seismic disturbance lasted from Dec 29 to Jan 25 and 36 shocks, more or less strong, were counted during that time, about the region shaken since Dec 29. Among all the earthquakes which we have mentioned for the Northern depression this last one was least destructive in spite of the great disturbance of the ground. Possibly several centuries of experience have taught the people to build their houses with greater security against earthquakes.