The 1880 Southern Luzon earthquakes, were one of the most destructive tremors on record in the history of the country. The shocks continued, with greater or less interruption, from July 14–25, 1880; highlighted by three violent quakes measuring 7.0, 7.6, and 7.2 respectively. The sequence destroyed churches and other buildings, producing loss of life."American Journal of Science – Art.V. The earthquake of the Philippine Islands, July 1880", pp. 52–57. Coinciding with the tectonic activity was an increase in volcanic activity in the Taal Volcano of southwestern Luzon.
Manila, together with the provinces of Cavite, Bulacan, Laguna, Pampanga, and Nueva Ecija were the chief victims from the convulsions, with Manila and Laguna receiving the full brunt of the quakes. In many places, buildings were converted into shapeless heaps of ruins, and the materials of their prosperity buried beneath the rubbish."The Earthquakes of Manila and the Provinces", pp. 94–95. Japan Gazette, Vol. 26.
Chronology of events
Initial vibrations The vibrations began during the months of April and May, in the northern provinces of Luzon. The center of oscillation, as indicated by the directions registered at Manila, appears to coincide with a volcano, which has been long extinct, situated between Lepanto (now part of Kalinga) and Abra provinces, in the Central Cordillera of Luzon, in latitude 16° 22' N and longitude 127° E, according to the Spanish Observatory of San Fernando. At first the movements were weak and little frequent, but in the month of June they became quite intense, and extended from north to south over a large zone. This direction never changed; and the few discordances recorded appear to have been a result of haste or want of care in the method of taking the observations, exactness being hardly attainable without special instruments for the purpose.
Taal Volcano was observed to start showing increase in activity from June 8 and sometimes at night the crater was covered with glare.Maso, Saderra (1902). "Seismic and Volcanic Centers of the Philippine Archipelago". p.17. Bureau of Public Printing, Manila.
Early in July some vibrations were felt, but from the 5th to the 14th none were recorded at Manila or any point on the island. On July 14 at 12:53 p.m., as a storm from the northeast of Luzon was threatening as indicated by an extraordinary fall of the barometer, the first shock occurred. After this first tremor, there were two more shocks at the end of an hour and a half. On the 15th and 16th no perceptible shocks occurred; and on the 17th, only two small shocks.
July 18, Sunday On the 18th at 12:40 p.m., occurred the first great shock described as one of oscillation, also of "trepidation," and spoken of commonly at the time as one of rotation. Its duration was 70 seconds. The people immediately ran for places of security, and those in the streets were filled with confusion, Some ran without a fixed direction; others fell on their knees, giving forth fearful cries. The sight presented by the city was frightful in the extreme; for seventy mortal seconds the city was in oscillation, and the inclinations threatened to raze to the ground the creaking edifices; the noise of the falling buildings increased the general panic.
The first shocks were slight, which gave time for people to run out of the houses to places of security accounting for lesser loss of life. The quake also happened on a Sunday, the public and private establishments being closed, permitted the families to be collected. Had the earthquake happened at night with the majority using lamp with kerosene oil, nothing could have stopped a fallen lamp from spreading fire to a fallen building."Terrible Earthquake at Manila, at noon of July 18th, 1880", pp.58–63. Japan Gazette, Vol. 26.
In Manila, among the buildings which sustained damage on the 18th, was the Mint House, which suffered considerably in the first story. Orders were given to pull down the buildings which threatened any danger to the pedestrians, and engineers were going around surveying the buildings, examining the interior of the dwellings, ordering out the inhabitants where danger existed. The pillars supporting some of the wooden houses were found forced into the earth by one-fourth of their length.
From then on, small tremors continued throughout the day. The frightened, terrified look of the people going through the streets, the slightest noise being sufficient to startle and set every soul running out of the houses to the middle of the streets, and to the squares, every slight shock of the earth strikes terror into the soul of every one, each and every one expecting unheard-of calamity. Whole families were emigrating from the city to the country on a large scale.
The view during the earthquake from the vessels in the Pasig River, was, as described by an eyewitness, something to be seen to be appreciated. The rocking to and fro of the buildings was something terrific, the vessels moving about and bumping each other as though in a heavy seaway; the water of the river, bubbling up and mixed with the black mud of the river, was all the colour of ink; hundreds of people rushed off to the ships and remained all night. In Manila Bay, the same bubbling appearance was observable on the water, and the shock was distinctly felt on board the ships; the water's depth close in shore had been shallowed by some four feet in some places.
In Lingayen, Pangasinan, some north of Manila, the earthquake occurred at 12:42 p.m., reported as violent, oscillating NE to SE, with a duration of 1 minute 50 seconds accompanied by deep subterranean noise. In Santa Cruz, Laguna province, SE of Manila, the shock was also felt at 12:42 p.m. and continued for more than a minute. The Government House, the Convent, the Telegraphic Office and the rest of the province formed a single mass of ruins. In Tayabas, Tayabas province, the oscillation continued for 2 minutes and 30 seconds.
Strange phenomenon in Cavite On the occasion of the earthquake, the people in Cavite across the bay saw Manila enveloped in a dense cloud of dust, and thought that Manila was completely destroyed. A very interesting phenomenon was also observed in Cavite. During the intensity of the earthquake, in the anchorage of Cavite, columns of black mud were seen to burst up, with a strong smell of sulphur. The very interesting phenomenon was also observed in Manila a few days previous to the destructive earthquake of 1863, in front of the Colgante suspension bridge on Pasig River. A column of blackish water was seen to burst up, which attracted the attention of the people. In 1869, the same phenomenon occurred in Manila, then also previous to an earthquake.
In Cañacao, Cavite and a few other places crevices were opened, and from them fine sand and dirty water were ejected. In one of these crevices that opened in Nueva Ecija, the crack was so wide and deep it was reported that an old man and a boy disappeared in it.
The day after, July 19 in the afternoon, Taal Volcano started issuing large mass of smoke, according to a telegraphic news from Taal, Batangas.
July 20, Tuesday From that first shock on July 18, there was an uninterrupted series of small shocks which continued until July 20 at 3:40 p.m., when then occurred a repetition of extraordinary violence, with movements of oscillation and trembling ("trepidation") lasting 45 seconds. The earth shook again reducing to complete ruins the buildings partially destroyed and damaged buildings being secured, startling many workmen who were engaged in the reconstructing the city. Clouds of dust covered the whole town in a few seconds afterwards and obscuring the view of everything.
As soon as the earthquake ceased, the authorities turned out into the streets, amongst whom the first were the Governor-General, the Archbishop and General Director of the Civil Administration, the Civil Governor, and the Colonial Secretary, giving to every one who saluted them a consoling word.
Crevices were opened in several places, and among them the Plaza de Palacio. Numerous buildings have sustained damage, some of them completely razed to the ground. The highest buildings suffered most, such as churches, palaces, and towers. The belfry of the Manila Cathedral that survived the great 1863 earthquake fell in.
Telegraphic news from the provinces was received, giving the time and strength of the shock felt at each place. In Biñan, Laguna province, the church, court house, and all the brick houses were destroyed.
One circumstance as a precursor of tranquility was the eruption of the Taal Volcano, which was ignited the day before, sending forth a large quantity of smoke, a fact which may be regarded as a favorable change in the geological state.
July 20 evening quake With those ever-present movements of trepidation at short intervals, the pendulum continued oscillating during all the evening in a NE and SW direction. At 10:40 p.m. occurred the third violent repetition, which lasted 55 seconds; the violence of earthquake was even greater than that afternoon of the 20th. It was also greater than that of the 18th.
The state of the city and the whole provinces of Luzon, where all the brick buildings, together with some of the wooden houses with metallic roofs, sustained damage of more or less consideration, and with especially those of Manila which were in a complete ruin.
The Governor-General sent by telegraph the details of the earthquake of the 18th on the afternoon of the 20th to Spain, but as soon as that was forwarded, the terrific earthquake of the 20th was felt at 3:40 p.m., owing to which he began to telegraph anew, after going through the streets to infuse peace into the minds of the inhabitants with his presence.
With the shocks of the night of the 20th, the part of the bell tower of the old Cathedral that was still standing, came almost completely to the ground, the debris falling upon two adjoining houses which had been rendered uninhabitable for the last two days.
In Santa Ana, Manila, all the brick houses came to the ground, some of them built at great expense, and with iron roofs. The church was rendered useless, and a mass was said the day before in the middle of the field by all the residents.
From the port city of Cavite, large numbers of inhabitants abandoned their houses to go to the neighboring village of San Roque in view of the security offered by houses of light construction. The panic is great, and terror is painted in all faces. Those who could not leave contented themselves by living in lower houses, fearing a repetition of the earthquake. In Cañacao, the public buildings sustained more or less damage, and in some places boiling water was poured forth from crevices in the earth opened by the shocks. In a place called Sapa, in the village of Pandacan in Manila, several crevices were opened, some of two palms wide, from which a kind of clay was thrown out; the day before these crevices were somewhat reduced in width.
According to the opinion of persons from the Manila Observatory run by the Jesuits, the center of the great geological commotion of the last few days was described as covering Manila and Laguna especially. In the rest of the provinces the effect was believed to be of smaller consideration.
The greatest portion of the private establishments, both inside and outside the walls of Manila were closed and the sight was a mournful one to contemplate; very few pedestrians were to be seen, and the carriage traffic was considerably reduced. Many local families passed the night of the 20th in the fields and public grounds, some of them being exposed to the rain which fell at daylight.