Quito, on its plateau 10,000 feet up in the Andes, was struck with a massive morning earthquake. The Ecuadorian city was leveled in what observers said was seventy-six seconds and at least 5000 people were reported to have died. Interestingly, after this day Quito would remain earthquake free for the next ninety years. (By John Osborne)
Source Citation
Chronicle, The Annual Register or a View of the History and Politics of the Year 1859 (London: F. & J. Rivington, 1860), 29.