The following account was originally related to Julia Butt Losse by her grandmother, Christiane Dreppenstedt von Glahn, At the time of the "great quake, " Mrs. von Glahn lived on the corner of Warren and Phillip Streets (the current site of the new Water Commissioner's Building), The recollections were later shared by another family member, Harry Butt, with Rebecca G. Greene, a teacher of the Gifted and Talented Program at St, Andrews Elementary School in Charleston and a volunteer at the Earthquake Education Center.

      At about 10 p.m., Mrs. von Glahn was waiting at a downstairs window for her son William to arrive home from work. After the terrible shaking commenced, she went out into the yard. There, she saw her neighbors throwing their kerosene lamps out into the street in an attempt to reduce the chances of fires in their homes.
     Later, she learned that the sister of Miss Lillie von Hadeln (a family friend) had been kiI1ed when the upstairs porch  where she had been sitting collapsed.
     Inside Mrs. von Glahn's house, the quake had caused a large wardrobe in the hall to topple over in front of Williamís bedroom door. Although the tremors caused much destruction, some items survived. The family still has china vases and candlesticks that Mrs. von Glahn had received as wedding presents.
     Mrs. Losse's father, John M. Butt, operated a grocery store in Charleston. He was visiting in Glen Springs, South Carolina, when he heard about the earthquake. He immediately boarded a train to return to Charleston, but because of the earthquake's damage, the train was halted in Summerville. The roads were also blocked by uprooted trees and other obstacles. Still, Mr. Butt rented a horse and carriage, which took him as far as Ten Mile. From there, he completed the trip on horseback.