The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1883-10-27 00:00:00

GREAT EARTHQUAKE IN ASIA MINOR.

A Central News telegram, dated Constantinople,
Oct. 18, says :—" A. deapateh horn Tchesme shows
that up to Wednesday night 120 dead bodies have
been dug out from the ruins of eight small villages in
the immediate vicinity of that town, and the explora-
tions are still being colitinued, bringing further victims
to ;hand hourly. From the same district over 350
maimed and injured survivors have been recovered,
and these are now beinik mOdicalfy treated so far as the
means at command will allow. Help in this direction
is urgently needed. Sheds are hastily constructed
to cover the wretched creatures. In the villages
In the interior the work of exploration proceeds
much more slowly, but the devastation there seems

equally great. Thirty-five bodies were recovered
in the first superficial examination, and a far larger
number are believed to have been buried beneath the
ruins. Some weeks must elapse before the full death
roll can be made known, even if the number of lives
lost can ever be fully ascertained. Indeed, the earth
near Alatza appears to have yawned open and closed
again, swallowing several cottages, not a vestige of
which can now be seen. In the same district a land-
slip has occurred, burying many houses. In both
these districts the loss of life will never be accurately
known. A great effort is being made for sending food,
clothing, and medicines to the homeless, but it is at
present impossible to provide for the wants of them
all, and their sufferings are of a terrible character.
Help is largely forthcoming from Athens."

In a telegram dated Smyrna, Monday morning, the
special corre.pondent of the Daily News says :

The shocks at Tschesme continue. Seven villages
have been destroyed, seventy persons killed, and five
hundred injured. Thirty thousand are camped out in
the fields.

The shocks were felt at Smyrna, were several build-
ings have been greatly damaged, the Ottoman and
English telegraph building 4 particularly, so that the
officials ref U 36 to work longer on account of the oscilla.
tions. A new building has been hired.
While writing this I am nearly thrown out of my
chair. There is consternation everywhere. The
Sultan has sent down an aide-de-camp to inspect and
report I leave with him to-night to visit the villages
destroyed.
The Tharaire and Monarclt arrived here this morn-
ing. The Helicon has just left to join the flagship at
Ohio. The Eastern Telegraph Company's ship Volta
has just arrived, and leaves to-night with several tons
of food for the sufferers. The English Admiral has
offered the help of the squadron. One French and two
Greek gunboats are at Tschesme.

On Friday in last week the Lord Mayor on taking
his seat in the Manrion House Justice Room sail, ad-
dressing Mr. Gresham, the ctief clerk, that before
they proceeded with the business of the day he wi.lted
to make an announcement in a matter which had come
before bim in reference to the terrible earthquake in
Anatolia. He had received that day a letter from
Earl G-ranville enclosing a telegram from Lord
Dufferio, the British Ambasiador at Constantinople,
in these terms :

"The Brirish Vice Consul at Scio telegraphs as
follows :—'Great destructim caused in neighbouring
villages by earthquake at Tcheeme. About 1,000
persons lulled and wounded Assistance is urgently
revired. Slight damage at Scio, but shocks continue.
I have asked the Commander•in-Obief on the Mediter-
ranean station to send a vessel to inquire.'"
In addition to that the newspapers gave very sad
accounts of the condition of the sufferers, and said Voat
unless adequate assistance was speedily forthcoming,
many of them must perish by famine. He (the Lord
Mayor) had appealed to the public so recently in
respect of similar disasters that he felt some delicacy
in again making an appeal. At the same time, in the
face of the very serious accounts which bad reached
him, and of the undoubted facts contained in Lord
Dufferin's telegram, he knew that there were many in
this country who would gladly contribute to the relief
of the sufferers. He would therefore ask the Press to
intimate that those who desired to send assistance
might if they chose take advantage of the Lord
Mayor in his official capacity, and that he would take
care to make the remittances through the proper
channels.