The Press.
London, England, 1853-09-24 00:00:00

THE EARTHQUAKE AT THEBES.

Soul: interesting detail& of this catastrophe have
been communicated in letters from Athens, received
in London within the last few days. We select the
following paoiculars
-

of August I". tso terrestrial Sill IA 4, Sib
feeble that nouty of the inhabitants of Thebes were not
sensible of them, announced the catastrophe which was
shortly to follow. The weather was calm, the air pun., the
temp endure weft awl somewhat humid. the people were
gay. unit all esattributed to auguteot the s'clut of the
tCati% al which was to be celebrated• when suddenly,
at lialf.past 11, a terrible noise, followed • sliately by a
violent trembling. tilled the inhabitants with alarm. 1. he
people, nut knowing what to do, ran out of their houses or
jumped out of their window.. The eontiemance of the
trembling of the soil, the loam. of falling houses. and the
thick clouds of dust which otpidly envelop'd the whole
town. increased the prevailing terror. The most dismal
wailings were heard from all points, mid, by a general
instinct, the people ran out of the town. Whist the vio-
lence of the trembling had ...awed, and the Omni of dust
was dissipated, the inhabitants took courage and returned
to ascetiltin the evteut and results of the terrible 'theme
menon which they bad witnessed. It was found that all
the houses of the town of Theisw and a the carillon's.; of
Teri hall 11141'11 remieis.il • habitable. Malty of them had
been entirely destroyed. and coven.d the rcwains of their
CWIIIVI* 601•ClIptilltS. 54.3111' the elturches wee. prostrate ;
or others, the walls presentosl i ttttt 11•11110 yawning gap'.
The great aqueduct of the town was esitisiderably
allowing the water to 1.14411pe at 1111tIly points. nod all the
fountains were rendered muddy tiorfstr-tuubtwenty boors.
'Ph. principal sleek was anceeeded by ..venal others
during the Mille cruel the billowing day. Citizens worthy
lot credit 4' 'rate more than I wenty whit+ wen• felt ion the
night of the IlOtly:Oti, of August. tht the /loth also the 6,
vernment conunissioners vomited six ellewks which wen•
pereeptilde between half-past three in the atlermsm I ten
in the evening. On the '2lst another shock proved the
elitititsued activity of the disturbing love. It waa observed
that the loudness of due subterranean noise was Moto in
'lima ratio with the strength of the shuck which fol-
lowed it. _

To believe the statements of persons who allege liu►t
they vetitied tbs. fact by watching the falling of stones from
the reeling houses, the impulses of the slus•k was always
penssislicular. In point of fact, all the lionsem fell diseetly
on their foundations, without inclining to any particular
point of the 01111111111Sti. It is worthy of note that no dis-
engagement of gas was remarked, neither any sinking or
rupture of the soil: no new springs wens exposed. nor
were those already existing diminished. Such it the ne-
count given by In.. Orphatislis, a physician of lieotia, in his
report to the tiovernment.
The Prefect of the same province says that he can,
without hesitation, determine the locality of by the
shock to be the extent of country terminated fin the• north
by M t Atlatite, fill the east lo) the titill of Etilstat, fin
the south by tie river Awls's, and on the west by Lake
Opals. The central point of the impulse, or that at
which it was felt. with greatest fssree, wits Mount l'too
under which is a gulf of Lake Opals. lu these, rocks of
considerable magnitude have been detached and thivwn
down.

It appears that so lately as on the :Nth ult_ the earth
gave such signs of uneasiness that the inhabitant* had no
heart t w attempting to retinar the town. The The of
to-day is a modern t►wn. It was no ruined in the war of
independence that scarcely one %tune was left upon
another. Its reeoustn►ctie►n dates frog► Itcl3. At the pr.•-
sent moment there• is not a house left uninjured, hundreds
have fallen, and the ruin is not at an end. The teovenu• '
inent has sent aid in money. tents, medicine, and doctors.
Eleven eorpses have been taken out of the ruins. The
bodies bore no trims. of wounds or other marks of violence,
and the physicians suppose that the deceased died of
asphyxia. Nineteen persons Wl.lr dug nut alive, mid are
doing well. Intermitunt liter has be•eu very prevalent
since the catastrophe.
The extent of the mischief done to the buildings of
Thebes cannot yet be stated with stat►stical exactitude, but.
considering the aup•rior density of its population. aoine
Idea of the terrible character of tlu• disaster may bewailed
from the return* of damage dame• to the neighlwurktig
COllllllUllet4. In the commune of 11an.... two church.es, a
church fewer. sud sixteen houses have fallen. In the min-
mime of Aulydo two churches and tweutythrre houses
Lou falkur and givao whivlt retusiu btu% iu thu sir. 131

THE PRESS.

tlie yout q • of Akre( ta. he houses have tall.ll aml
two chturlii htl.ll la ta ottt u. A rock .I.•nityht,l fnan
a mountain near kokitio, in this
the tilhy,e, %lieu' fortunately it stoppyll. In the continuity
of Thespiens the (anilyt of Nloulauilio has liti•u cane
pletyly failitcruted. At I:rims:Astro the %la tolling% of sixty
timidly,. lime been laia in ruins. lu the ttttt mile 11
'raffle-Tit 1Wur11)•hil. 11104• IkVit 1104111)141. .1.110. e
figures are irtespillite ttf ititinberless houses rent in taunt,
man) of thvin Chun roof to door. It is nreillyss t 4. that
11111,1 vißphi. Ik•ftWt` 1110 Ilitiftst• math. in thy district
eau by repairvtl. lihlee.l, it is 41..itlithil who thi•i• an) ry-
soluve hut emigration LO 61111.111. willa terrain 11.1114LISUI to 11H