Richmond daily Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1842-1861, 1846-09-29
The late Earthquake i'm the South of
EurODe.


The following account Of this Earthquake and the effect.
produced by It in the city OF Pisa, IS extracted from psruoh.
let on the subject, written by NJ. Pila, professor Of Geolo.
gy in the University OF Pisa:
THE day Uhe l4lh Of AugusD opened IT Pisa. serene
snd usnquI, like those which had preceded IL. AT noon.
l WIS, - usual IN the Museum OF Natural History of the
University, and in the hall OF mineralogy, where / wa. oc.
euP'ed IN elas.H 70 the minerals. In tina hall are several
windows looking toward the plain on the side OF the sea.
aud over the interior OF the city. | felt a sufocating heat.
accompanied BY an ineypressibly painful sensation. al
nba'ed this phenomenon TO the air Of Pisa, which is heavy
Tor my constitution, and which made me say several times
to the keeper Of the Museum, "The air Of Pisa is on fire
to-day Never prophecy Was more suddenly realized
Alta lew minutes before one, | was alone in the hall. The
atmosphere was perfectly calm, when | began to hear n
sound which came rapidly from the sea coast. The impress.
sion ! ielt, was hike that OF a boisierous wind advancing
towards the city, but rejecting on the impossibility of such
a phenomenon occurring so suddenly in the midst Of the
preceding calm. | began TO fear some accident. / csnno,
better describe This noise than in a line Of our divine poet
HJo9ea''' [En SH5H PHa d. ,psssHis.
My suspicious were soon verified. The noise kept ad-
vancing, with ever increasing force, and suddenly the hall
began 10 remble. To this vibration succeeded a violent
a2isuon IN a horizontal direction, accompanied by n hur.
nb'e rumbhng; accustomed to these phenomena, which are
not rare In my country, M. Pilla is a Neapolitan) after
several unsteady motions, | ran 10 one Of the windows
"hich opened on the garden OF the neighbouring house.
and thero | was witness of one Of the most terrible spec-
tacles which are ever offered % the eyes Of man. Tho
houses about were shaken IN a dreadful manner the tree,
IN gstGeh' oy 'heir motions, announced the violent sgi.
taton OF the atmosphere; these motions Joined TO those Of
w haI 10 when l was, gave tie a vertigo, which compel
led inc 10 support myself by the window frame. The agi.
iatlon continued, evidently in a horizontal direction. going
and coming, but with extreme violence. In this horrible
situation the pla''erIng began TO fall from the ceiling, the
cnos which arose from the neighboring houses augmented
the horror Of the scene. There was one moment when /
thought the city would be swallowed 10. Then. inpelled
oy at instructive feeling, mounted tho window scat in
ofaer 10 Jump INTO the garden, but a remnant Of reflection
held me back, and by degrees the ground became tranquil.
"As soon as tho shock was over. / went out Of the Mu-
scum and found the streets filed with people, who wore in
| ilelT COMMENCES the traces Of The arm xyhtchf h.y h,J
suffered. Everywhere Teigned that silence Of which To.
eiius speaks, which seizes the people when sgiiaicd by a
common feeling.
'Aftor having assured myself Of the safety Of the p.r.oo,
who arc most dear to me.my fret thought " az for the Cam.
panhe dc Pise, (he leaning tower 1 ran TO see how il was.
what was my surprise TO see IL standing and firm. What
a spectacle It must have presented in that fearful moment,
People VINO had an opportunity TO observe IL, during the
shoek tell me hiatt balancing was a terrible thing to be-
hpld' Bot before examining The effects Of the earthquake.
let ul see what was is direction and its duration.
The hrst motion Of the earth was manifcstly yibtstorv /.
tnon csne ? violent undnIatory motion, which lasted I'LL
'he eha OF ihe shock. excerpts slight ltslening Of tho ac-
ton toward the middle Of u, which finished by one doub.
y Violent The horizontal direction must have been the
saving u Pisa. / observed IL in the most distinct name,
possible II the vertical shocks had had tho same intonsi-
y, the effects Of the disaster would h,yo been much more
Geplofsble.
AS 10 tho dufuion Of the oscillation, counting from the
moment when the distant umbling was heard, / think il
from twenty-five to thirty seconds. Some persons teduee
u to twelve or fifteen seconds, bu, these date IL only from
the moment when the shock was most sensibly felt. ii the
inhabitants 81 the country visited by the earthquake arc
questioned as 10 The dUrnuon OF tho sgitation, they oil an.
swer. half a minute more ~ les.
1.-two to be dreaded that the phenomenon would no,
cease with tho fret shock. Two motions we're afterwards
iei dhuuchy, but Of q more feeble kind. a great part Il
nc population passed tho night following in tho squares
and streets. "Ovefpowcfod with the sad novs which was con-
sonny brought IN from rcighboung places.
The daasiefs the city 0i Piss has suffered are sIight In
comparison with what they might havo been. No ono
peHsh'd. The root the Church of 81. Michael is ruined,
out without injury to any person. II u had happened tho
nsRt day' Of no Same hour. there would have been many
lives lost a cross fell from tho dome. Tho Campo Santo
sohcfed some slight injury. The Csmpsn 10 tLoaninR
iowtD - unhur. II feTnsins 10 be discovered by exam.
nation whether ~ inclination has become greater. Final.
" mere - nots building IN Pisn which has not been more
~ less dlmaged and eraekod."
Leuors from LegbOfn snd FofoHce describe tho earth
quake 10 have been stll moro terrible in those cities and
NE surrounding country. ~ Voltoua . State prison was
thrown down. burying several prisoners under it, ruins 49,
some oi Tho accounts from Florence say That from thirJ
70 forty persons had persisted IN that noigbborhoOd, and
more than q hundred woro wounded.