Wheeling times and advertiser. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1839-1849, 1846-10-03
THE LATE EARTHQUAKE IN THE
SOUTH OF EUROPE


and the effects produced by il in the city OF
Pisa, is extracted from pamphlet ON the sub.
Ject, written by Nj. Pilla, Professor oil Geolo.
~ in the University of Pisa:
The day (Ihe l4ih of Augus) opened a,
Pise, serene and tranquil like those which had
preceded IT, At noon, was. as usual. in The
Museum oi Natural History OF the University
and IN the hell oi minerology. where WAS
occupied In CHASING the minerals. I'm this
hail are several windows looking toward the
plain on the side OF the sra. aud over the in
terror oi the city, ] iclta suluvating heat .ac.
companied by an inexpressibly painful SEN
SALON. attributed this phenomenon lo the
AR oil Pisa, which IS heavy tor my cons,ltu
ion. aud which made made M say several
umes TO the keeper oi the Museum The air
oil Pisa n on tte to day. Never phophccy
Was more suddenly realilrd-A a lew min.
utes before one. was alone IN lhc hall. The
atmosphere Was perfectly calm, when began
10 hear rumblIug Sount which came npiily
rom the coast. The Impression / felt, was
IKE that oil bnlstcrous wind advancing to-
wards the city, bat rejecting on thu inpsr> .i-
bilily ol such phenomenon Occurring 50 sud
denl. ia the midst oflh- preceding calm. b.
gan io lear som accident. csnnot better
desonbe tins noise than la line OF our divine
poet
HJroeasss dun suOa Pieii al P1rea'o.
Dante h,f
My suspicious were soun verified Thenuisc
kept advancing. ~ it'll ever increasing iorce and
suddenly the hall began 80 tremble. To thi.
vibration sucCcrded a violent agitation in
horizontal direction, accompanied by hurn-
bic rumbiIng; accustomed 10 these pheGome-
da which are not rare in this country, M.
Pila Is d Neapoliiau) after several unsteady
Itftf q a.
lopened on the garden OF the neishboring house.
aud there | was witness OF one of the most
terrible speCtacles which are offered TO the
eyes oi man. The houses about were SHAKEN
IN dreadful manner the trees ia the garden,
by their motions, announced the violent agi
! tatlon OF the atmosphere, these motions Joined
TO those OF he i'all in which was. gave me
vertigo, which compelled me to support my
self by the window frame. The agitation
continued. evidently ina horizontal direction,
going and coming but with extreme violence
la this horrible situation the plastering began
To TALL from the ceiling. the cries which arose
from the neighboring houses augmented the /
horror of the scene. There was one moment /
when thought the city would bc swallowed /
up Then, impelied by an instructive feeling. |
mounted the window seat in order TO Jump
into he garden, bu, a remnant OF reflection /
held me back. aud by degrees the ground be-
came Tranquil.
AS soon as the shock was over, went ont
OF the Museum aud found the streets filled .
with people who wore in their counteuancts
the traces OF the terror which they had suffer
sd. Everywhere ryigned that silence olwhich
lautus speaks. which seiz the people when
aSliated by common feeling.
ALTER having assured myself Of the safety \
OF The persons who are most dear to nae. NV
iirst thought WAS ior the Canpanilc drPise .dh
leaning tower ran 90 see how IL was. What
a spectacle II must have presented in that
fearful moment. People who had an oppor-
luniiy to observe II, during lhr shock, tell
me That It's balancing Was terrible thing la
D,ho'd. But beiop examining tle effects OF
Tie earthquake, let Us see what Was its direc-
ton aud duration.
The first motion of the earth was mani
testify vibratory; thcR came yiolrn, unlu,a-
tory motion, which lasted al! the end al the
shock, except slight lessrnng of the action
toward The middle al it, which flushed bv one
doubly violent. The horizontal detection
must have been the saving OF Pisa. | oh,cr-
we'd 1t IN the most distinct mannrr possible.
II The vertical shocks hId had the same nten-
sily, The effects of The disaster would have
been much more dcpoable.
As To the duration OF the oscilltion. !
counting from The moment when the distant ,
rumbhug was head, / think II from twenty ,
Ave to thirty seconds. Some persons reduce
II TO twelve or fifteen seconds, but these date (
1t only from the moment when the shock ,
was most senslhly felt. Ii the inhabitants nl
the country visited by the earthquake IRE
questioned 10 the duration of th- agitation
they all answer, half minute more or I,,
1T was TO be- dreaded that the phenomenon
would not cease with the FIRST shock EyoIl
motions were Afterwards lelt distinctly. hat
OF more feeble kind. A great part of thc
population passed the night follow iug in The
squares aud streets, oycrpoNrrd with fh.
sat news which was constantly brought IN
l'om nelshburug places.
F." The DISASTER, the city of PisI has sui, rcd
arc S'iSh' In comparison with what they might
have been. No one persisted The roof al
tie Church OF ST. Michael is ruined. but win.
ou' INJURY toauy person. II IL h4d happened
the next day at The same hour, there wouli
nave been many lives lost. 4 eros, ell from
The dome. The Campo Slnto suffered some
slSht injury The Cdmpon le cleaning Tow.
leD Us uhlutt. II remains TO b. discovered hy
/ examination whether It's inclinhtion b,. a..
come greater. Finally, there is not a mill.
ing IN Pisa which has not been more or l,...
damaged and cracked"
Letters from l. ghorn and Florc nee describe
ilIe earthquake to have been sil more t.rrihi. +
iu those cities and the surrounding copnfrr
Al NollegTa q Stale Prison wa. thrown down
p"pIng several prisoners under rs iuip~.-
i oume 90 TIC accounts from Florence .ay ti,,t
! rom thirty 10 forty persons bad p.6.5.I =,
udl nrlShhofhuOd, and more than "a bunIrsl
wee wounded.
DEPARTURE0F THE CALIFORNIA; 4
SINGULAR SCENE
The California volunteer. under C,l "a.