Jeffersonian Republican. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1840-1853, 1851-05-08
e at NAakri & Rhodes
Terrible Destruction of Life
and Property.

Accounts from Malta announce a sue
cession of terrible earthquakes, which
have been felt at Mrkri, a city of Adolia,
Turkey, on the Mediterranean, and at
the far-famed city and Island of Rhodes
which is situated about fifty miles out
from Makria and the Turkish COAST
Rhodes is nearly in the same latitude as
New York, and is distant from here six
thousand miles. Its population is twen-
ty-fve thousand. The English mail
steamers connecting with Overland route
to China pass near Rhodes. The first
shock was felt on the 28th of Febru-
airy, between five and half-past five o'clock
p. NJ, when at Rhodes, the upper part of
the castle, which is at the entrance of the
town, fell with an awful crash, overwhel-
ming the Offices of the Austrian Lloyd's
Steam Navigation Company, whilst the
Tower Arrays Kule, which commands
the entrance of the harbor, and several
other parts of the Notifications sustained
great injury, as did likewise many dwell
ling houses some of which were shaken
to thdir very foundations on the rock
others cracked throughout. The oscilla-
tions were from west to east.
Mrs. B., the lady Of foreign vice-con-
cul, was so alarmed, that she rushed, with
an infant in her arms, from her dcwilling,
and jumping into the sea, made her way
to boat; while another daughter, who
attempted to follow the mother, got bur-
led in the ruins, but from which, through
the humane exertions of some neighbors
she was happily extricated, and marvel
lous to relate with no other injury than
bruises. Slighter shocks succeeded al
most daily, up to the 7th day of March.
At Makri, on the main land and its i'm
mediate neighborhood the consequences
have been most disastrous and heart rem
ding. The whole of the houses, dwell
lings, and stores, lately erected in the
town, have been levelled to the ground,
assures have been formed in the very
streets, from which bituminous va
pors exude continually almost suffocating
the inhabitants; many springs have dried
up, whilst in arid localities new ones
have gushed out, changing the whole fca-
ture Of the earth's surface.
The town of Levissy, which contained
1900 houses, has not one left standing,
and no less than six hundred human be-
ings are reckoned to be under the ruins,
which number would have been awfully
augmented had the shock been after
nightfall, when the inhabitants retire to
their homes after the labors of the day.
The village of Chiorge has nearly met
with the same tate, the upper part of a
huge mountain having fallen into and
blocked up the small port of Eksenide
overwhelming all the dwellings round a
bout its base. Another village, more IN
land, has been buried from the fall in op-
posite directions of two hills, between
which it was situated
The survivors at Makri, alarmed by
the repeated shocks which were still oc-
curing for five days after, though of a
much slighter nature, had fed for safety
Oh board small craft and fishing boats, carry
ing with them what property they could from
time to time dig out from beneath the ruins
Of storehouses, most Of which has been re-
moved to Simi, Rhodes, and other islands.
At SAMSON smart shock was felt on the
25th of February, but it caused no damage.
Our readers will remember that the famous
Colossus of Rhodes, which in its day was rec
koned one of the seven wonders of the world,
was thrown down by an earthquake, two hun
dred and thirty-four years before Christ, and
ffty-six years after its erection, being Of the
enormous weight Of seven hundred and thir-
teen thousand pounds.