Weekly North Carolina standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1850-1858, 1851-05-14

TERRIBLE EARTHQUAKE IN Turkey. Great Des-
tracton Of Life and Property. Accounts from Malta
announce succession OF terrible earthquakes which
have been felt at Makn, city of Adolia, Turkey on
the Mediterranean, and at the famed city and island
of Rhodes, which il situated fifty miles out from
Makr and the Turkish coast. Rhodes is nearly in
the same latitude as New York, and is distant from
her six thousand miles. Its population is 900. The
English mail steamers connecting with the overland
route to China, pass near Rhodes. The first shock
was felt the 28th of February, between five and
half past five M when at Rhodes the upper part of
the castle, which is at the entrance of the town. fell
with an awful crash, overfowing the Offices Of the
Austrian Lloyd's Steam Navigation Company, whilst
the tower of Arays-kuie, which commands the en-
of the habor, and seveaa other parts Of the for
t6cations stained great injury. did likewise many
dwelling houses, some of which shaken their
very foundations the rock others cracked through
out. The oscillations were fromavest to east. Mrs.
B., the lady ofa foreign vice consul, alarmed,
that she rushed, with infant in her arms, from her
dwelling into the sea, made her way boat, whilst
another daughter, who attempted to follow the moth
got buried in the ruins, but from which, through
the humane exertons of the neighbors, was happily
extrcated, and, marvellous to relate with other
injury than bruises. SIighter shocks succeeded al
most daily up to the 7th March.
At Makr, on the main land, and its immediate
neighborhood the consequences have been most dis
astrous and hear-rending. The whole of the houses,
dwellings and stores lately erected in the town have
been lcveled to the gronnd assures have been form
ed in the very streets, from which bituinous vapors
exude continually, almost sufocang the inhabitants
many springs have dried up, whilst in arid localities
new have gushed out, changing the whole feat
ure of the earth's surface.
The town Of Levissy, which contained 800 hous-
es, has not one left standing, and no less than six
hundred human beings are reckoned to be under the
ruins, which number would have been awfully aug
mented, had the shock been after night-fa, when the
inhabitants retire their homes, after the abors of
the day. The Chorge has nearly met with the same
fate, the upper part Of huge mountain having fallen
into, and blocked up, the small port of Eksenide,
overwhelming the dwellings round about its base,
Another village, more inland, has been buried from
the fall, in opposite directions, of two hills between
which it was situated.
The Survivors of Makr, alarmed by the repeated
shocks which still occurring for live days AFTER
though of much sghter nature, had fed for safety
board small craft and fishing bouts, carrying with
them what property they could, from time TO time,
dig out from beneath the ruins of storehouses of
which has been removed to Simi, Rhodes and other
islands.
At SAMSON, Turkish port of some note on the
Black Sea, 200 miles this side of Trebizond, a smart
shock was felt on the 25h Of February, but it caused
no damage. Our readers will remember that the IA
nous Colossus of Rhodes, which in its day was reck-
oned one of the seven wonders of the world, was
thrown down by an earthquake 234 years before
Christ. and Sc years after it's erection being the enor
nous weight of 7l3 900 lbs, To such event is,
no doubt, also attributable the extensive magnificent
ruins Of many cities which exist in Lycia and the
valley Of the Xanthus of which Makri is the port,
and from which the British Museum imported the in
teresting works of which adorn its Saloons dis
covered. or more properly speaking, recovered, by
Mr. Feliowes, some ten years ago.
Since the foregoing was in type, we have seen let
tiers from Trebizond, another city of Asia,ic Turkey
(the ancient Trapesus,) down to the 5th of March,
which make mention of two smart shocks of earth
quake having been experienced thereat. Stove pipes
got detached from the walls of the houses, doors flew
open and many old tenements threatened to fall
about the of the inmates but no accident of con-
sequence occurred Earthquakes are of very rare oc-
curence at this seaport. Tebizond is on the Black
Sea, 600 miles east of Constantinople.