The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1855-04-19
4 Fearful EarthQ uake.

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We have already had partial accounts
of terrible earthquakc-upheaval, as ge,
olosists would call tat Broussa, in a
static Turkey. A Constantinople letter,
dated March 9Th, says
"The accounts from Broussa are terri
bic Such a ng-continued convulsion
of Nature has hardly been heard of in the
history of the world The earthquake
had lasted five days, and shocks were Of
constant occurrence when the last news
left. The great shock of the 2eth of Feb
ruary destroyed part of the town, and
killed or manned nearly three hundred Of
the inhabitants. Although the shocks
were only felt at Constantinople during
the two days, they lasted at Broussa for
four succeeding days, not without causing
serious damage to the already shaken
houses. The commencement of the con-
yulsion was preceded By torrents Of rain,
which lasted more than twenty four hours,
accompanied by high wind and occasion
al thunder. At 3 o'clock the sky became
suddenly overcast, strong smell of sui
phur was perceived, and the first shock
took place, which in less than minute
overthrow mosques, houses, and bazaars
in one vast ruin.
"Nearly eighty mosques have been SO
much injured that their speedy fall is ex-
pected, while not one in the whole city
has escaped some damage. The khans,
or large buildings which served either as
inns or places for transacting business,
are mostly injured, and five of them were
completely destroyed, crushing scores of
their unfortunate inmates. The bazarrs.
with their heavy arches, are fat on the
ground. The ancient mosque of Davoul-
Ion Monastir, Greek ecclesiastical edi-
fee, said to be 200 years old, is unhap-
PLY destroyed. Another mosque, the Ou-
lon Djami, a fine building 600 years old,
is also a mass of ruins 1t was the chief
ornament of the city, and the most splen-
did religious edifce of the days when
Broussa was the capital of the young and
growing Ottoman empire. Materialists
may, however, still more regret destruc-
ton which has fallen on the silk factories,
of which scarcely one has escaped without
damage, while the number of women who
have lost their lives by the fall has been
very large.
Large masses Of rocks were detached
from their beds, and came crashing down
thesides of Olympus into the neighborhood
of the town. In one place several houses
were crushed by one of these avalanches,
The old wall and fort were sh aiken to the
ground, and in their fall buried ten or
twelve houses and the factory of Hadji
Anastasi, q respectable Greek manufac-
turer, who also lost his life. As the shocks
continued during the night the whole pop
ulation at once quilted the town, and are
now encamped in the neighborhood the
well-off in tents, the poor under the open
heaven, preferring to bear the chill nights
of March than to live in hourly dread of
destruction within the circuit of their i'll
fated city The shocks which have since
taken place have thrown down many
buildings which were previously in
iured, but there is no reason to be-
lieve that any fresh edifces have been
destroyed A shock on the I'd of March
was very severe, and when the post left
on the 4th there had been another of con-
siderable violence 1t was anticipated
the ravages of the earthquake have net
extended over any very great tract of
country"