Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1855-07-12
From Correspondence Of the Journal Of Commerce
EARTHQUAKE AT BROUsSA.
BEYRouT, Syria, May IA, l

DEL fhouI, Oyrh, way IT, Aoo1'
The city of Broussa is of great antiquity, hav-
ing been the capital of the province of Bithynia,
and afterwards of the Turkish empire and the
burial place of the Sultans from which fact,
as well as from its numerous and splendid
mosques, there having been for nerly about two
hundred, it was called by the Moslems =" the
Holy City" 1t is situated at the foot of Mt.
Olympus, on the coast of the Black Sea, though
not directly on the shore, having Ghemlick for
its port, as Paris has Havre. The distance from
Constantinople is only about sixty miles across.
the water.
Within recent period the population was
100, 900, though various causes have contributed
of late to reduce it to $4,000, composed of
Turks, Greeks, Jews and Armenians; and for
ages in has been one of the most flourishing CON-
mercial emporiums of the Turkish empire
The American Board established a mission there
ubout twenty-five years ago, with special refer
ence to the Armenians, which has been one of
the most successful of all under their direction
in the East. Its mineral springs, whose heal
ing virtues were perhaps the work of the inter-
nal fires beneath it, which have finally destroyed
it, have been celebrated for ages.
The first ntimation of the terrible events
which were to follow was on Saturday, February
18th, on the Island of Samos, situated in the
Archipelago, not far below Smyrna, and near
the main lpnd, and some three or four hundred
miles distant from Broussa. About midnight
on that day the inhabitants were disturbed from
their slumbers by the shocks of an earthquake,
which, in their violence, regularity and duration,
had not been equalled by any similar occurrence
in the memory of the living. Beginning at
midnight they continued through the highland
till Il Tuesday following without interruption
Some of the shocks lasted not less than five or
six seconds, and gave the houses an oscillatory
motion, which threatened to tumble them to
the ground every moment. As Samos is little
less than the product of volcanic action, the
people were at once persuaded the shocks were
connected with an earthquake in Antolia or
some island in the Archipelago. Growing leebler
they finally ceased, without occasioning any
considerable injury.
At the same time violent shock occasioned
alarm at the port of Uacri, not far from Rhodes
which, if it occasioned extreme peril, yet in
one instance wrought wonderful delverance
1t is stated that little village was being swal
lowed up alive, when having sunk sixty feet it
progress was stayed, without the loss of sin
gle life or the ruin of single house. The un
lucky and yet lucky villagers, finding themselves
at the bottom of a sort of tunnel, were glad tt
make ladders and thus escape from their prisons
All remained quiet from February 2lst to tn
28th, the last day Of the month, when shocl
alarmed the city Smyrna ut three o'clock in tn
morning, remarkable for its duration rather thar
its violen e. The oscillations were very regula
and went from north to south. The same da,
} and the same hour, Constantinople was shaker
by violent earthquake, the center of whicl
was soon ascertained to be the ill-fated city o
) Broussa. After torrents of rain had descendc
J for twenty-four hours, accompanied with terri
BILE claps of thunder and strong gales from th
southeast, 40 O'Clock in the evening the SIX
was suddenly overcast, and the strong odor o
} burning sulphur and iron was diffased throug
; the atmosphere. when sudden shock of earth
quake laid the city in ruins.
The first oscillation was from west 10 east
then came sort Of violent gambolling, of tn
earth; then another oscillation more violeu
than the first and then calm succeeded, afte
shock of fifty or sixty seconds duration. Blu
short as it was, it was long enough to bring de
struction upon this ancient, renowned and -four
ishing city. From sixty to eighty minarets wit
as many mosques, were either shaken down o
else cracked in such manner as to threaten in
slant falling. Numerous khans were also de