The weekly Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1854-1861, 1856-12-04
Tnc Enrthqunke In Errpt.

Ihc 6uHeh4uuAc - 6Bypt' |
The following are some further parricu-
lars Of this event, as given ia letter to
Messrs. Peacock Brothers, of Sutherland,
England:
ALEXANDRIA, Friday. Oct. II.
On Sunday morning last we had an earth |
quake here. which was both severe and long. |
Il occurred about eight minutes to three A.
NJ, true time; our clock was stopped at
twelve minutes Of three. II caused no lit |
tie alarm, and, for my part, must cay |
never felt more uncomfortable in my life.
I had not been long in bed, nnd was not
asleep, for had been sitting up reading.
not feeling at all sleepy, when the fret
thing that attracted nay attention was a lit
tie dog Of madame's that sleeps in my room,
which began to move about uneasily, and
then felt my bed rock violently as if half
a dozen fellows were tugging at it. My
fret impression was that some Greeks on
the ground floor were kicking up shindy.
as they do sometimes; only the roaring noise
bothered me.
As soon as I put my head outside the
musketo net, ut once became aware OF the
true stute of the case, for the walls were
moving as though they were made OF PASTE
board, and the pictures were moving out
from the walls and then swinging violently
back acain-the walls all the time crack
ing away like fun. The first thing that
struck me on seeing this was, that there
was no chance of escape, the house would
be down long before we could get out OF it;
| but madame's door opened on the other side
of the corridor, and she CO led out. Leret'
uous ute, sorte5, sortsz. | went and picked
up all my traps, put them over my arm, and
boted; all this time the lime and plaster
were dropping upon us in all directions, and
at this critical moment the servant Was SO
frightened, and the door shook So, that she
could not unlock it for some time. Madame
was calling out all the time, Nous sommeS
perdh, nous sommeS prrdu.
/ certainly was OF the same opinion, for,
on looking up TO the raters, by the ligh,
OF the moon, could see first one side go up
and then the other, the walls all the time
bending and cracking in all arections.-
The noise was awful, like very heavy gale
Of wind during the whole time, and the flooI
was heaving like a ships deck sea. Wher
the door was opened into the stairs the poo
serv0nt called out, "Mdis madame nous som
mes m chemise" However, after hailing tht
folks above stairs, and getting an answer
we all darted down the stairs, which wert
] rocking like vengeance. When we got in
to the street we found our nei.hbors ou
before us, all in white, making very curl
Gus efforts to get on their dressing gowns
I II took them some time before they could b
+. managed. The scene was very ridiculous
;,J; CaIt
laugh just then, for it was touch and CO.
Had the shock continued a little while lon
o ger, all Alexandria would have bee n in ru
), ins, for the last shock, instead OF being sim
. ply unduatng like the first and second, wa
regular jerk upward, which is most dc
structive. Properly speaking there wa
1t but one shock; but there were three inter
" walls, that is the shaking became gradual
stronger and stronger up to certain poin
- then died away, and then became stron
ugnin and died away to faint shake, ar
,. then came the last jerking, which inishe
off the business. II lasted altogether VI
10 ward Of two minutes. When finished n
toilet in the street found that was min,
ID both stockings and boots. AS soon as II
-; shock ceased went and got my boots, &c
s. of cigars, prepared for any eventually. a
the people got into the open places clear
~ the houses, such as the middle OF the squar
r &C., and Il curious lot OF costume there wer
u Lots Of people were very sick and compet
n Iy done up.
as AS soon us got clear of the house fir
+. one and smoked away till daylight, wht
had some grub and went to bed, but Il
slightest thing made me start up out of n
sleep; the nerves had been thrown of the
N balance, and even after | was asleep, an
. thing hitting the wall aroused me for a m
ment. 1t was fortunate that the wealth
: was wnrm and pleasant, otherwise loads
I'd people would have taken their deaths wi
J.. cold. | am not q bit worse for being in Il
streets in bare feet and night shirt. III
thermometer and barometer were not chan
p ed at oil by the earthquake. A lot Of the o
IL, houses in the Arab qusrter were shake
II down, but none in the European, though q
-, show marks. Many of them have crac
10 from top to bottom, ours among the rest
The architects and builders say the crac
ID. are of no consequence unless thoy are acros
then the buildings become dangerous.
- lnever dreamed OF bricks, stones and me
10 tar having such an amount of electricit
er they held out wonderfully, but they say tn
the immense quantity Of wood used here,
the walls was what saved them from goi
ns squash. At Cairo one hundred aud six
'r- houses and one or two Mosques have go
Ia. down; Demiatta the shock was not felt
oil, but we have news to-day that it was f
at Corfu; in Syria there was none. Wh'
nt ever it came from, some dreadful disas
da must have occurred, fer it was most viole
IA. here; and we are almost out of the ran
IA altogether. There is great difference
Az opinion as to the duration, but most peoI
make it at least two minutes, and belle
OF it lusted longer.
tly -''''''-