Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1857-12-12
Nj | s c E L l. A N Y.
THE ISLAND OF RHODES, TWO TER.
RIBLE VISTA TIONS.
Correspondence Of the Journal Of Commerce.

Correspondence Of the Journal Of Commerce.
In the time Of Homer, the island of Rhodes
was famous, and was celebrated in the poet 5 i'm
mortal verse, though the city of This name did
not then exist: Or The three Others which re-
ceived his praises Lndus, now represer ted by
the village Lindo was the most populous and
affinent, being adorned by the famous temple of
Minerva, and honored by giving birth 10 Cleo.
bu US. one Of the seven wise men OF Grrece Ii
was also OF great antiquity. having been founded
1.400 wears before the Christian era Cap,isus
is now the miserable hamlet Camyso while the
third, JalysuS. the oldest OF the three, has utter
ly periShrd. After having been in the hands of
the Knights Of 81. John Oi Jerusalem for about
400 Yeas. during which period they several
times hravely re .elled strong armies OF brsiegers
il finally submitted, "A. ID. 1922, TO the Turks
u der Sultan Snliman II. Such has been the
history OF the island and city, whose melancholy
fate | am about to describe, as it occurred wear
aao. On Sunday morning, Oct l2ih, about 3
o'clock the sleeping inhabitants of both the city
and ,he villages were startled tiom their slum-
Der by shock of an earthquake which lasted
for IS seconds, winch no one had ever known to
b. equalied either in duration or violence So
long was II, that many people awakng fIom their
SlumbeIs Il. the commencement, had ilme to 90
IN AID out ot their houses several times durinu
its continuance, Several Ii hter shocks preceu-
ed it. and others followed for a weel al least,
but without damage In the city, the walls of
the castle, the towers, the churches and The
mosques. all suffered more or less, while of 1000
houses there were not two which escaped either
being utterly overlhrown ur rendered nearly or
qatr uninha6ltauie, while many Of the unior-
tunate occupants were buried under the ruins
1t was estimated that the damages amounted to
n 4 q Al. a
island, all were sufferers, some 10 greater and
others 10 a less extent, The whole island seem
ing to rock to and fro, as though plaything in
the hand of giant, and the giant in a rage. Ten
were utterly destroyed some hundreds Of the
inhabitants being killed outright, and many more
Sull dangerously wounded In the village of
Klanda containing 5000 houses situated on a
plain and surrounded by VINEYARDS and olive
orchards. 2jGh us,s were thrown down, and
more than 1900 rend red uninhahilillr, while
the 'est would fall without immediate repairs
-Four persons were killed, and the preservation
of the rest was owing to the circumstance, that
a few days ~ ly before all the abnrers had lefi
the village for empl )ymrnt IN the city. A great
part Of the inhabitants of The island were de-
prived If shelter, and others Of both she Ter and
their goods and effects
Il is a remarkable circumstance, that the shock
was ltll lar al sei. several captains oil tnel-
,lnnt vessels, coming 10 Rhodes from different
lusrels thought at the mlment Of the shock that
| their vessels had struck rock The captain
of an Austrian steamer coming from Alexandra,
when he was seventy miles distant from Rhodes,
felt tine. shock so violently. That, believing the
steamer had run against rock, he ordered the
engine 10 be Immediately stopped, while the
greatest consieration reigoed for a moment on
bGRl. Another steamer from SMYRNA, enter
ing the port at the moment of the first shork,
felt its effects, and would have been severely
damaged by the rocks calling from the Tower
Of he Angels had MOI the captain Instantly Or
dered the engine to be reversed.
Nor was the earthquake the end of calamity
however severe. Hardly had the afrightened
and housrless inhabitants of the city begun to
breathe freely, when another and more terrible
succeeded -Four weeks had nOl elapsed. when,
on Nov. 9Th, thundrrbol, fell upon The city
powder magazine, containing 300 900 pounds 0i
Inudpr In the morning the clouds began ia
collect, promising only a lutte Welcome rain
about noon the air became chrgrd with eec-
triciiy, and tie lighln ng struck in several places
in the city. Al O'clock precisely frighlful
detnnaton was heard which violently shook all
the houses aud many thinking of the night OF
Oci, l2'h, thought they felt another shock Of
earthquake; aud began 10 fee from THEN hnnscs
and rush to The fields But they were mistaken
the 'hunderbot hal fallen upon the magazine,
a. was soon indicated by thick smoke which
enveoped all the houses 10y the strong smell Of
sulphur. aud shower Of stoDcs Of all sizes, which
tell mile distant. The old church of ST. John