The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1857-01-22

nus ~hl,h racs In the rear and al whose eummit IA
dss,s.,c,,a Tsase shocks continued with longer and
ipterv diminishing ofce, Tor more than
I'll a. last they eaaey aS% ovn sns earn
Desce CONNER eng in the ISLANDS OF simos and Rhodes
Ia the sean extended to smyrna anu CONSTANT aopie
an spread terror and ruin in the centre OF Asia Mia
which 10 an old volcanic neld ano desolatng the city
and region OF Kutaeh, sled A6de Ksder TO fse
the Porto had granted residence and possessions
Little thought had at the time Of reporting these
facts OF being anything more than the humble historian
OF esrthq Sufficiently IVES at the distance
Of AGO miles from the hesare Of these alsions to
AL necessary ideas Of the sublime In pc and peril
without coming In contact with them. had never felt
TN earthquake; had been 10 the fec OF earth
quakes how strange and startling, them 200 1000
Ieet the side Of old houat Lebanon to feel the earth
shake and hear the windows and doors rattle tho peo
PIE rushing near midnight, and nlins the air with
dsmAl yells and hardly less dismal prayers while
oaly pour house. bot this immense mountain Itself,
seemed to threaten instantly 10 come tumbng upon your
mead.
some time since, near the close Of summer, earth
Guakes were ie 10 the Caucasus, which shook to Is
ire this lofty pile OF mountains Nothing further
teard OF them any direction I'LL Sunday night 0c Ia
when the ctz M OF Beirut Sdon rrpo and probably
ell toe cities and villages on the seaboard OF Syria were
aroused IN iheir beds by cobcusson which shook the
earth with viosnce which threatened bury toe in
babants under the ruins OF their own houses Remem
bering the destructive valuations Of other times which
had demolished these popuous Cities the people wers
seized with CONSERVATION and abandoning their houses
which perous in such from being bull
their roofs heavy OF dirt and gravel
UemDHnH
~ they waited for their doom Some houses were
cracked injured by shock but were thrown
down, nor were any lives oet.
Dest uCve have been frequent occurrences
on tho plains OF Syria, but have seldom shaken Mount
Lebanon. whose long range OF 100 miles, with An average
breadth OF rs and elevation Of above IL 900 feet,
bas, seemed 70 q soidity and weight which could
be shaken and uPheaved by no forces which the i'm
mense Underlying furnace could generate saI
having been thrown from depth Of the abyss
Adsmte times a. the other day gathered fossil shells
eha anAa
are apparent almost TO Its summit But trembied
again from its base 70 It's highest peaks IRON end
omnpoent energy was struggling underneath. and at
tempting s overthrow. The towns and villages In the
Vulnerable and popuIous whose inhshitanss Swoke by
the shock. rushed into the streets, which they ned with
shreks or to the churches they were Christians or 70
cations 70 ''ths unknown God" whom both Alike gno
ranty adored the scene was dismal with superstition
and terror. In the village where / am spending few
days. feet above the sea- intelligent and courageous
ma mbers of the American mission thought In their agony
OF suspense that the shock lasted two full mnGtes
though PROBABLY was not half Of that time
Your readers remember there are two parallel noun
the oiner Anti Lebanon, between which rurs valley
about we ~ miles wide, called the Bekan The highest
peak Of Anti Lebanon Jebel Shekh, the eacref and
crle Ned Mount Hesmon Of the Bible It rises like .
cone 900 feet hgh presenting from its summit pros
pect which In sweep. the variety and the sobmiy Of
mountains the word fail TO furnish Rev. Mr..
Ca houa, Principal Of the Ab6ih Summary happened to
be village III the base the slope OF IT, ne
occurred aud atates that the whole OF this
mighty Of Limestone trembled like the aspea leaf
We have not had time at this writog 70 hear from An
tioch and Aleppo- cities to the north Of Syria and
familiar every read In ancient and mo Tern history
but having been often overthrow by earthquakes, Of
which they 70 be the centre, there 10 expectA
ton OF bad tidiDgs from those ci g. which may have
fallen BY oonvusion Of which the shocks felt here
are only sporadic communications.
Two nilhis following the earthquake, on oct II, an
event occurred which startled anew the horrors aud
,cpaons which had been nearly put to sleep The Mos
lens profoundly igporsnt OF astronomy, having
knowledge the Of ecpses ard therefore utterly
unable 10 oacu ate Accordingly they resort tho
6ctons Of ignorance and superstition TO
Tor ,hem and frs htenod Of their they
They believe . serpeu, attempting 10 swa1oW
ecp.sd ana iss,the impending catastrophe can DO avert
ed only By frightening the sepebt away Taey therefore,
make all sorts o. noises when they see the serpent
psndng his enormous JAWS and preparing TO suck 10 the
the They and shot and tots alone
from Arab ID enough TO rghten cviliz I'd mon, II moi
peus aud Squeezing wind instruments; they bring Out
III ir kettles and cofee pos, and array a the power o.
ss.Ds the monster snake they bsa. the boards q the
fences they have any, and In the last resort call upor
Alian and his prophet Iudesd, bedlam seems to have
broken loose, when such unearhy screcchee hoard
az suca frenzied actions which dnd counter
part only fan OF demonacs AT any rate they
gorge e and .un and moon coming o.. Of tSs ss r:
best y Thus the koslems confirmed In their double
superstcrher belief In the cause OF an eclipse and
conndenc 10 the power OF their throas nstru
mebs nominations and kettles. 10 ovcrmsster It. Such
excite and dread Witnessed In
all tho Nosem mountain villages and towns on the occur
renee Of the late lunar eclipse Had predicted
II from astronomical data, hs would have been wor
from he earliest periods record OF earthquakes
enters largely into the history OF Syria The CITY OF Bel
rs, ha. been Destroyed Ave time: By sni. invisible and
here previous the Christian and here Herod
Great came TO plead In person before the Judges against
Two Of his sons, whose condemnation no unjrsl y pro
cured and then put them death. The school
trued down TO the time Of Jusnian In the sixth century
Of the Christian era and nos much A'c IT,, not known
opened the suresi road 70 wealth and honor Crowds
iious spirits Of the agc-were attracted % this famous
school, and while Intent studying the BAckstoncs ant
.Sc moi sa Ss c 10 1e ruin
mary OF The studenu Whose ambition had brought them
| here.
The same earthquake said 10 have beon felt over Nj
whole extent OF tine Roman empire There was . vbra
/ tory mouon enormous cbasms were opened In Syria
huge and heavy bodies discharged into the ss tn
al,crr stey advanced and refreshed beyond ordi
navy boundaries and mountain torn from Lebanon
about ,ixy miles from Beirut and cast into the sea
| where protected, lire q mole, tho new hsrbor o
BStys By the same occurrence, on the same day and
at the same hour destruction came upon the auen ID.
ptpuous and deA.ed city OF Antioch. the capital OF thu
steucids. in northern syra In measure without eS-
ample before since The city supposed TO have con
greatly incrssscd by the confu1 Of strangers TO N,
great festival OF the Asoepson. No, less than too hua
dred AMI ny thousand persons said 70 have persisted
| IN that single day.
A. n lice shocks continued 10 be felt IN this SAINT
reg for Jour uonihs and In A. 100 another earth
quake Destroyed many cities filed mp the valleys OF Leba
and shattered tho bassc region of Hauran hey
damascus that according 10 expression then Cur
rent al longer possible 70 here stood this OF
1 that city terrible ssrthq Jake occurred In 1859
vhoee shocks continued for six mouths. At the hrs
lock the Giles OF Antioch Bsatec, Acre, Trpol, and
oihcrs laid In ruins FAY they separated and
with mountains intervening, and thirty thousand person.
killed Another terrific visitation occurred August 10
is22, when IA horrible night Aloppo Antioch, Bba
sesser and indeed every vilsge and cottage Within IN,
psshalic OF Aeppo were, within ten twelve seconds
utterly destroyed and converted into heaps OF rubbish
Not lees than 20 COO persisted In that brief period
The lats, earth quake IN Syria occurred jan l. 1887
which widely felt but did serious injury excep
At sact and TbeyiAs two considerable places the
side OF Lake Tberiss the Sea Of Gsiee. In the rs
place. out OF 900 inhabant 1000 peyshed and In th
latter with less population about 1000 lost their lives
4 ha NJ becA mc 40 hot