Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1858-02-03
Terrible Details of the Earthquake at
Nor,los

The correspondent of the London Times, un
der date of January Q, says
proceed to give further details from the pro
vnces regarding the all absorbing subject OF th
earthquake The official Journal of Wednesda..
night enumerates sixty-one other places whicl
had suffered in their buildings, and many in the
population. Under the name of each place il
given description of the disaster, and this las
report alone gives the number of several-say
1000 or 5000 additional known to have suffer
ed. Then are described the other casualties
people manned, crushed others drawn out alive
after fearful sepulture of eight days, reminding
US of how many more might have been saved,
had proper exertions been made. The latest ac-
counts, too awaken considerable apprehensions
of further disaster. The whole district of Sala
is agitated by continual movements Of the earth,
stronger by night than by day, and these are
preceded by fearful detonations. Moreover, g..
bout o'clock, P. M., of the 28th ult, and 6 and
half-past P NJ, of the 29th ult., three strong
shocks, lasting ten or twelve seconds, were felt,
followed by others less intense.
In Potenza, too, on the evening of the 29th,
about quarter TO 7 P. NJ, strong undulatory
shock was felt and other light ones during the
night. No injury was done, but the population
all rushed out into some open space.
Here in Naples it is said that since the 10th
ult, we have had, up to Christmas eve 49
shocks and it may readily be believed almost
every one finds some trace of them in his house !;
the shocks, too, which were felt in Potenza on
the evening of the 29th, were felt in Naples, and
in some cases, created great alarm. However,
every one looks to Vesuvius for safety, and on
that night it was in violent movement. People
who reside at Resina tell me that during the
whole night the shocks from the mountains were
of most violent and continuous character
Every three minutes it appeared as it desperate
man were trying to wrench open the doors and
windows. Nothing, however, took place. L
have also reports to give you from private per
sons who have visited the scene of ruin. They
describe the country in many places as crossed
with assures, which at first had been very wide,
but now had much closed During the whole
time of their visit the ground was heaving be-
meath them. There was universal panic and
grief, and no light part OF it arose from the fact
that there was no one to search beneath the ru-
ins or to bury the dead. Ispeak of the 2lst and
22d ult, that is 10 say, of six days after the
date Of the disaster. Letters from Brienza OF
the 31st ult., say that no relief had been as yet
received. My intorments, in wandering through
Polla, could get no food, and even bread was
wanting in many places. Those who were dug
out alive-some after six or eight days of living
burial-awoke to famine and death. The de-
tails which receive are more horrible than can
be easily conceived.
Since writing the above, other and more af-
hicting details have arrived of the desolation
occasioned by the earthquake. Laurenzana, III
to, Brenza, Marsicanuovo have almost entirely
disappeared. The King himself says that up
wards OF $4,000 have perished, and from what
heard, says my very sensible informant, the real
number must be nearly double. People who
have come from the spot report that the groans
of the sufferers were heard from beneath the ru
ins several days after the disaster, and that, hor
rible to relate, on some bodies being taken out
it was found that they had devoured q portion
of their arms. There were none to aid them,
none TO extricate the dying, none to bury" the
dead, none TO give bread to the famishiDg.-
Thousands of soldiers are maintained ct the ex
pense Of the State to keep order but could not
be sent to save thousands from perishing. Ma
ny steamers were lying in harbor, the expensive
toys of the sovereign, but with one or two tardy
exceptions they have remained snug in port
People cannot refrain from comparing the tardi-
hess displayed on the present melancholy occa-
sion with the promptitude displayed in the
month of June last, when rebels landed in Sapri.