The Fremont weekly journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County, Ohio) 1867-1877, 1872-05-24
THE EARFHoUAKEAT AT ANTIOCH.
Streets Checked with Fallen Houses
"A Thousand Persons Buried in
the Ruins.

"A Thousand Persons Buried in
the Ruins.
Letters are published in the Eng
lish papers from Rev. W. Brown
Keer, describing the recent earth
quake at Antioch. In the first, dat
ed Antioch, April 10th, Mr. Keer
says: The house in which l reside
vas shaken violently to and fro for
four or five seconds. A stove weigh
ing nearly a hundred weight, was
rverturned. Walls of stone and
plaster, with woodwork and beams
we're cracked; plaster fell on all sides
books were thrown from the cases,
and the clock was hurled from its
bracket on the wall. Outside the
house walls fell, the narrow streets
being literally blocked up, for long
distances with ruins of fallen houses.
Men, women and children ran vail
ing their own hurts OF the loss of
relatives. went down to the bridge
southwest of the city, about two
hours sitter, and saw many dead per-
sons brought out of the city, and
laid out for burial. Later l counted
fifteen new graves all close by each
other. Looking toward the town,
ruins could be seen in all directions.
Several aqueducts were kroken, and
telegraph poles were thrown down
and the wires broken. The Greek
Church. a strong stone-arched struc-
ture, built only few years ago, was
utterly ruined. One side and the
entire roof are gone. The American
Protestant Church and premises are
also greatly injured, and four per
sons of their small community were
killed, though the mission families
are all safe. The number of killed
and injured cannot be ascertained
With any approach to accuracy, and
Of course flying rumors are abun-
dant, one man saying that he thought
there must be 1000 killed, while an
other said 500, and others 300, which
is perhaps within the truth. The
city contained from 1900 to $1,000
persons. There was time from the
beginning of the first shock to its
close for many to escape. Shocks
have continued at intervals through
the night. The old Roman Bridge,
of four arches, is rent in several
places, until the water can be seen
through it from above. Part of
the parapet wall has also been shak-
en- off, and the arch above tie city
gate has been hurled down. Many
people are to be seen camping in the
field or plains.
In a letter dated Alexandria,
April 8, the writer says: 81 returned
to Antioch yesterday, and came on
to this place, about thirty five miles,
to-day. Thee is little harm done
north Of of Antioch compared with
the south side Of the valley. Alex
andria was shaken, but no stones
fell Yesterday two or three shocks
were strong enough to make men
move from the walls ofhouses which
they were pulling down. One man
told me that he counted forty four
shocks in twenty-four hours after the
first one. They are all accompanied
by a noise like distant thunder or
artillery, and produced a tremor of
the ground, but no fresh ruin has,
1 believe, been made by any Of them
except the first shock about eight in
the morning of the Sd inst. That
shock one man describes not inaptly
as shaking the houses inst as horses
shake themselves in the harness
when loosed from a journey; and
then came 4 shower of stones, fal-
ling walls, and roofs. Many of the
houses, indeed nearly all around
Suadi and around Betias, have fallen
and large boulders from the noun
tains knocked down trees. The
house ofDr. Yates, used as mission
school in Suadi, is in ruins, but the
inmates were all saved. The House
Of the late Consul Baker is entirely
destroyed, the man who kept it mar
rowly escaping with his life. The
Protestant Mission chapel at Betias
forms a singular exception; not a
stone of it has fallen. The native
pastors house and others around
were leveled to the ground. Some
families have lost two or three of
their number, and several are dead
in every village to the south as for
as Selucia. The number of dead in
Antioch is as yet unknown. l met
the Roman Catholic pastor yesterday
among the ruins, and asked him how
many he thought were killed. His
reply was, probably ever a thousand
The opinion of Rev. P. o. Powers,
American missionary, who has Ia.
bored in Turkey for more than thir-
ty-6ve years, was that q thousand
was probably nearer the number of
lives lost than any other"
The st. Louis Democrat claims twenty
ihousand majority In 2sisseun for the phils-
lafnkfG nan{Haas