New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1872-05-17
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SFFjCIGL JOURNAL OF THE UNITED STATES
,sFFiclAL JOURNAL OF NEW ORLEANS
Tic GREAT Earthquake at Antioch.

NEW YORK, May l3.-Letters are pub
Eshed in the English papers from the Rev,
~. Brown Keer, describing the recent
earthquake at Antioch. In the first, dated
Antioch, April -, Mr.. Keer says;
a severe shock of earthquake was felt
here yesterday, precisely at A. M. The
house in which / was, was shaken violently
70 and fro for about i've seconds. A stove
weighing nearly hundred weight was ever
turned. The walls of stone and plaster,
With the woodwork and beams, were
cracked The plaster fell on all Sides
Books were thrown from the cases and the
clock hurled from the bracket on the wall.
The outside house walls fell the narrow
streets being literally blocked up for long
distances with the ruins of the houses. Men
women and children ran Wailing their own
hurts, or loss of relatives. went down to
the bridge southwest of the city, about two
hours after, and saw many dead persons
brought out of the city, and laid out for
burial. Later counted fifteen new graves,
all close to each other. Looking toward
town ruins could be seen in all directions
Several aqueduets were broken, telegraph
poles thrown down and wires broken.
The Greek church, strong stone arched
structure, 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 persons of this small community were
killed, though the mission families are all
safe. The number of killed and injured
can not be ascertained with any approach
70 accuracy, and of course flying rumOrs
are abundant, one man saying he thought
there must be 1000 killed, while another
said 500, which is perhaps within the truth.
The city contains from $4,000 to $4,000 per
sons. There was time, from the beginning
of the first shock to its close, for many to
escape. The shocks have continued at in
tervals through the night.
The old Roman bridge of four arches is
rent In several places, until water can be
seen through it from above. A part of
parapet wall has also been shocked of, and
the arch above the city door has been hurled
down. Many people are to be seen encamp-
ing in the fields or plains
In letter, dated Alexandria, April g.
the writer says: 1 returned to Antioch
yesterday, and came on to this place, about
thirty miles, to-day There is little harm
done north Of Antioch, compared with the
south side Of the valley. Alexandria was
shaken, but no stones fell, Yesterday two
OF three shocks were strong enough to make
men run from the walls of houses which they
were pulling down. One man told me he
counted fOrty-four shocks within twenty
four hours after the first one. They were
all accompanied by a noise like distant
NAahACL VI hIhl4lcAN3 anu pIOuuCCuh LISAuOE
of the ground; but no fresh ruin has, be-
heVe, been made by any of them, except the
first great shock about eight o'clock on
the morning of the third instant. That
shock one man describes not inaptly, as
shaking houses, just as horses shake them
selves in harness when lOOsed from q
journey, and then came a shower of stone,
of falling walls and roofs. Many of
these houses-indeed, nearly all around
Suadi and around Bitias have fallen, and
large bOulders from mountains knocked
down trees. The house of DR.. Yatts, used
as a mission school in Suadi is in ruins, but
Che inmates were all saved. The house of
the late Consul Parker is entirely destroyed,
the man who kept it narrowly escaping
with his life. The Protestant mission chapel
at BitiRs 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 far as Selu- |
Ella. The number of dead in Antioch is yet |
unknown. / met a Roman Catholic pastor |
yesterday among the ruins, and asked him |
how many he thought were killed. His re-
ply was "PrObably over a thousand" The |
opinion Of Rev. P. o. Powers, American |
missionary, who has labored in Turkey for |
more than thirty-fve years, was that a |
thousand was probably nearer the number |
OF lives lost than any other"