Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1881-04-11
CHIC.
PICTURE OF DEsoLATIoN


LONDON, April ga correspondent at Chic
telegraphs under date of the 7th MS follows
have just arrived here from Constantinople,
and find such p picture of desolation as is
rarely witnessed. The town looks as if it had
been terribly bombarded. Hundreds of
houses are transformed into shapeless masses
Of ruins, under which lie buried an
unknown number of victims. A ma
jority of the remaining houses are already
cracked and roofess, and may fall any mo-
ment Nearly every building in the town suf-
fered more or less. The inhabitants wander
about, anxious to search for missing relatives
or lost property but afraid to risk their lives
in the Ierilous work Of clearing away the
rubbish. Many who are willing to expose
themselves to the danger are prevented by
friends or by the police. Fear, grief and de-
spair are depicted on nearly every face. Nearly
all have some sad or tragic tale to tell.
The first shock was felt Sunday after
noon about half past one o'clock. Immedi-
ately houses began TO fall, and wild shrieks
were heard on every side. Then followed
an awful silence of some minutes. The ter
rifled survivors gradually yentured into the
narrow lanes and reached open spaces. Short
ly afterward another terrible shock completed
the destruction. All night the shocks sue
ceeded each other at short intervals, and each
one preceded by dull sounds like subterranean
explosions. Since that frequent shocks have
been felt. A few moments ago, while writing
the present dispatch, l distinctly heard an eX
plosion and felt the earth tremble, but as am
under canvas ! have nothing to fear.
The old Genoese fortress containing about
200 houses, inhabited by Musselmans and
Jews, suffered more than the rest of the town.
The ground sank there about half meter and
nearly all the houses were Immediately de-
stroyed. Several hundred persons must have
perished. 1t is known that aboutithirty Mus
selman women were assembled in one house,
not one of whom escaped. The southern part
of the island is said to have suffered more
than this town.
Her malestys gun-vessel Bittern arrived
this morning. The captain at once came
ashore, and, after consulting with the governor
of the islaed, organized relief parties for at
tending the wounded and extricating the dead
from the ruins. He then went over to Chisine
and made careful Inquiries regarding the state
of the town and Its inhabitants. Tomorrow
he intends visiting the southern part of the
island, where less has been done for the relief
of the sufferers.
l visited Chisine this afternoon. Only
about ten inhabitants were killed, but many
houses were in ruins and many more dilapidat-
ed. The mayor assured me that tnree-fOurths
of the houses are in a dangerous condition. The
inhabitants are afraid to live in the ones which
are uninjured, for every night since Sunday
frequent shocks have been felt. Nearly all
prefer to camp out. AS the weather is fine
the hardship in this respect is not great. 1t is
said throughout the district not less than
5000 people are without shelter.
In Kester the work of eXtricating bodies and
attending the wounded is progressing salts
factorily, but the sitting odor in the vicinity
of many of the ruins proves that the former
operation is far from complete. On the. Other
hand some wonderful cases have occurred.
One woman was buried under the ruins fifty
two hours and at last was rescued, having
given birth in the meantime 10 a child. The
child is dead, but the mother is doing WELL