Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1883-08-01
The FREEMAN.
MONTPELIER. VT:
WEDNESDAY, AUG. /, 1883.
The Ischia Disaster.

1schia is an island in the Mediterranean
some fifteen miles from Naples. The lant
is of volcanic origin, has only about q
square miles and from ancient times has
had an uncanny reputation. Last Saturday
evening it was the scene of terrible
convulsion by which some four or five
thousand people lost their lives.
The accounts do not yet make it certain
whether the cause of destruction was an
earthquake of the common kind, but of
unusual severity, or whether it was more
properly sinking of a portion of the
island.
The island is famed for its baths and
many wealthy Neapolitan and Roman
families make it summer resort Satur-
day evening in the village Of Casamicciola
there was theatrical performance v hich
many of the summer residents attended
Those who were at the theater were
fortunate for, although the building was
ruined and great confusion reigned, most
OF the audience were saved while those in
the other houses of the place were mostly
killed.
The night of Saturday was one of terror
Word was got to Naples and help was
sent. Two thousand soldiers were put at
work on the ruins and they saved
thousand lives on Sunday and twenty
four on Monday by releasing people who
had been buried in the crash. Several
other villages on the island besides Casa
mlcciola were destroyed although the
loss OF life was greatest in that village.
The earthquake if it Can properly be
called one was not of such wide spread
power as the famed ones of History of which
the great Lisbon earthquake of November
LIST, 1875, that is said to have DESTROYED
10000 people was type. The Lisbon
earthquake was felt in New England, but
gets its name from the place of greatest
violence and loss. A tidal wave added to
the destruction caused by that convulsion.
In 1888 Calabria in the south of Italy
was shaken up and greater loss of life
reported than in the Lisbon disaster. In
1872 twelve thousand people are said to
have been destroyed in Caracas, Venezuela.
The Lisbon and Caracas earthquakes had
their horrors perpetuated by wonderfully
Dad pictures in. the older Biographies. The
earthquake in Peru in 1868 was yerv
destructive and marvellous tale was told
of now, not satisfied with making corpses
ofthe living, it opened many graves and
stood up" the buried dead in semblance
If life.
But strange stories may be pardoned
hose who have gone through an earth.
quake experiences. 1t is certainly true
hat no other performance of nature ere.
ties so much terror both to mankind and
he lower animals.
The most noted earthquakes in this |
ountry have been the one that DESTROYED |
Jew Madrid, on the Mississippi, in 1911 |
nd the San Francisco one of October,
1868. The United States can never hope
ogrow crop of earthquakes that can
ival those of countries nearer the equator
nd must be content with such as slightly
amage and greatly alarm.
Mount Vesuvius was in eruption yester-
ay and its streams of lava were diving
way the Inhabitants of town at its base
t is but few miles from the islantl OF
sonia The latest estimates of the killed
the island are one thousand at Forio. y
ne thousand at Lacco and Two thousand
We hundred at Casamiccola.