Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-08-01
ISCHTA'S NIGHT OF WOE.
KING HUMBERT AND HIS QUEEN
ON THE ISLAND.

KING HUMBERT AND HIS QUEEN
ON THE ISLAND.
Thousands of Soldiers at Work Among
the Ruins-A Sickening Smell of De-
caying Flesh-SurvivOrs Depicting
Their Startling Experiences-Famous
Earthquakes of History.
NAPLES. July 31.-King Humbert has
gone to Casamicciola. The search of the
ruins for the bodies of victims of the
earthquake, on the island of 'Ischia. was
continued during last night. All bodies
recovered are buried Immediately to pre-
vent miasma. An eyewitness describes
the scene at the theatre at Casamicciola.
when the earthquake occurred. as an
awful one. The curtain had lust risen
when a tremendous shock was felt.
A fearful roar followed and the ground
rocked like sea in storm. A great
cry of terra arose from the
audience, who were thrown into
heap, and large number OF them were
buried beneath the falling timbers.
Two more shocks occurred. All who
could rushed outside of the theatre, and
hundreds of persons clambered into the
trees in the vicinity for safety. Most of
the people, however, escaped to the shore,
where bonfires were lighted as signals of
distress. Hundre1s of half-naked men
and women, Wild with terror and grief.
ran to and fro among the ruins with
torches during the night searching for
missing friends.
Two thousand soldiers digging in the
ruins saved one thousand lives up TO mid
day on Sunday, and eXhumed TWENTY
four persons alive on Monday. The dead
at FOrio number 800, at Laccoameno 500.
and at TOntanaserra 200. TWenty-four
children perished in the Misericordia
Asylum.
The King and Queen of Italy have sub
scrlbed 100000 lire and the Pope %, 900 lire
for the relief of the sufferers.
The burials of the victims of the earth
quake was continued throughout the day.
Two hundred and eighty bodies were
buried at Casamicciola, ninety at Laco and
twenty-nine at FOriO. The latest estimate
places the number of deaths at between
1000 and 5000. AS it would be impossi-
BILE to recover and bury all the bodies,
SlgnOr Genala, Minister of Public Works
has ordered that, in view OF the horrible
eXhalatlon from the decOmposing re-
mains, the unrecOVered corpses be left
where they are and liquid lime be poured
over the ruins made by the earthquake.
Casamicciola will thus be converted into
a vast cemetery.
VIENNA, July 31.-The municipality
has voted in favor of donating a large
sum of money toward the relief of the
earthquake sufferers in Ischia.
LONDON, July 31.-The only American
known to have been injured by the earth
quake on the Island of Ischia on Saturday
night, was Miss Van Allen, and she is
only slightly hurt. 1t is now stated as
certain that 1000 persons perished. The
stencil from the dead bodies of human
beings and animals is almost unbearable.
several men and women were rescued
from the ruins Monday morning. Many
more might have been saved if larger
force OF rescuers had been available
earlier. Many persons who were heard
groanlng during the night were dead be-
fore they could be reached and carried to
places of safety.
In this connection the following relative
to earthquakes is interesting:
CasamicciOla is in one of the two great
earthquake zones, the other district being
the western portion of South America.
In no century since the earliest re-
corded history has Southern Italy and
sicily escaped suffering from frequent
and severe earthquakes. In Sicily, in
1893, 10000 people perished in one earth
quake. During the reign of Tiberius, 16
A. d., 100000 people lost their lives
in one day in consequence of
an earthquake. The earthquake
attended with the most serious re-
suits in the destruction ofhuman life was
that of 526, when 100000 human beings
perished, according to Gibbons figures.
Antioch, which had previously been de-
stroyed at least twice, and several other
Syrian cities, were completely DESTROYED.
and the shock extended into Italy, where
dos
suited. In 63 Herculaneum and POmpeii
were destroyed by an earthquake, this
being sixteen years before the burial of
those cities by the eruption of VesuvIus.
The city of Judea was destroyed in 81
b. G., when 10000 people lost their lives.
1he most famous earthquake of history
was that at Lisbon, November 1, 1755,
when 10000 people were buried alive and
10000 more were killed. Calabria, Mes
SIM, and number Ofsmaller villages were
destroyed February 5, 1888, and some 100,-
OOO uyes were lost. In 1925 Murcia, Spain,
was destroyed, $500 houses being thrown
down and a couple of thousand people be-
ing killed. Lima and it's harbor, Callao,
IN Peru, were destroyed in 1886, and again
In L 46, and thousands perished. Arequi-
pa, Peru, was wiped out of existence in
1868, 10000 people being left homeless,
ana several thousands losing their lives
In the same year the cities Of Ibarra and
Ottavalla were destroyed, and not one of
their 10000 inhabitants escaped, or could
ever be found afterWard. CatOcachy was
also obhterated from the face of the earth,
and lake now covers the spot where it
stood. lu that earthquake the United
States war vessel Wateree was carried
from the harbOr of Callao two miller
inland. The lannon's eart'1
quake which devastated and
populated Callao in 1882, continued an
tervals for four years. 1t took but zee
minutes for an earthquake to max e tne
entire city of Port Royal, Jamaica, com
plete wreck in 1892, and even le/ tllile
for the destruction of San Salvad' iis IN tne
West Indies, March 10, 1873. Je Guy ol
Mendoza. in the Argentine ReAD1IIlc' was
destroyed and $4,000 people Mlleu Oy d
shock of but moments duration Ill
March, 1861.