The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1883-11-07
SMYRNA N RUINS.
Thousands of Lives Swept Away by a
Terrible Earthquake-The Whole oil
ASIA Minor shIvering Under the De-
structfye Shock,


CoNsrANTISoPLE, October %
Ever since the great earthquake OF
two weeks ago to-day there has been
a constantly recurring succession of
shocks in all directions from this
CITY. On Saturday night the shocks,
which have been of daily occurrence
for the past fifteen days, became
quite severe, and before daylight
nearly all the people had left their
homes for the open country. soon
after the sun came up the sky De-
came suddenly overcast, and great
black clouds rolled up from the
eastern horizon with great rapldity-
There was very sudden depression
of the barometer. Ten clearly de-
fined shocks are said to have occur
red before 8 O'Clock. As they con-
tinued building after building tot
tered, and about II O'Clock there
came a tremendous crash. The
walls of Smyrna, which have been
standing since the time of the cru
sades, were completely demolished.
On the Castle Hill some ancient
pillars were thrown down. The
stadium, in which st. Polycarpt
suffered martyrdom is lost to sight.
The ruins of the antique mosque,
said to have been the primitive
church of Smyrna, has fallen. The
ancient aeueduct which crosses the
Meles river. connected intimately
with the memory of Homer, Is
destroyed. The palace of the Pasha
is in ruins. OF all the mosques and
churches in the city only one is left
standing uninjured. Some of the
city officials removed the head Of
Apollo from over one of the gates
and the Roman eagle from over an
other on Saturday, and took them
to place of safety. Nearly all the
handsome domes and minarets
have fallen. In the Franks quarter,
which is the best part of the city,
the damage is very great. For two
miles around the shores of the bay
the ruins of the shattered ware
houses, wharves, cottages and huts
are strewn along the waters edge,
and through the town and up the
sides of old Mount Pagus the re-
mains Of building after building may
be seen. Tents dot the hills about
the city, and in these thousands Of
the population now find abode.
The loss of life in Smyrna was not
great, probably not over one hun
dred and twenty-five persons. Some
two hundred or two hundred and
fifty people were injured while max
ing their escape, but only a few Sc
riously.
WIDESPREAD UPHEAvAL.
The destruction of property and
life in the outlying country and in
the districts remote from Smyrna
has been large. Some of the deep
bays have almost been filled up by
great land-slides. Cos Island, Sa-
mos, Metelin and Lisbos, in the
Egean Sea, were all severely shaken
up. Chios. where the destruction
was greatest two weeks ago, this
time suffered only a slight trenor.
At the mouths of the Halysa and
Iris the marshy tracts and some of
the alluvial formation disappeared
entirely and left bed of water sew
eral miles in extent. From the
junction of the Kara-Su with the
Murad, near Kapau-Maden, which
forms the Euphrates, to the rise OF
the Edrenes, near Tashardi, the
earthquake has been very severe
and the effect of the shocks extreme
ly disastrous. The course of the
Cox river, which winds through
colossal cliffs of limestone and forms
the celebrated pass Erkeuk, has
been completely changed. The
whole country around the gulf OF
lskenderun was badly torn up and
many lives lost there. Great assures
were made in the semi-crystalllne
limestone, which forms the base OF
the Allah-Dagh. On the tableland
between Horan and Oran there was
a river which for many years fell
into cavern and disappeared, the
earthquake having both closed up
the mouth of the cavern and dried
up the small river. The shock seems
to have extended all through the
extensive tablelands in the Anti
Paurus range, but not to have in
fiicted any serious damage. In the
Gypsum district and the environs OF
the Sari-Chi>Chak the loss will be
considerable. From the peaks OF
the Kartuna, an isolated rock OF
feldsphatic trachyte, which stands
proudly up like gigantic fortress
and the summit of which is com
posed Of a red bracciated scoriacous
conglomerate, came tumbling huge
fragments OF trap, trachyte and
prophyry. The waters of the Egean
Sea were terribly agitated yesterday
and last night, and had not quieted
down entirely at six o'clock this
evening.
THOUSANDS OF SOULS LOST.
Reports of large losses of life in the
interior towns and along the western
coast are coming IN. A fugitive
from Kespit places the deaths there
at fifty and the number of wounded
at one hundred and twenty-five
At Ak-Hissar forty persons were
buried. Bozazuda suffered deple,
ton of about one-half her popula
ton, numbering four hundred souls
OF Singerti's people about one-third
survive to mourn the others. From
scores Of other hamlets come similar
reports. The loss of life will proba.
bly, be found to aggregate well w
into the thousands. Along the
coast of Greece the shocks yesterday
were very severe and caused great
loss of life ana property. Advice:
received from that section are some
what meagre. AT Capanvoila many
buildings were thrown down anc
some eighty persons killed, Will,
one hundred and twenty-five morc
were severely injured. At Mistrs
some twenty odd people were killed
and double that number injured