The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-08-31
A Walk Through the Streets of the Ruined
Town, with Some Account of the Pit
iful Scenes Witnessed.
The Terms of the Treaty Between
France and AMMAN.
French ROyalists To Be Representatives.
Anti-Jewish Riots in Hungary-The
Croatian Difficulties.
STRICKEN ISCHIA.
A Visit to the Island Shortly After the Great
Earthquake Shock,

|
Earthquake Shock.
Correspondence of the Indianapolis Journal
| CAsAMIcCIoLA, Aug. I've left Rome for
Naples and Casamcciola via the F. S. r. rail-
way, the evening of Aug 6, in order to get
a night view of burning Vesuvius The trip
down the west slope of the Apennines with
the westering sun striking the mountain side
is, perhaps, the most beautiful route in all
Italy. The harvesters-men, women and
| children-clad in the brilliant red and blue
colors so loved by these worshipers OF beauty,
trooping homeward across the yellow fields,
against the purple background of the mount
ain, with their gleanings on their heads,
made beautiful picture in the evening
| light. Later, under vault of shining stars,
we saw Vesuvius throwing up its red foun-
tain of flame, and we watched it till mid
night when the bay, with its circling starry
lights, announced our arrival at Naples.
From the high windows of the Hotel des
Etrangers we saw Vesuvius fame like the
eye OF Cyclops, and under its unwinking
gaze, too tired for fear, went to sleep.
Through the efforts of my friend, Mr. J. P.
Grey, of Enfield Conn, who is travelling on
the continent, 1 got special permission from
the prefetto the representative of the King
in Naples, to visit the island of Ischia, the
scene of the terrific earthquake of July %.
We took the little government steamer Et-
tore Fieramasca for the twenty-three miles
trip to Ischia. The day was perfect the
lovely bay crowded with all manner OF craft,
from the great merchantmen and man-of-
war to the little coral and sardine fishing
boats All was bright, peaceful, and beau
tiful. There was no reminder of the awful
tragedy save the company of laborers on
board our vessel on their way to the task of
exhuming the dead bodies, and a few sloops
bearing cotfins for the bodies already recov-
| cred.
Ischia is the Saratoga of Naples. Here the
beauty, wealth, and fashion of The hot city
resort for health and pleasure, and only
during the summer season is Casamicciola
inhabited. There were, all told, seven thou
sand people on the island, and it is
estimated that 80 per cent. persisted. In
March, 1881, Ischa suffered by earthquake,
and 300 lives were lost. The whole elevation
is of volcanic origin and the rounded sum-
mits that form the island are COW
cred with olive, vine and lemon groves, the
fruit of which forms its sole product. There
are four towns on the island-Barano, Fon-
tana, Foereo d. Ischia and Casamicciola
About 1000 people perished in the three
former and 1000 in the latter. | write this
letter as we approach Ischia, amid the lowly
scenes | have attempted to describe, sur
rounded by Italian soldiers talking in the
liquid Tuscan tongue, in which Dante and
Tasso wrote their immortal verse. We have
passed the school of Virgil, founded by the
great Latin poet, and the station of the Ro-
man fleet from whence the younger Plny,
eighteen hundred years ago, witnessed the
destruetion of Pompeii, and where, later at
Statra, near by, he found the bodies of his
mother and the elder Pliny, his uncle, who
were overwhelmed in the ruins. We skirted
the island passing the frowning fort that
bears its name, now prison, and came upon
Foereo d Ischia, where we saw
the first sign of the earthquake in
it's shattered and deserted houses. But
not until we landed at Casamicciola did we
realize what an earthquake was. Here be-
tween the smiling sea and the smiling land,
lay the dead city; and such death. The hui
min mind stands aghast in the presence of
such a stupendous calamity. The city is
built on the side of the mountain, running
down to the sea, and directly under the still
| smoking crater of EDomos The day preced-
ing the shock was bright and peaceful; no
note of warning was sounded, when, at 8
o'clock in the evening" when all was meri-
ment and joy, mighty upheaval lifted the
town, shuddered an instant and fell Casamic-
cola was not. Fifteen seconds is the esti-
mated duration of the shock The town is
| E,,.1 Il rnlx nf thn
heavy tiled roofs and foors which, falling
downward and inward crushed by their
weight and carrying all the interior floors
and walls with them, burying every living
being beneath their mortar and stones.
WALK THROUGH THE TOWN.
A long procession of men, with picks and
spades and another with buckets of
disenfectants, followed us, for although
all the CHASTITY victims were buried out
Of sight, the stencil of the decomposing
bodies was in some places sickening
We made the circuit of the town. as it were,
with our lives in our hands, for it seemed as
if every step would precipitate the tottering
ruins upon us. No pen can describe the
scene of utter desolation. Some walls are
standing intact on which mirrors and pic
lures hang as plumb rs though just placed
| there, while great blocks OF granite lie
crushed to powder at their base. Most of
the houses are an undistinguishable mass of
stones, mortar and rubbish, while Others
| scanned from top to bottom with yawning
rents appear ready to topple with breath.
All tine processes of domestic life, arrested
in that awful moment, are still visible in the
interiors that suffered least Here on dis
torted iron balcony, bloom unharmed the
petted house-pants that adorned them; an
| open piano. never to be touched by
! its owners fingers more; empty