The Irish standard., 1893-04-22
.zANTE IN RUINS.

ZANTE IN RUINS.
An Earthquake Almost Entirely Destroys
| the Island-Twenty Persons Known to
Have Been Killed.
ATHENS. April 1s.-The island Of
Zante has been visited by a destructive
earthquake, resulting in greatloss OF
life and property. The shock appears
to have been most violent in the city OF
Zante, the greater part of which was
destroyed. The people are panic
stricken and the authorities helpless.
The streets are impossible being filled
with masses of stone and timber, the
wreckage of the houses which were
thrown down by the earthquake.
Thus far the bodies of twenty per
sons killed by falling walls have been
recovered from the debris and it is
feared that many more dead are still IN
the ruins The number Of persons in
jured runs up into the hundreds. Every
thing is in confusion, and the work OF
searching for bodies and for the injured
cannot be pursued Systematically.
The greater portion of the inhabit
ants have fed to the plains back Of the
city, where they wander about in
a distracted manner bewailing the
loss of their homes and property. A
large number of tents that were
taken to Zante to shelter the people
rendered homeless by the former earth
quakes have been again set up and un-
der them some Of the women and chill
dren have taken refuge. The city pre-
sents scene of desolation. Outside
aid will be urgently required to pre-
vent sickness and starvation.
The shock occurred at 1880 a. N.
Most of the buildings that stood erect
after the shocks of February and March
were either wrecked or. shattered SO as
to be unsafe for occupancy. The Church
of st. Dionysius and the government
offices were thrown down. Advices
from the interior show that the
whole island has been devastated.
Many villages have been destroyed and
it is thought that the loss of life has
been very great. The full extent of the
calamity cannot be estimated at pres
ent. Warships will be dispatched from
the Piraeus with clothing, provisions
and medicine for the sufferers.
This same island has had number Of
subterranean disturbances in recent
years, but nothing of the extent or Sc
robustness of the present visitation. Only
three months ago there was an earth
quake here which caused great alarm
among the inha bitants, but as the de-
struction which it caused was compare
lively slight it was soon forgotten.
The scenes at Zante recall the fearful
experience of the island of Ischia in
July, 1883, when the city of
Casamicciola and other towns were
almost totally destroyed and when
1900 people lost their lives. This same
city of Casamicciola also suffered q
fearful shock in 1881, when $50 houses
were destroyed and ia lives lost.
In this same year, April 8, 1881, it will
be recalled, the Italian town of Scio
and several adjoining villages were de-
molished in series of successive shocks
which shook that country, destroyed
about 1900 lives, and caused much des-
titution among the homeless and
MANNED survivors.
[The island is about % miles long and IL miles
broad and is the third in extent but the first in
productiveness of the Ionian group It consists
mainly OF plain covered with vineyards of the
small grapes which, Hhen dried, are known
in commerce as ''Zante currants." The
production of olive Oil is also very large.
Some good wine is made. The manufactures
consist of white and blue cottonades silk stuffs,
handkerchiefs and scarfs, horsehair cloths,
soap, bricks and tiles. The name ct the island
is said to be dariveG from the founder Of the
chief city, ZacYnthus. an Arcadian chieftaln.