The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1894-04-23
GREEK EARTHQUAKES.
The Seismic Disturbances Cause
Terrible Loss Of Life.
kANY KILLED WHILE AT WORSHIP.

reports 50 Far Received Show That Two
hundred and Fifty-eight Dead Bodies
Have Been Taken from the Ruins,
which VIII be Greatly Increased.
ATHENS, April %. - The earthquake
lhocks that began in northern Greece at
lbout 7.8o o'clock Friday night continued
With more or less frequency until noon
yesterday All Saturday night the oscilla-
ton of the earth was noticeable, and the
people of this city were in a state Of semi
panic. Thousands of persons spent the
whole night In the streets, drending that
lhould they enter their houses a more So
zero shock might bring the buildings
down upon them. Telegraphic communi-
ration with many parts Of the country Is
badly interrupted, and 1t Ia impossible to
get news from some of the towns that
must have been affected by the shocks.
Ill the dispatches from the provinces add
10 the number of killed and injured, and
the accounts of the damage to property
lre enlarged. In the villages of Malesina.
Proskina and MARITIME, all in the province
sf Locris, 1870 persons were killed.
The mayor of Larymni telegraphed that
4 heavy shock occurred at Proskina while
vesper service was being held in the parish
church, which was quite an old, but very
edifice. The walls Of the
church fell, burying all the worshipers in
the ruins. The residents of the village
were terror stricken at tho violence of the
seismic disturbance, and some little time
Elapsed before they recovered enough
presence of mind to attempt to remove
those covered with the debris of the
church. Finally, however, force was
organized and tho work of rescue begun.
Hardly person in the church escaped
without injury. Thirty were taken out
dead, amid the wailing and sobbing of
their friends and relatives. Houses were
thrown down in other parts of the village,
and the money lost Is great.
At Malasina houses tottered and fell rs
though built of card board. Hundreds of
their occupants were caught before they
had time to do more than attempt to es-
cape. In this little village sixty persons
were killed, some of the bodies being
crushed out of all sem blance of humanity.
In some cases entire families were taken
out of the ruins dead.
At MARITIME thirty-nine persons were
killed. Here, as at Proskina, the parish
church was the scene Of the greatest num-
Der of fatalities, the walls of the struc-
ture being thrown from their foundations
and toppled upon the worshipers. The
OF hers who lost their lives were killed by
falling walls of houses.
1t would be almost impossible to de
scribe the scene in these villages. The
people appear to be stunned by the sever.
lily of the blow that has fallen upon them,
and many of them are completely apa'
thetic Others who have lost loved ones
are nearly crazed with grief, and many
heartrending scenes have been witnessed
as the dead were removed from the masses
Of wreckage.
i In the vicinity OF Athens the fatalities
were less numerous, but the damage te
property Is immense.
1 The Church of St. Elias, on Cas- tells
Hill, between the Piraeus and Phalerum
has been raeked beyond repair, and is tot
tering to its fall. The domes, walls ant
mosaics of the famous Byzantine churcf
of Daphne are very seriously injured.
| The reports that have thus far been re
ccived show that very many of the DEATH
occurred In the churches. Last week wa
Passion week in the Greek church, and re
|, ligious services were held every day ant
evening. The services were very largel.
attended, and several churches falling IL
a measure accounts for the large loss o
: life. A majority Of the victims wer
women and children.
The government will be compelled h
' adopt extreme measures to help the poo
: in the districts affected. King George lief
last night for the scene Of the fatalities.