The morning call., 1894-07-12
THE EARTHQUAKE AT CONSTAN-
TINOpLE.

II is too soon to figure on the loss OF life
caused by the earthquake at CONSTANT
nople, but it seems to have been small.
The portion OF the city which suffered
most was the quarter known as Galata,
which contains the banks, the chief mer
chants offices and stores and the resi-
dences of the Christians; but Pera. where
the ambassadors live, joins Galata, and
Stamboul, with the seragio. is only sep
arated from it by bridge across the
Golden Horn. The catastrophe has prob
ably been felt in both places. and Ameri-
cans who have friends in Turkey will be
anxious for further news.
Coustantinope has been spared the raw
ages of earthquake for nearly a century.
Ii was untouched by the terrible earth
quake of Zante in 1910, by that of 1875
which destroyed BrousSa, and by that of
1859 which killed thousands at ErzerOum.
The last destructive earthquake which
was felt at the Sultan's capital was that
of September, 1900. when the seragio was
destroyed with most of its inmates. This
appeared to be the eliminating effort of
the subterrauean forces in the way Of de-
structon, and it followed a period of
nearly 300 years OF comparative immunity.
Previous to that period destructive earth
quakes of the most violent character had
been periodical. Fifty years after Mo-
hammed's conquest nearly the whole city
was laid low and thousands of people
were overwhelmed. and for a thousand
years prior 10 that period earthquakes of
the utmost severity were periodical. From
the time when Constantine built his city
Lo !,
conquest each generation expected an
earthquake, and not mere trembling Of
the soil but general overturning of land
and houses with a forced sepulture of
their tenants. There is hardly an old wall
or old monument in Constantinople which
does not bear marks OF some ancient earth
quake.
We are compelled to infer from the mild
ness of the shocks which have occurred
since the beginning OF the sixteenth cen
fury that the subterranean forces have
been gradually declining in violence in
that part of the world. While the theory
of earthquakes is still debatable, and the
world knows little more than it did when
Mallett began his investigations. scientists
are agreed that in some way or other they
are incidents Of the settling of the globe
into its present cOnditions-a sort of sup
Elementary sequel to the work Of creation.
This notion would suggest the hypothesis
that as the world grows older the work
approaches completion. and that convul-
sions due to subterranean energy grow
rarer. We certainly do not hear, at the
present day. of earthquakes which destroy
life by wholesale. The two most conspic-
IF u nj ~,
our day were the earthquake of Krakatoa
in 1881, and the one which occurred on the
Tokaido road, in Japan. liz October, 1892.
Both were said at the time TO have been
terribly destructive. But the Dutch
authorities at Batavia now assert that the
loss Of life by the catastrophe at Kra-
katoa was very much exaggerated, and AT
the Seismic Bureau at Toxic it is thought
that 1000 would be a closer estimate Of the
destruction of lives in 1892 than 10000,
which was the original estimate.
1t is impossible wholly to dsbelieve the
historical records Of the earthquake at
Antioch in the beginning of the second
century. when 10000 people were unac-
counted for. Or of the earthquake in Syria
which was cOntemporane0us with the
spread of Mosem'sm. and in which 500
towns are said to have been DESTROYED with
all their inhabtants. These stories may
be exaggerations. but even allowing for
some exaggeration. enough would remain
to demons trate that even IN the historical
| period earthquakes were far more destruc-
| tive than they are now. The gradual sim
mering down of the seismic force is shown
even in our brief chronicle. On his march
north, only little over a hundred years
| ago, Portala reported to his superior off
! GERS that while he was on the march his
men were thrown off their feet by an
earthquake. In our time people are not
quite sure they have felt an earthquake
till some neighbor confirms their impress
sion.