The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-04-12
ASIA'S GREAT EARTHQUAKE.
MORE ABOUT THE SHOCKS 5'HAT
DESTROYED ANDIDJAyI.

MORE ABOUT THE SHOCKS 5'HAT
DESTROYED ANDIDJASI.
Nine Insusand Buildings Destroyed wlthin
an Heur-Four Tlasusand Liyes Last
Terrific Fsroe g tho Ear thqasks
Heroic Acts q Russian .sssdrsy.
Until recently only the nest msagre
information has come from Russs n central
Asia with regard to tlno terrible calamity
which laid the city OF Andidjap, In ruins
In q single hour on the morninI I OF Dec.
10 last. The telegraph lin Q were destroyed
and amid the excitement ID bring and
horror OF the FIRST weefs few details OF the
great earthquake were sHpt 70 Russia.
It vas made plain that the ptople were
socly In need Of aid. and the response OF
western Europe was generous.
Andidjan was Q city Of 90 900 hihabitants
II was the me ct eastern point n aohed by
the Trars Caspian Railrca In tho hs art
Of oentral Asia between the two ,yrv at rivers
Syr-IaHa and Amu-Daris, which water
Russian Turkestan. II WIS annexed to
Russia with the large district Of Fergbana
by the celebrated Gen. Skobs Eef In 1884.
In recent yan the town mas risen to
great Importance becars, II became
| the centre OF cotton culture land exports
| The richne % Of the soil OF erghana and
10 large agricultural pop ilstion con-
tributed TO the rapid econcs MIC develop
ment Of tho town.
The r, ss'an newspapen ar , now printing
| DE- tailed accounts Of thu cart hqualse. which
| utterly d. stroycd 1000 bot q. 400 PR
| sons pcrishing In the ruins. al the wagons
that could DO procured werb for days de-
voted to carrying the more serioualy
wounded to the neighbo, ding town Of
Margc Than. where they miglt be sheltered
| from tho cold and rain.
About o'clock In the NOR ming . tremor
slightly jarring the build ngs. occurred.
| This lasted two or three sec onds only. and
| e. no damage was done tie inhabitants
were not greatly alarmed A half hour
| later the came phenomenon was repeated,
and was Immediately follow cd by Q ter
| ri3c shock. which swayed the buildings 10
| and fro and overthrow many walls.
Tho city was at once in wild dizmsy.
Every one who could get out dooD ruahsd
| to the streets and open spacs and axaissd
| In terror what might yet occur.
Ths sound Of falling walls wss every
where heard for the next half hour. for the
| ruin OF many buildings which had not been
overthrow was completed by their own
| weight, that could not be supported On the
now unstable foundations.
Half an hour later came another terrible
shock that completed the ruin Of the city.
| Almost all OF the buildings Il vat had sheltered
1900 souls and the fine str pctures that had
been erected BY Russians In the business
districts were now nothing but heaps Of
ruins,
The beautiful stone bui dings occupied
| by the Russian-C Chinese Bark. the railroad
station, the barracks Of the Russian garri-
son and all the other conspicuous structures
were reduced to heape OF ruins.
Many Of the steel rails Of the railroad
track were twisted - though they were
nothing but wire. The motion was vertical
and terribly severe. Wagons. timbers and
stone were projected into the air and many
Of the vehicles were thus broken to pieces
on the streets.
For about hftsen minutes after The second
shock many other shocks Of almost equal
severity occurred. destroying the fsw bui1d-
ings that had still kept erect on their founda-
lions. Tho whole catastrophe occupied
about an hour, and while 1t continued .
most unearthly subterranean rumblins
noise accompanied the convulGious Of the
surface. A torrential rain beat down upon
the scene OF desolation and q furious rain
storm swept bits Of the ruins and every
thing Il could move before Il.
A number Of acts Of heroism among the
ofsoers and soldiers Of the Russian garrison
were recorded. Capt. Toutchkof and
I4ieuf. Ghertsolihs refused TO leave their
ruined barracks until the last Of their
wounded soldiers had been removed. They
| l. A. - xt.. -bax, h. - st,<><,lr
occurred and the Captain was dangerously
hurt.
A sentinel named Saschouk, who was
guarding the nag and the strongbox OF
the military, was uninjured by the first
shocks, but refused to leave his post until
he was relieved by his superior officer. and
was so badly hurt later that he had to be
carried from the ruins. Subaltern Khaline
remained at the risk Of his life to save the
wounded soldiers and prisoners. He
found an opening IN ono Of the walls.
through which, by means Of . ladder. tbs
wounded men were passed one BY one
outside the ruins.
Another soldier succeeded In providing
guns for the military patrol. that was
!; needed to keep order after the calamity.
by rushing into building that threatened
every moment TO fall and throwing sixty
rifles through q window into the street.
The Gar Of Russia has specially commended
these and other heroes Of the occasion.
II was the most terrible earthquake that
Is known TO have ever afflicted this part Of
central Asia. The Russians had taken
particular pride In identifying the town
with admirable buildings. II viii probably
be long time before Andidjan IL restored
to anything like its past proportions.
LIANTS TITLE.
SKATE Department Calls HIN "sfS." bst
Diplomatic Cerps Doesn't.
D-~- A. Dad