The Lee County journal. (Leesburg, Ga.) 1904-19??, 1907-03-01

The last year and half will prob !
ably go down to history as one OF
the most disastrous periods for earth
quake activity on the records OF the
human race. The loss of life, though
great for such a short space OF time
from one cause, cannot be compared
to that caused by the single earth
quake which swallowed 10000 peo-
pie in Lisbon in November, 1855,
but the damage to property and the
number Of regions affected make the
last eighteen months unique as
prolonged reign of terror.
The practical destruction OF San
Francisco and of Valparaiso come
wildly to mind, of course, being near
at hand and still terrifying to the
imagination, but these two disasters
belong only to a series which began
a year ago last September with the
destruction Of eighteen villages in
Calabria, Italy, where thousands of
people lost their lives and fifty thou
sand were made homeless. The shock
came at 2.55 o'clock on the morning
of September 8, and lasted only
eighteen seconds. 1t was accOmpan-
led by a violent eruption of the vol
cano on the Island Of Stromboli, just
off the coast. A large part of the
army of homeless, terrified Italians
refused to rebuild their homes and
came to North and South America in
a vain endeavor to find some land
where they need never more fear the
horror of heaving ground and falling
walls.
Some Of them were probably set
tied in Ecuador, in the Province of
Esmeraldas, when, on the morning
of January 81, 1906, about 10
o'clock, the solid earth heaved under
them again and made them fall cow
ering to the ground, while their
homes collapsed about them and
buried them and their families. Four
small islands off Port Limones sank
out of sight in that earthquake, and
monster tidal wave swept over the
city of Esmeraldas, drowning and de-
vastating. The loss Of life in Ecua-
dor was great, and that in Colombia
towns reached 500.
A month and a half then elapsed
before the many tremors and slight
shocks recorded by seismographs
again eliminated in a shocking cal
amity to the island of Formosa on
the other side of the world. On
March II the whole island was
shaken violently from early morning
until late at night. In the village Of
Kagi 2007 persons lost their lives
and 400 houses were demolished.
Three other towns were destroyed
and other thousands killed, while the
total damage to property was esti-
mated at 100000. Then, a
month later, the mysterious horror
came again, and on April 13 finished
the destruction of Kagi killing 1903
more of its inhabitants and making
thousands more homeless.
Only five days elapsed and the
uCW opdpSIo VI odu Il IduCl6CO were
still printing accounts of the devasta-
ton and suffering on the other side
Of the Pacific when, at 5.13 o'clock
in the morning OF April IS, two short
shocks laid that city low and caused
fire which destroyed fifteen square
miles Of closely built city territory,
killed 500 and made 100000 home
less, causing $3OO,0OO,O0O damage.
The same earthquake killed IS in
San Jose, 275 in Agnews, 800 in
Santa Rosa, in Monterey and 5 in
Berkeley, doing about 100000
damage outside of the city of San
Francisco.
On July Is the town of Socorro
began to suffer, sustaining over fifty
shocks between the 18th and the
18th. The town was reduced to
ruins and the 1000 inhabitants left
it for good, fleeing in the box cars