Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-12-01
QUAKE At KRATACH
WORST ON RECORD
First Full Account of the
Dreadful Catastrophe.
DEAD WILL NUMBER $4,000
Twelve Other Large Villages De-
stroyed simultaneously.
STORM ADDED TO THE HORROR
Houses Sank Bodily Into the Earth.
$4,000 Head Of Livestock Killed.
Dead Yet Unburied.

The first full account of the
awful earthquake at Kratagh II
Russia makes it appear the worst
disaster of the sort ever chron-
icled. The historic outburst a,
krakatoa in the South sea was
fortunately not in a densely set.
tied region and the casualty list
while large, was not appalling, as
in the present instance. At Kra-
tagh whole houses were .swal-
lowed up. There were $4,000 per.
sons killed and more than twice
that many animals.
Special Cahlerram to 1he Star.
LONDON. November 3O-Now that the
first full account. coming from Tashkend
via st, Petersburg. has arrived, there can
be no doubt that the Karatagh earth
quake was one of the most appalling nat
ural catastrophes on record.
"It is difficult" writes a correspondent,
"to describe the scenes which meet the
eye at Karatagh today. What was a
short while ago a fourishng township Is
now the grave of 1000 dead. But the
scenes which accompanied the catastrophe
are even more difficult of adequate de-
scription. A group of survivors, still
shaken by their experiences, related a
terrible story. to which no written mar
rative can do justice.
Animals All Knew.
ION the eve of the disaster October 20.
. terrific storm burst over Karatagh and
its environments. striking a deadly fear
into the hearts OF the inhabitants. The
animal world seemed to have an uncanny
fore-knowledge. Dogs howled, horses
stampeded and cattle lowed with fright
Early In the. morning the whole town
seemed TO shudder. The earth tremors
were frequent. but few of the towns
people were sufficiently disturbed by
them to leave their houses.
Fifteen minutes later a terrific shock
set the entire place swaying. the air re-
sounding with weird noises. Then the
in the air and set down heavily by mighty
hands. Buildings were crumbling and
crashing to ruins every moment or two.
In scores of places the ground burst open
and boiling water spoutsd upward Huge
fragments of rock became dislocated from
the surrounding mountains and added the
thunder OF their fall to the subterranean
rumblings and roarings which continued
all the time. Numerous houses were bat
tered down by the falling rocks Others,
with their occupants. sank bodily into
great fissures in the earth. The populace,
or such Of them as had escaped instant
death. appeared to be mad with terror.
From every side arose awful shrieks.
Those who fled for safety had to blind
their eyes to many ghastly sights.
Storm Bursts Again.
The storm had come on again with re-
newed force and veritable pandemonium
reigned. Maddened animals tore aimIess-
ly hither and thither, continuous peals of
thunder and flashes of binding lightning
adding to the frenzy. Many fugitives per-
shed under the hoofs of the animals
IN the meantime similar scenes were
Deing enacted in the surrounding country
Twelve large villages being destroyed on
this same terrible morning. So died In all
some 1000 persons. In Karatagh alone
Z'uO bodies were recovered. AS many
more still remain In the ruins of TOO
houses, while 2o,O00 animals, on a rough
estimate, were destroyed