The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1922-09-18
dead AND DYING
!. H''@2 7.''!'2 KING STREETS
IN RUINED SMYRNA
Once Beautiful City now Heap of
Smouldering Ashes
SURVIVORS FEAR DEATH
Large Number Of Refugees Res
cued by Crews of Ameri-
can Vessels
SURVIVORS FEAR DEATH

Smyrna, Sept 18.-Smyrna, which
the Turks have called the eye OF Asia
is a vast sepulchre Of ashes only the
shattered walls Of $4,000 homes and
the charred bodies Of countless vic
tins remain to tell the story of death
and destruction unexampled in mod
ern history, The ruins are still
smoulderng Ike a volcano which has
spent its fury; no effort has been
made by the Turks to remove the
dead and dying; the streets are full OF
the bodies of those who sought to es-
cape, for the most part women and
children.
Every building in the Armenian
quarter has been burned, with the
dead lying about while the bay, which
covers an area Of so acres, still car
ries on its surface the poor remnants
OF those who were massacred or
sought to escape the ruthlessnesS of
the foe.
On the water front crouch thou
sands of survivors, who fear. death at
the hands Of the soldiery; there are
no boats TO take them off.
One ship captain declined to take
any of the wretched sufferers, but, in
contrast to his Indifference, Capt. Wal
ters of the American steamer Winona
rescued 1900 and took them to Piraeus.
American sailors of the destroyer
Litchfeld snatched 450 orphaned boys
from the pier and carried them safely
to Constantinople The jack tars
slept on the iron decks or under tor.
pedo tubes while the youngsters oc.
cupied their hunks. In all the acts OF
galantry by the American at Smyrna,
there was none more inspiring than
this.
While the orphans were being load
ed on the Litchheld, II. c. Jacquith
director of the Near East RELIEF. who
came here recently from Constantin-
ople, diverted the attention Of the
Turkish guards, giving them cigaret-
tes and talking to them in their ma.
tive tongue. These guards are under
strictest orders not to permit the es-
cape of any of the Greek or Armenian
refugees and on several occasions
have shot to death fugitve3 endeayor
ing to reach outlying vessels by swim
ming.
Out of 100000 Christians crowdng
the city prior to the descent of the
Turks, only 10000 have been eyacu-
ated. Kemalst officials have inform
ed the American relief workers that
the return of the Christians to the
interior meant certain death.
The director of the Armenian Or
phanage established by the American
committee for relief in the Near East
committed suicide by drowning in the
presence OF Mr. Jacquith, who Is a di.
rector of that organization Scores of
others followed his example.
DIR. Mclaughlin, president of the
American college, was severely beaten
by Turkish irregulars and his clothes
and money seized He limped from
the suburb of Paradise, seat of the
college, and was taken aboard the
British dreadnoght Iron Duke. He
attributes his escape from death to the
fact that he can speak Turkish and
worked rue on the Turks
E. NJ. Fisher and b. O. Jacob direc-
tors of the Y NJ. c, A., were held up
and robbed by Turkish soldiers, and
when attempting to escape, were fred
upon. The shots, however. went wild,
and they reached a place of safety
A temporary American consulate in
charge of Vice Consul Maynard b.
Barnes has been established on a quay
at the end of the town. The Stars
and Stripes is the only foreign flag
ashore; it is an inspiring sight amidst
the ruins and desoation. The Am
encan destroyers Lawrence, Edsall
and Simpson are still here; their Off.
GERS and crews have been practically
without sleep for five days and are
doing gallant work. The only Ameri
can property which escaped destruc-
tion were the Standard Oh plant and
two tobacco warehouses in the out
skirts of the city,