Evening star., 1926-10-25
ARMENIA IN RUINS
AFTER EARTHQUAKE
More Than 400 Dead, 100,-
600 Homeless and Millions
Lost in Disaster.
By the Associated Press.

LENINAKAN, Armenia, October
25.-Upward of 400 persons have been
killed, hundreds of others mortally in
jured and 100000 made homeless, by
earthquakes which, starting Friday
night and recurring until early yes
terday, have destroyed the greater
part Of this city of 10000 inhabitants
and Il thriving towns in the vicini-
ty Tho whole of Armenia has been
terrified and the destruction amounts
to millions Of dollars.
Frantic efforts are being made by
soldiers Of the Red army, firemen and
American relief workers to eXtricate
those buried alive.
Leninakan, seat Of the largest
American orphanage in the world, is
like a vast sepulchre of ashes. From
time immemorial Leninakan, former
Alexandropol, has been a gigantic
volcanic amphitheater due to the ac-
tlvitiy of Mount Ararat and Mount
Alagoz in the Tertira period, but the
city never before experienced such a
violent and disastrous upheaVal as
that which levelled nearly all human
habitationS on the great Leninakan
plain Friday night.
Fissures Torn in Mountains.
The second shock. which was five
fold stronger than the first, tore open
giant fissures in the great volcanic
mountain of Alagoz. which is 14,40O
feet high and CLEANS with perpetual
snow. -,
The precise number Of dead in an
the affected areas, which cover 100
known for
several days, as telegraphic communl-
cation has been destroyed.
Entire cemeteries were disrupted by
successive earth shocks and bodies
scattered everywhere in grim dis
order. The terror of the populace
was increased by the fact that the
earthquake occurred in total darkness,
the first shock having dislocated all
the electric light and gas mains.
Further Subterranean convulslons re-
curing through the night caused the
untutored peasantry to fear that the
end Of the world had come.
The buildings occupied by the
American Near Fast Relief were
among the few that escaped destruc-
ton. Although there were more than
so American doctors. nurses, clerks
and relief workers in the structures
at the time. all miraculously escaped
harm It IS tribute to their courage
and devotion to duty also that not one
of the 5000 Armenian orphans in their
charge perished.
Nurses Mobilize Children.
At the first sign of the earthquake.
which came while the Americans were
at supper. with the crashing of win
dows. loud cries of the orphans and
violent oscillation OF the buildings. the
American nurses, led by Miss Janet
Mnckay Of Buffalo, Miss Dorothy
Stratton of New York and Miss Belle
Bass OF Rome, Ga. mobillZed the
terror stricken youngsters. Directing
the older children to sing Armenian
folk lore songs. the nurses marched
them all to places of safety.
karakala. famed in biblical lore for
having given shelter to Lot and his
three friends, is like a shell-torn city
in devastated France. The new build
ings in that place were completely
shattered. but it is believed that the
American relief workers escaped.
The earthquake was felt even as far
south as Erivan. At Etchmedzian, ly-
ing at the foot Of Mount Ararat, the
DiOuS peasants ran to the lower slopes
of the mount. which they regard as a
sacred symbol of heaven, and prayed
for divine deliverance.
The famous valley of AraXes. the
traditional seat Of the Garden Of Eden,
was swept clean of houses, trees. cat
tie and all human abodeS. Most of
the dwellers here are of nomadic char
acter, and most of them escaped by
fleeing to the hills.
Governments Send Aid.
The Armenian, Georgian and Aver.
baijan governments were quick to
come to the rescue of the afflicted peo-
pie They contributed half million
dollars and dispatched Red Cross
trains with doctors and nurses. bat
talions of soldiers and f1remen. Tents.
cots, blankets. food and medicine are
urgently needed. and Armenia. whose
desperate efforts to retrieve itself
from the ravages of war, invasion.
famine and successive maSsacreS have
been almost nullified by the present
catastrophe. needs help.
The Near East Relief already has
thrown open its hospitals and placed
it's entire personnel and plant at the
disposal of the authorities. The Amer
leans have provided temporary shell
ter for thousands in freight cars
rushed from Erivan, Tifiis and
Batum.
The great Shirak canal, which was
built partly by labor and funds sup
piled by Americans, suffered heavily
in the earthquake, as did the recently
built textile mills. 1t is estimated It
will require five years to repair the
havoc caused throughout the country.