Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-07-25
ITALY EARTHQUAKE
AREA IS SUBSCRIBED
Most Destructive Shocks
Struck Apennines Region of
Naples, Historic Field. :.

"Italy's recenk earthquake was con-
fined in it's most destructive effects to
the mountainous region known as the
Apennines of Naples" says a bulletin
from the headquarters of the National
Geographic Society.
Just north of Naples the mountain
range that extends down the middle of
the Italian peninsula loses its form of
a definite ridge and breaks down into
distinct mountain groups Joined by
cross ranges and elevated saddles. This
area of elevated masses and deep de-
files, where towns and villages perch
on hilltops and cling to mountain slopes,
has borne the brunt of the earth
tremors. Farther to the east the table
land of Apulia has been shaken, too,
but not so diSastrouSly.
Naples, situated where this broken
section of the Apennines slopes down to
the Tyrrhenian Sea, and close to where
Vesuvius has belched out cubic miles
of lava. has been shaken severely as 1t
has been many times before. The city
IS largely built of gray lava from
VeSuvius and in its old part consists of
low houses along dark, narrow streets
and alleys. 1t is Italy's most populouS
community in one of the worlds most
beautiful settings.
VCIOSd rs AOIdCC DHtHpldCcs
"Venosa, an inland town of 5000
population, which suffered damage, was
the birthplace in "a BIC. of Horace,
best loved of Roman poets. There is
buried Robert Guiscard. great Norman
soldier-duke, in the Church of st.
Trinita. built by him in 1859.
"Melf, another town in which the
toll of life was large, lies near Venosa
and under the pyramidal peaks of
Monte Volture, which marks the
southern extent of the Apennines of
Naples. In Melf' Robert ,Guiscard set
up his capital until he captured
Salerno on the coast and made that
town his headquarters. Melfi was prac-
tically wiped out of existence by an
earthquake in 1851.
"Foggie, farthest east of the towns
to feel the marked force of the recent
quake, lies near the Adriatic side of
the peninsula. 1t Is the capital of the
great Apulian lakeland that was once
a huge sheep pasture, maintaining mil
lions of the animals. The town is large
(61 ,000) and with its low white houses,
has somewhat Oriental aspect. 1t
was largely destroyed by an earth
quake in 1881. The Apulian tableland
that surrounds it has been called Italy's
most dreary and barren area.
rTcucEICh IA AT LuCeTa.
Nearby is Lucera where Emperor
Frederick IL planted his famous Sara
cen mercenaries, $4,000 strong, in the
first years of the thirteenth century.
Frederick lived among these Moslems,
dressed as the sultan of Lucera, main
tanned harem guarded by eunuchs,
and used his Mohammedan forces in
his struggles against the Christian SOL
dierS of the Papacy.
"Benevento, where property was dam
aged and lives lost is a thriving town.
capital of the region between Foggia
and Naples. 1t is finely situated on a
mountain high above the Appian Way
and its two rivers. There stands one of
the most imposing of the triumphal
arches outside Rome, erected to Traian.
1t is one of the Oldest of Italian towns
and stood out against the Romans sue
cessful until 276 BIC.
'PotenZa, base of operations for some
of the relief expeditions, was itself
stricken by the recent tremors. 1t lies
on low saddle which cuts the Apen-
mines and roughly marks the southwest
ern limit of destruction. This town of
1900 inhabitants was almost complete
~ RACED by the earthquake of 1857,
which devastated the region CT TIE
Apennines of Naples"