DESTRUCTIVE EARTHQUAKE IN ITALY.

Hot Lakes Chronicle, Volume 2, Issue 129, 24 July 1895, Page 4

DESTRUCTIVE EARTHQUAKE IN ITALY.

THItEE THOUSAND HOUSES DAMAGED. The people of Florence (Italy) ami adjoining eiti.is were thrown into a state of panic on the night of May ISth by a series of earthquake*, which destroyed several lives and | wrecked a vast amount of property,; 3000 bouses in that city alone having been damaged, many of them being utterly destroyed. At Lappaggi, a suburb, forty houses were wrecked and two persons were hilled. At Grassina twelve people were bally hurt. The Prince of Naples, the Crown Prince, spout the night in inspecting the damage, and has gone to tlie surrounding towns to render such aid as may be needed. Shortly after 8 o'clock the first I shock was felt, and persons who were in their homes ran tenor stricken into the streets, screaming and praying for deliverance from destruction. The shocks were so violent that the houses swayed like ship-; i;: a storm, and in :-. number of cases the roots and walls fell in, injuring many persons who had not "sought safety upon the Btreets.

At the theatres there were wild ! scenes. The performances had just commenced and the houses werp crowded. At the fir.-t shock the cry of 'earthquake' was raised. * The crowds made a mad rush lor the doors, and in the excitement for escape from j the swaying building no mercy was I shown to women or children, weak or | aged, and many were t ainpled on and fatally hurt. As tho panic-stricken people poured cut of the theatres they I mingled with tho crowds rushing along the streets searching for open spaces, and the confusion became greater as they trampled, fought and struggled for the front of the flocing mass. All the night awed and terrorstricken people huddled together in spots where there was the least danger of falling buildings. Many took refuge in vehicles. To-day an investigation was made by the municipal authorities, who estimated that 3,000 houses wer» damaged. Tho .woedral N J> Catte,t»,,b ue Sauta Maria del Fiore), an imposing example of Italian Gothic architecture, and probably the most remarkable building of its kind io Europe, was somewhat damaged, At Lappaggi, a village near Florence, no less than forty houses were thrown from their foundations and completely wrecked. A sad feature of the disaster at this place was the finding of tho body of a young mother with her infant clasped to her heart. Sho had evidently attempted to fbe, but, together with her child, was crushed to death.

At Grassina, a suburb of Florence, the shocks were very violent. The extent of the earth movement may be lonrnprl !" rOliQ (,;,„ fact that a loaded omuibus was overturned. Twelve residents were hurt. A number of persons refused to re-enter their houses during the night. They remained on the streets till after daylight in the morning. After the first severe shocks there were repeated lighter ones. The seismic disturbances were felt at Lucca, Pontedera, and generally throughout Tuscany. The centre of tho movement wis at Florence, where for many years nothing similar has occurred! Around Florence a number of houses were destroyed, and four persons were ki.lod. Full details are lacking, but it n believed tbat later reports from the country nflbcled will show that there has been a considerable number of lives lost. The seismic manifestation was the most violent that Florence has known since 1445, the earthquake of 1730, which is historical in the annals of the city, having been slighter. The people of the city are awed by the disaster. Crowds wander about the streets, their only topic of conversation being the shock. Everybody is anxiously awaiting tho coming oi night, the fear being general that more quakes will follow. Many persons have abandoned their homes, and intend to pass the night iu places where there will be no danger oi buildings falling upon them. The earthquake was also felt in Moravia, Southern Hungary, and Dalmatia, aud also at Laibach, where hardly a day now passes without one or two shocks being felt. Serious earthquakes have also been felt in the lonian Islands.