A TERRIBLE EARTHQUAKE

Temuka Leader, Issue 1150, 20 September 1883, Page 3

A TERRIBLE EARTHQUAKE

The town of Casamicciola, in the island of Ischia, was destroyed by an earthquake or submersion of the land, on the night of the 28th July. It is estimated 5000 persons perished. The shock began at half-past nine. The majority of the upper classes were at the theatre at the time, and the scene there was one of horror. The curtain had just risen when a tremendous shock was felt, followed by a fearful roar, and the ground rocked like a ship in a storm. A great cry of terror arose from the audience, who were thrown in heaps, and a great number were buried under the timbers of the building, which fell on them. Those who could do so escaped from the theatre, some clambering into trees for safety, but the larger number fleeing to the srashore where alarm fires were kindled. Meantime every building in the town had collapsed. The Hotel Piccola Sentinella sank into the earth and was buried with many of its inmates. Many Romans having villas at Eodira are known to have be«n lost. Corpses were plainly discernible through the ruins, but could not be extricated, and in nearly every case they were horribly mangled. A number of people arrived at Casamicciola on the 29fch July to arrange measures of relief. Hundreds of victims were buried in the usual way immediately on their being recovered in order to prevent malaria, but it was impossible to recover and bury all the bodies. It was ordered, considering the horrible exhalation from the decomposing remains, that the uncovered corpses should be left where they lay, and 1500 tons of chloride of lime were poured over the ruins, thus converting the town into a vast cemetery, The neighboring towns of Earn and Lucco were also greatly damaged, and the loss of life reached 2000, divided between both phices. The centre of the area of the shock was the same as that two years ago, but the radius was larger. It was felt at sea and, according to some accounts, even at Naples. The hospitals in the latter city were crowded with wounded and dying, brought there by steamers from the island. The calamity infinitely exceeds the Khios earthquake, in 1881. Among the missing is an English gentleman named Somers, who resided at the Hotel Hanoi, and also many English and American, Ischia being a great resort for travellers in pursuit of health or pleasure. Of a family of seven named Pascal only a daughter survived. Many English and Americans arrived on the 31st in search of friends and relatives. On the night of the disaster the scene was weirdly terrible, when hundreds of half-naked men and women, wild with terror and grief, ran to and fro amongruins with torches, searching for missing friends. For days the stench of decaying flesh, notwithstanding the deodorisiug material used, was almost unbearable. Additional shocks attended with damage, occurred on the 4tb August. King Humbert visited the hospitals on the 3rd and condoled the sufferers, and also repaired to the scene of the earthquake, where lie distributed money and provisions to those in need.