NOTABLE EARTHQUAKES.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3851, 20 November 1883, Page 4

NOTABLE EARTHQUAKES.

_ Tlio great tlissiHt.or at Isehia rennllu forcibly other casualties of this kind which, in times past, have devastated portions of the earth.

Xschia itself, and, indeed, all Southern

Italy, has been particularly unfortunate in this respect. Only two years ago, on March 5, ISSI, an earthquake occurred here and 107 people lost their lives.

The southern part of Italy has been from time immemorial famous for earthquake shocks. iN r ot a century has passed but some notable disaster has occurred in some portion of southern Italy. From 1773 to 1770 this region was constantly disturbed. No fewer than \)\l shocks occurred here in the year 1773, of which 501 wero of the first degree of force. Calabria, in southern Italy, extends from the Province of Potonza to the Strait of Messina. In October, 1783, the warning of the coming disaster was heard in about the middle of Calabria. Immediately men and women rushed to their houses to seek for valuables and to hurry tho escape of their children. Soon the ground opened, and houses and men were swallowed up. Over 40,000 Calabrians lost their lives.

The shock passed under and reached the oppo.-ite coast of Sicily. Almost at tho moment that the Calabrians perished, Messina felt the effects of the shock, and the city disappeared like a flash, 00,000 of its inhabitants being buried in the ruins, making a total of 100,000 lives 10.-t by this earthquake. Tho earliest recorded earthquakes in Central Italy happened in (J3 A.D., when Ilerculaneum and Pompeii were partially destroyed. Sixteen years later occurred the memorable destruction of those two cities. For eight: days tho lava poured in burning streams down the sides of Mount Vesuvius, burning tho two cities, and burying them under tho liquid iire.

Another memorable earthquake was (he one that on November 1, 1755, ,~hook the city of Lisbon, in Portugal. The usual low rumbling noise was heard throughout the city, and men and women tied in terror from the unseen danger. Every hou-e in the quaint old city trembled and thousands full, while m the" Alps the shock was felt. and away on the coast of Sweden. The warm waters gushing from the springs of Tnplifz ''cased 1o ilow, but after a while burst forth with redoubled impetuosity, deluding the country around wiihochrestained water. immediately ai'd-r the shock the sea rolled back from Lisbon and left the harbor bar dry, but miiy for a second, and then an i:n;it>-ri -<■ biikiw over 5(1 !'•..■.•( liL'li roiled in ii:»m liuNand p.ilaees, Imrviug thorn all beneath (he waters. .In six minutes OU.UOiI persons perished, either swallowed up in the ground or carried to death by the irreat. sea wave. Still another and another billow rolled in upon the lower portion of' the city, until the castles and palaces wro und.'HM feet of water. Hutubolt snys tliat the portion of earth shaken by this earthquake equalled four times the extent of Europe. Other scientists hold that the shock was not of such immense proportions, but that territory equal in extent to six times that of France was shaken when tho earthquake occurred. The wave of shock penetrated as far as Scotland, passing under it, and causing temporary changes in the waters of Loch Lomond, ■which suddenly rose more than two feel, ami then fell below their usual level. Simultaneously with the shock came the erupt ion of the volcano of Ivotluggeain, Ireland. The velocity of the wave of the shock was about 2'i(iO feet per second.

As early as 1580 Lima and Callao in Peru wero destroyed by earthquakes. The two cities were almost completely de-moli.-hcd, and Spaniards and Indians were buried in the ruins. Twelve thousand people were buried in 1812 at Caracas. On March 22, 1850, Quito, in Ecuador, felt the shock of an earthquake, and 40,000 people wore killed and thousands of houses ruined.

Peru was visited in 180S, and the town of Arcquipa was wiped out of existence. Ibarra and Olavull were also destroyed in this year. Tidal-waves followed the earthquake shock, and it is estimated that in this year 30,000 people lost their Jives. On January 22, 1*35, the eruntion of Mount Casequina, occurred. This earthquake attracted particular attention among scientists, as it was said that this occurrence was exactly similar to the earthquake which occurred at the crucifixion of Christ. The waters rolled far upon the land, tho cities around were for the time enveloped in darkness. The most awful scenes took place at the time. Fleeing men wero robbed and murdered, and women dragged to death and darkness. Neither police nor priests were able to stop the scenes of outrage and rapine that followed tho disappearance of the sun and the eruption of the mountain. Tho ancient city of Antioch has been another unfortunate city. In A.D. 115 the Emperor Trajan visited the city, and in tho height of the festivities the shock was felt in the banquet, halls. The Emperor and his court took flight in carriages, but the royal personage was injured. The city was almost wholly destroyed. In •158 tho city was again visited, and the houses and palaces -wrecked. The most disastrous shock occurred in 32fj. Gibbon, tho historian, says at this time 25,000 people lost their lives. The city was wholly destroyed. While the people were fleeing by thousands, tho earth would open before them and swallow up thousands. The earth opened, not only once, but many times, and thousands were heaped up in tho trenches. The ground was as warm as the floor of a furnace, and tho air was scorching hot, striking down thousands at a time. From every opening immense sheets of flame burst forth, burning to death all who chanced to be near. Tho pnlaecs were a heap of ruins; not ten dwellings wore left untouched. Sixty yours later the city was again populous, and another earthquake occurred, in which 30,0D0 people lost their lives. The last event, of this kind is romembiTcd by all. In April, 1872, tho city was wrecked again, and thousands of lives were lost. The ancient palaces have now almost entirely disappeared, and at present the dwellings are principally of poor .structure.