Violent Seismic Disturbance.

Te Aroha News, Volume XXVII, Issue 4424, 15 June 1909, Page 2

Violent Seismic Disturbance.

GREAT LOSS OF LIFE. Paris, June 13, A sElsMitruave of great violence was experienced in South France last night at a quarter past nine. Ti e inhabitants ot the towns and villages were startled by the trembling of tho earth, whi<h increased to violent shocks, and then died away. This was repeated f *ur times b tween 9 and 9.20, then the shocks ceased. Great damage was t aused to property. Many people were killed by the falling buildings, ot«r sixty deaths being recorded. Oi e element of good fortune about the shocks was they occurred just before bedtime, forbad they occurred an hour or two latef the victims would have been in hundreds. As it was, the majority of the inhabitants of the stricken district felt the first premonitory shocks, and were able to rush for the open before the disaster overtook them. At Marseilles there was great excitement in the streets and cafes. Six towns in the Douches due Shone were plunged in darkness by the failure of the electric light. In some cases the entire population of the towns spent a night out of doors till dawn. Houses collapsed and in several towns some fatalities are reported. Ships at Toulan strained on their cables, and fifteen persons were killed in a village of Sanbease, and a neighbouring village of Rogues was entirely destroyed, Twenty bodies have since been found among the ruins. Several were killed at Saint Cannat, where many are still buried under the ruins, some of whom are still alive. Every house in some of the streets of this town is destroyed, the damage being estimated at over a million frances. Though there were no seismic disturbances after the fourth shock, many thousands of people remained in the open all night. Over twenty thousand gathering on the quays at Marseilles, while many others put off to fishing boats and remained aboard all night. The troops are assisting in the work of rescue. The position of bodies already found indicates that the dead were mostly killed while asleep.