Democratic Sentinel, Volume 17, Number 18, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 19 May 1893 — ZANTE'S AWFUL FATE. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

ZANTE'S AWFUL FATE.

BEAUTIFUL ISLAND RUINED BY AN EARTHQUAKE. Paradis ? of the lonian Group the Center of ah Eruption—Hundreds of Lives Lost and the Chief City Rendered Uesolate—The Calamity Foretold. A Frightful Catastrophe. Zante, the largest and most beautiful of the lonian Islands, recently experienced the most destructive earthquake that has ever visited the island. This is saying a great deal when it is considered that earthquakes of a serious nature are by no means uncommon in these regiops. The city of Zante sustained irreparable damage, as it seemed to be the very center of the upheaval. It may be a curious coincidence or ndt, -but it is very singular that Prof. Falb in liis prediction should have been so fatally correct. This gen-

tleman, who can now be considered an indisputable authority on earthquakes, had cautioned the people to be prepared for a shock, which he said would occur during or immediately following the total eclipse of the sun, which took place on the 17 th. The earthquake did arrive on the day designated, and the loss of life and property in consequence was appalling. The city is but little better than a huge ruin. The streets were made impassable and in most cases totally obliterated by the enormous masses of stone and timber from the wrecked houses. Hundreds of lives were lost. The night following the principal shock was marked

by tremblings of the earth and terrific noises, which almost frightened the life out of the people that remained id the city. Nobody dared to sleep, and there was the greatest lamentation and expression of grief on all sides. All open spaces were crowded with terror-stricken people. Invoking Aid from a Saint. The day after the church dignitaries held a solemn, imposing service, beseeching the intervention of St. Denis, patron saint of the island. The relics of the saint were placed In a gold case on a pedestal in view of the immense crowd kneeling on the bare ground. The greatest devotion was evinced, and the people seemed greatly pacified. The island of Zante or, as the Greeks call it, Zakynthos is by far the most beautiful of the lonian Islands. Nothing can surpass the loveliness of its scenery or the delights -of its exhilarating climate. Were it not for the periodically occurring earthquakes it could be con-

sidered an ideal earthly paradise. This charming little spot seems to unite all the requisite conditions for an existence of unalloyed pleasure. Olives, oranges, the most delicious grapes and other tropical or semitropical fruits grow here in a riotous luxury. The only blemish in this ravishing picture is the fact that Zante is the very seat of volcanic eruptions which, from time immemorial, have persisted in upsetting one’s equilibrium as well as causing undesirable movements in real estate. The island, encompassed by an abrupt rocky coast, comprises an area of about 438 square kilometers and has some 44.000 inhabitants. The

—■— capital bearing the same name is situated like an amphitheater at the foot of a hill on the eastern coast. A large citadel crowns the ton of the hill and the city is or, perhaps rather was the best and most substantially built city of all the lonian Islands. Chorche* in Ruing. It hat nearly seventeen thousand Inhabitants and is the see of a Greek archbishop and a Catholic bishop. It had a number of very handsome churches and other buildings, but most of these are now in ruins. All the prominent and historically inter-

Jesting structures are nothing ferns I heaps of stones and a chaos of broken i timber and twisted iron. Among i the mostqotqd buildings thus swept i away was the Church of St. Mark. ' This was a fine specimen of Venetian , architecture of the tenth century. : The ancient Venetian castle, splendidly situated far above the city, and which served as the residence of the

Governor of the island, isalso a thing of the past. This was one of the most charming spots in the island. The castle itself was built of heavy, richly ornamented blocks of marble, and contained treasures of old Gobelin tapestry, paintings and, above all, an almost priceless collection of rare Venet : an glass. The grounds about this place were laid out as a pleasure garden, almond,

lemon, orange and pomegranate trees being planted in great abundance. Innumerable marble statues and splendid mosaics were scattered throughout the park at frequent intervals. All there is left of this is a heap of ruins and an area of blackened earth. The Governor himself barely escaped from being killed and was seriously wounded. There were exciting scenes at the jail and workhouse. The massive wall% caved in here and there and the frantic prisoners could be seen clinging to the window bars in desperation clamoring for help. The poor wretches that escaped from being crushed to death by the falling walls were unable to get out, as all doors bad become obstructed. The hospital was badly damaged, but the patients were rescued and taken to the residence of the Catholic bishop, whose house had escaped the general destru-tion. «• The number of ruined houses in Zante exceeds 3,000, and there is not a house left that is not more or less damaged. The damage done by the earthquake in the interior is incalculable. The shocks seem to have been greatest In the southeastern part of the island, near Cape Chien. Five of the most nourishing villages in this vicinity were wiped out entirely. Zante has frequently been the scene of severe earthquakes, notably those that occurred in February, 1042 and 1740, and in October of 1840. This year’s earthquakes have nevertheless been by far the most destructive, and it is a question whether Zante will ever recover from the

PRINCIPAL STREET.

GENERAL VIEW OF THE TOWN.

TENTS AFTER THE CATASTROPHE.

VIEW OF THE PORT.

AFTER THE EARTHQUAKE,