THE DEATH-RATE OF EARTHQUAKES 



By CHARLES DAVISON, Sc.D., F.G.S. 



The destruction of Messina at the close of 1908 has made us 

 familiar with the immense loss of life that may be accomplished 

 within a few seconds by a great earthquake. The total number 

 of deaths is still unknown ; probably it will never be revealed but 

 it cannot fall far short of 100,000. Seldom has this number been 

 exceeded, though it has often been approached in other lands as 

 well as in Italy. Taking the latter country first, we may recall 

 the long series of earthquakes in 1783, when more than 30,000 

 lives were lost ; and the Sicilian earthquake of 1693, when the 

 number rose to more than 58,000 according to Dr. Baratta and 

 to 93,000 according to Prof. Mercalli. Smaller but still con- 

 siderable figures were attained in other earthquakes, for instance, 

 2,313 in the Ischian earthquake of 1883,6,240 in the Norcian 

 earthquake of 1703, 12,291 in the Neapolitan earthquake of 1857 

 and 15,000 in the Sicilian earthquake of 1169. 



The Japanese records tell the same tale. In 1891, 7,273 lives 

 were lost during the great earthquake in the provinces of Mino 

 and Owari. Five years later, 27,000 persons were drowned at 

 Kamaishi and along the neighbouring coast by the sea-wave 

 following an earthquake. To the Japanese, this wave was more 

 costly in life than the whole war with China in 1894. Again, 

 30,000 persons were killed by the Kamakura earthquake of 1293 

 and the same number in Yechigo in 1828. But even these figures 

 were surpassed in 1703, when the death-roll is said to have risen 

 to 200,000, half of this number being in the district of Awa alone. 

 In other countries, to give only a few more instances, we find 

 that 50,000 were destroyed by the Lisbon earthquake of 1755, 

 40,000 in northern Persia in the same year, 60,000 in Cilicia in 

 1268, 100,000 in Pekin in 1731, 180,000 in India in 893, more than 

 80 per cent, of this number having been buried in the ruins of one 

 city, whilst 300,000 are said to have perished in the Indian earth- 

 quake of 1737. " As yet," wrote Humboldt in 1844, " there is no 

 manifestation of force known to us, including even the murderous 

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