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gartten vom Franciscaner Closter so mein logament wahr spatziren, da fieng wieder
ein so starckes ahn, dass das ops Von den baumen fiel, da es doch gantz windstill
wahr, undt wir taumelten, als wen wir uns voll getruncken hetten, konten auch nicht
stehen, sondern mussten uns niedersetzen.
das aller merckwurdigste ist das die schife so bey 15 Welsche meyl Von der Insul
auf der see wahren in Bonaza oder Windstill, die hochste gefahr davon ausges-
tanden, denn solche so starck nach den schifleuthe aussage, beweget seint worden,
als wen alles zu grundt hette gehen wollen. Jedoch ist zu mercken dass nicht alle
Jahr dergeleichen giebet, sondern Zu weylen im gantzen Jahr nicht eines.
[English translation:
“It is a pity that such a beautiful island is so subjected to earthquakes, which I
fully experienced myself in a most dreadful way. During the present spring only
short time-spans were without some of them. On the 16th March, around 10 in the
evening one lasted three quarters of an hour. It seemed that all would be turned into
ruins. Indeed a large part of the fortress, some 70 houses and 16 Greek churches,
most of the 60.000 inhabitants belong to this religion, fell down. In my room a
side-wall fell and I would have been dead or hurt if I had not fled in time. Also a
Venetian colonel of French origin was lying in my room suffering of podagra and his
leg was hit by a piece of wall, so that it broke. Nobody else was harmed. Luckily,
shortly before a small shock had occurred, warning people and giving them time
to go out of the houses to open places. Otherwise many would have been killed.
Actually they are accustomed to flee from their houses as soon as they hear an
earthquake, thus escaping the collapse of the houses on their heads. At such times
(when an earthquake occurs), the women, living in a very secluded way, especially
the straightforward ones, proceed to the roofs, which are built like a balcony, to
the utmost two stories high because of earthquakes. Their argument is that when a
house collapses they stay atop of it, avoiding its fall on themselves. It seems that
many of them saved their life doing so. If an earthquake comes so suddenly that
the inhabitants do not dare to reach an open space, fearing collapsing houses, they
proceed to doorways, solidly built for this reason of strong stones, saying that if the
whole house collapses the doorway would nevertheless stand on. Such a case for
example occurred also this time, a Turkish girl being saved while the house fell on
her. From this earthquake on, more than 400 shocks were heard, counted by different
people, during five days and five nights. Indeed when one scarcely ended, another
one began.
On 18th March, while I had lunch with the Provveditor General such a violent shock
occurred that the crockery for drinking fell from the board of the credence and we
had to flee. On 19th March, while I walked with other officers in the garden of the
Franciscan monastery where I lodged, another occurred, so violent that fruit fell
from the trees, although it was calm. We tumbled like drunk, could not stand and
had to sit down.
The strangest thing is that ships some 15 “Welsche” miles off the island, during
“Bonaza” [lack of wind, from the Italian “bonaccia”] or calm, experienced highest
danger, being, from the seamen's report, moved so violently that it seemed that
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