Letter from Jacob Spafford, 02/08/1927

This is a digital reproduction of a letter held in the Library of Congress from Jacob Spafford to a "dear friend”, dated 2 Aug., 1927. Jacob Spafford was the adopted son of Horatio and Anna Spafford, two of the founding members of the American Colony in Jerusalem.<br><br>Describes the devastating effects of the earthquake. Included is a description of an encounter with a man from Bethlehem who says no one was killed there but the damage suffered would require £100,000 to rectify (p.2). Also describes damage and loss of life in Nablus (70 dead), Ramleh, Ludd and Rama – the worst effected towns - as well as the kindness of people helping each other out, including Bedouins. Says Jerusalem got off relatively lightly although damage was worse on Mount of Olives. <br><br>This image was digitised by the Planet Bethlehem Archive and exists as part of the 1927 Earthquake collection within the Library of Congress project of the Planet Bethlehem Archive.