ITALIAN EARTHQUAKES.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 440, 24 February 1909, Page 2

ITALIAN EARTHQUAKES.

A SURVIVOR'S CRAPHIC ACCOUNT,

HEROISM OF WELSH SAILORS,

; No story; of the great, earthquake which ? has ! yet apposed is so graphic and thrilling-. (says the London .' 'Daily News',') 1 as that V *.' related by' Mr. Constantino Doresa, the first/ survivor of, the catastrophe to reach London. Mr; Doresa is a member of .the'/finn; / of. Messrs. Mango, Doresa, and Co., .ship--brokers and insurance , agents, of-St. Mary Axe, E.C.y and > - ent .to 'Messina; to superin-,/.; / tend- the . repairs of the Russian - steamer ' Produsal, wrecked off the south coast of , '.. Italy last December. He is a dark, broad-: shouldered, _, finely-built man,: but ;-the terr./!-' / rible experience he "has just passed'through ►"'/ has left'its mark upon him. \ . Mr. Doresa was m bed at the Hotel Trin- . acria, in tho public square of Messina/ at (ha. time of tho, earthquake.' . "It was 'twenty-five minutes past, five by ' my watch when I was awakened'suddenly," ; he said. "My -bed- seemed;to"be'. rising-lup./, ; towards the,ceiling,; and it rocked violently., lhen it began, to fall; faster* arid faster,' for: what: seemed an age, but was in reality. I believe, only about; ten seconds. There was a.crash and a .roar, continuing for-many ■ minutes. , I leapt out .of.bed .and' struck/, a/. light, the - bed,, I: found, was - standings- on, the edge of a chasm. Almost the whole ot the hotel, except that part in which niy room was situated, had collapsed.' x The"air .'however,-..ww so thick with dust, and it was so dark, that I could see very little, at., tho time-except that the' roof and part's of/ tile,-.-walls .of my 'room were gone.. ' I -could-?see : the stars overhead. . t W .-. : . -/■'/.-. ■ . Scenes of Horror. ~ "Happily, my" friend in the nekt room—a ' -Mr., CaigeMvas unhurt,-and with his help -; I tore a number of sheets into strips and •' made, a rope., ; We were -on the floor, , and , the onlv way down was by; the : sheer ' . front of /the -hotel. . First we lcrwered. uSuedo and his wife and child,; who were wild with fear, to the ground, then went down-,the. rope ourselves. The scene that mat' our eyes ' m tho public square was one of absolutehorror. Buildings were toppling ;to ; ■ the' V' ground, themhaoitants .wero/running'-wildly' through the .streets, shrieking and throwing 1 up, their arms in terror. . It'was like :a'city ' of .people , gone mad. - Caiger and I made' our way through thfe suffocating clouds ; of ,' ,dust, to the, quay/ passing- on>. our'Tvaydreds of people buried beneath/the'ruins," --'' - When we arrived at the harbour/we found l '-'- ' .to our igreait astonishment that the" Produgol' .had', been swept away by:' the .'huge . tidal"'*' waves and. was settling ,downi, at, the; month'v-' ?tV ; T®>- ,which was: greatly damaged. " AVe haded Captain • Owens,: of ■ the Afonwen, ■'<"' and; alter a time, a party -of :us, composed of -' :- thrra of his crew and a few of tho men from - the" Produgol, clambered over tho- ruins to what remained of the Hotel- '

far. off ..'stood two : little vSiciHanvchildren-jou :* -- the.. top ' floor of : a building. Wo: got. them'-; to throw us down a' piece of oordj- and; to : this we tied a ladder, and;bv thismeans oijo l of Captain* Chvcn'j incnroaclicdtho first balcony. ";i .■ v.;'.' "By : repeating , this; device' the sailors ' reachcd tho next floor andthe. topfloor was-'; eventually, reached by. climbing' a stout rope. There wore a lot more , children .in the buud- ; - ing, ;and ORead, the second mate,,volunteered'- " . his services. - When the ropes were; made • ■ ■ secure the little'children-,one. at a time: were.- ;; • - let down;. I stood at the foot of tho ladder:!'. holding,it.as:each*'precious life was brought: : into. safety. These two men acted .with su- : . ' porb bravery and coolnoss, whispering wordsl of courage ; into theears:of the cliildren. Any\- •> momentthe',building- might' have .'collaVsed ; ; aud buried; us-all. When they had rescued v. the- last human being; who . was a " : 'man':evidently acting., as 'nurj=e ; to the cjiil-'/ ! . drcii, tho twoheroe, l ; themselves.; came down the; i;Opes;;,.; We"- helped. the -rescued, to "clothe i' ; themselves,-; and 'I; gave them soma, of" the.,.-- ■ things I had* brought, from the hotel." Cowardly soldiers. Mr. Doresa referred•' in./inodest terms to V. 'i«latiiigtvtlt^-V'^raffinig>^Bto^y|>£c<-.' \ active-part in the deeds of •;heroism.A'6 , r the wi •: rescue' party: pushed their... way through the . ,ruihsj t£ey.:'.werb-.':met. ; with agonisingV/appeaU •for help by half-buried victims. Somp of the ' buildings tookv-fire, and' the.seamgn fought-; . their ivay the.flamesVand.came, backi -. : ;Siciliariri in their arms. The'rescue', party went , back to the Cardiff ' steamer and found rations, which they gave .tovspme of-the people. , Wail? thisVwbrk-iWaSr;,;!.' going on, -Mr. Doresa was molested by one • or ;t\vo iUlian.. soldiers, ywho^Vied'tor escape'' from;the, island\'in one:of .the ship's..boats,';'..; .but. they decamped - when: Mr;' Doresa. saidihe M.: - would ishoot; dnybadyXwho; laid a hiind': ont'itj On the quav he saw half-demented people fighting, for'-'food'with weapons.':,W e .passed that awful night oKbo'aritbo: Afohwen. ./Dawn-brought' fr<»fc'terrora. fore:us;lay;the: city--a. mass of.burning. ruino ; oyer whichvtJie,..nalf•■'clad , ::■: jiexo'. fleeing to shelter. Hundreds of bodies,'hor-; : ljring :'in,>ll.' Wo could, hear- the groans of -the dying.' il' discovered: afterwards, that • besides- Caiger .. - ' aiid-:myself -personsin the: Hotel. Trinacria survived out of-atotalafveighty.'i The proprietor was; taken Tout from ; the. ruana'Kv ' some hours afterthe collapse more.dead than ' alive Ono of the saved"; was' Mdlle. Paola V. ■ lvaraleoh, tho.prima donna at :,tho- Vittono' -: , Emanuele Theatre.' ' v :: '.';'o:'y-.y ' -

•" I shall never: forgjefcour sease of relief; ■■■■ when we saw the': British:warshipsV'anclidr!-m'i -:':■-■ tHd'; Straits. The -first and great 'crash had _ been followed during the ncxttwenty-four- ; hours by. many le^r®ocks,.'an_d. ; we'did:.not;' r know' but what s oiii: end was stiU::.fo: , come;> ;' - ! Steiim pinna'cesV and':dinghys < with : do6tor8: : ; : ' , and rescue supplies aboard made .'■ for.. thef Ashore,: arid: the• -sighti of .. armed bluejackets» ' put the ;loo.tera: to": The; neivs -of the v i ' disaster was conveyed to the admiral ;of- the ..- f fleet ..'by.'wireless telegraphy from-Malte,' : ind: i;'; the ; warships';were at' Syracuse... .when .'the ': • order to proceed was given. < -The "' rescue' work' ■ by our surgeons v and :• blue-. jackets, and-'by the Russian sailors who arrived later, in the . day was carried out with

the utmost and ; kindness. ■ We guessed the previous' night', that 1 had been destroyed, as no lights could be seen in that .direction 'across; the water.'and;.villager on' both-sides of the Straits h|a'd bcen'{devastated;''.:;As.:the;.:Afonw - en' : b<3rc -,us'to Naples; steiiming-slowly. throughihe' mass 1 of dead bodies. floating; about,'- we coiild 5 see how 'terribleyhad been :the .visitation. • Great tracts of land . were -laid . bare; by the":tidal waves, and fanns were, reduced to ruins. When at last all danger was over I offered up' a prayerfto. heaven for the miradle that had saved my life.

" I. cannot spoak.too highly of/the.bravery, 1 .-, of . Read, the second niate 'of the .'Afomren. i ' In ;on?.:orthe" burning; bui]ings,,weVsawV-a'' •.. woman pinned, underneath, a wooden board. - ; Read realiscd the' -situation' instantly, and. with flames; surging '.round him, : Mmmenced • • to, cut- 1 thl-ou'gh the board. After .a' I .few: ;;- minutes' terrible suspense Read H.v carrying the poor woman. X' ' " Undoubtedly,". concluded ; Mr. V- Dorcsa,' "great physical changes have been;wrought;.'--':. by the.; convulsion in. the Straits 5 and- our captain, on sounding the -lead, .founU'that at-' ■ the particular -point where - the- - - swung at: her ' moorings, there Were: fifteen .; ,;:■; fathoms less water.under hec aftethe:earth- ' :quake than before." , ./.■ : '