THE ITALIAN EARTHQUAKE.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXI, Issue 446, 5 January 1909, Page 3

THE ITALIAN EARTHQUAKE.

Heartrending Details.

Rome, Saturday,

The Captain of the steamer Umbric saw the famished survivors of Reggio killing and eating dogs. Two priests were the only survivors at Scylla. They were in the vault of their chitrch, which alone withstood the shocks.

Paris, Saturday

The French Government has opened a national subscription to assist the sufferers from the Messina earthquake. President Fallieres has subscribed £iooo. New York, Saturday.

I'he American public are subscribing most generously. T'he Steel Trust has given ,£s°° ; Standard Oil Trust and the Red Cross Society has remitted to Italy the £I O,OOO remaining from the San Francisco relief fund, Ottawa, Saturday.

The Canadian Government is granting £20,000 to the relief fund. Rome, Saturday.

The British military attache at Rome lias proceeded to Messina to intercept the steamers Ophir and Bremen and request them to give assistance.

The American ship Celtic brings about £6,400 worth of clothing, shoes and tents.

After being at Reggio King Emmanuel, revisited Messina. A building of five stories fell at his feet.

Captains*report that the bed of the sea in Ibe Straits of Messina has risen ten feet.

His Holiness the Pope contributed .£4OOO, the College of Cardinals ,£Bob, Queen Margherita £BOO, Lord Rosebery /400, New York’s Friday subscriptions totalled ,£40,000, and San Francisco £12,000. Ghicago purposes to send £ 20,000, Boston £IO,OOO, besides the Steel Corporation. The J. Pierpont Morgan Company gave £6OOO, Busch, a brewer of St. Louis, £SOOO, Christian Herald, New York, Board of Aldermen, New York, .£20,000. The Lord Mayor’s fund in Loudon, is over ,£20,000. The Governments of Ontario and Quebec (Canada), gave each, and the other Canadian provinces less. The city of Ottawa gave ,£IOOO. A wave on Monday engulfed two train loads of passengers leaving Reggio. A girl of twelve, a boarder at a convent, repeatedly returned to the tottering building and rescued three nuns and four girl companions.

The Duke of Aosta, while exploring Palmi, stumbled against a body, still clutching money and bank notes. He attempted to rescue the moribund survivor, who died in his arms.

King Emmanuel has telegraphed to Signor Giolliti, the Italian Prime Minister, to send “ ships, still more ships, ■ i»nd above all, ships laden with quicklime.” Correspondents -emphasise the fact that pestilence is threatened unless the survivors are speedily removed from the scene of the disaster.

The ocean liners are assisting to remove the refugees. It is believed that most of those buried in the ruins are now dead, and it will be necessary to cover the ruins with quicklime to prevent a pestilence. The Marquis of Samnola is still in a cellar in Messina, and has not been rescued, but he possesses provisions.

The newspaper Tribune states that out of 20,000 survivors at Messina, a fourth are the dregs of the population, requiring to be restrained by an armed force. Many suicides and cases of madness are reported. As a measure of- precaution against madness all dogs and cats are being killed and many famished people were eating them. The military overpowed 80 dangerous criminals, 'who were indulging in wholesale robber} r . Reggio and Messina have been placed under martial law, and the troops shot two of a famished mob who were attempting to plunder a bank safe.

Father Albani, of Florence Observatory, predicts a continuance a seismic for many years.

Princess Lavelle was ; viewing the sunrise at Taormina when, the earthquake occurred and hastily returning to Messina, found the Lusco Palace a heap of _ ruins.. Fan cying she heard the voices of her daughters under the ruins, she commenced scraping away with her hands and nails and rescued two unknown children. Then her husband appeared and told her that her daughters had ' safely lowered themselves with a rope made out of sheets. They also rescued two babies which the Princess will adopt. It is estimated that eight millions worth of private property and forty millions of public property at Reggio, twelve millions worth of fortifications in the Straits of Messina, and nine millions worth of docks and harbour works have been ruined.

The Admiralty intercepted the steamer Ophir and diverted her to Reggio, whence she conveyed 750 refugees and wounded to Naples. The Orient Company’s Messina agent perished in the disaster. King Emmanuel has telegraphed to King Edward his whole-hearted thanks tor the British officers and sailors’ great work of charity. It is officially stated that much more than half the population on both sides of the straits of Messina have perished. The British Admiral’s reports state the topography of the Straits is not altered.

, All Italy is co-operating with thq sovereigns and the ministers in the splendid arrangements they are

making to afford relief. Thousands of beds have been offered to the authorities. The Neapolitan aristocracy have lent hundreds of motors. Queen Helen personally attended to the wants of the patients at Messina yesterday, and sewed garments. New Zealand Subscription List Opened. Christchurch, Saturday. At the request of the Italian Consul-general for Australasia, the Italian Consular Agent here (Mr Thos. Wallace), has opened a subscription list for the relief of sufferers of tue Sicilian earthquake, and to date has received two guineas. At Mr Wallace’s request the Mayor has agreed to open a list at the City Council Chambers on Monday. Auckland Astronomer’s Statement. Further Shocks Probable. Auckland, January 2. It is of interest to recall the statement made to a Herald representative a fortnight ago by Mr J. T. Stevenson, an old Auckland resident, and a member of the Royal Astronomical Society. Referring to the recent Whakataue treniours, and basing his conclusion on the belief that eruptions are influenced by the position of the sun and the moon, Mr Steven-, son predicted further movements of our shifting globe in the following words: —“J expect a further period, but not of such intensity, between December 22nd and 26th. The indications point to a shock occurring at that time in the Southern Hemisphere, On December 22nd the moon will again be drawing to its nearest approach to the earth ; between the 25th and 26th insts., the attractive forces of the sun and moon will again exert their greatest influence on the earth's crust.”

When seen again on the subject in connection with the Messina catastrophe, Mr Stevenson remarked that the Italian earthquake had apparently occurred when the moon made its nearest approach to the the 27th inst.

“It was the Southern Hemisphere that your prediction concerned,” the interviewer commeny ted.

“Yes,” replied Mr Stevenson, “as the moon and sun were both vertical oyer the Southern Hemisphere, alid the sun was at its nearest point to our earth, I thought the disturbance would probably be there. However, the attractive forces of the sun and moon must have been exerted on the nadir position, the opposite place on the earth to where the sun was vertical.”

Mr Stevenson pointed out that local outbreaks had occurred, he having received a message to the effect that a slight shock took place at Whakataue on the evening of the 21st inst., also that a severe shock was felt at Waihi on the 22nd. He did not expect, however, that anything serious would occur, at thuse-places. That" there would probably, be further shocks in Italy and Sicily during next week he was strongly inclined to believe, as the moon is now moving northwards in her monthly orbit, and her attractive influence on that account may be more exerted over the Northern Hemisphere.