THE ITALIAN EARTHQUAKE.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXXVI, Issue 10059, 29 January 1909, Page 2

THE ITALIAN EARTHQUAKE.

[By Ei.kctiik: Tki.khkaph.—C-'oi'vinuu,, (Per Press Association.) Received January 29, at. 9.20 a.m. Frcmantle, January 2<J, News by the mail states that, the jxsipjp in the various Italian (owns visited j, v the earthquuko wore asleep at. I lie lj,up '.riio .shock came without warning ;, lj((|j nfter 5-o'clock in the morning, anil ln s for over 30 seconds and literally hwim. the buildings the poriwinlii ular lUII | let (hem crash in a heap of ritttir.. T1i,.,, came the tires, the explosions of the K , m meters, and iinally a huge tidal wavp of liquid mud which swept over the i|unv, and engulfed the low-lying portim,* ;,, the towns, drowning the miserable liein K( pinned beneath the ruined building*. Tlij H is whv no satisfactory estimate n[ t| lf prolmb'le deaths has vet been made.

. Hero its :i typical story, (old by a w „. man who reached Palermo from Messina"lt whs a hellish scene. Wo were s |j|| sleeping wllo'll.WO WOIV KlllMoilly ilW;iliC|| Cl |l by a'fit range noise. 'l'lio windows• wore nil\ rat(ling and ' the-', doors.: burst-i-open - witii a . .ig. '■ Some of.wis wore ' t ln-own mil. 0 | it I by'- the violence, of tliu shock. .\ deluge, of rain was falling, ami i| „-.„ very dark. "Teremoto!" (an o;utluiiiukpl we'shrieked. All were shivering with tct ror and wore scarcely half-clothed. 1 || Cl | with mv brother and lister, but lost them n the street. Utliei- people were rnnnjn,, o and fro crying desperately and tdumting •Help!" or invoking the .Madonna ml aints. All around ns wore enimMiiij ,-alks, crashing windows, and splintering i-oodwork. The- water came up In our more, and near the sea- front all Hip teamei-6 were Hooded with muddy water, di'icli roared terribly and battered every. hint; with incredible violence." A young doctor at- Messina, ii.-ii I .Hi. itto'Kossi, lolls the following (.ten:- ■! rose early on Monday jnnriiiiig iii|en,| ng to leave, Messina by aiv oarly train, t, was still dark and I was waiting ami ■eady to start when tliu profound t,ilon lF vhic'li precedes the <lawn was broken |,jin -extraordinary noise. 1 can Ivst ( |«. iriho it as liko the bursting of a tlieiwuj lombs. This was followed by a nmhini; orrcntial rain ; then tln-re was a ,-inist,-, vhistliiig as if t-housands of red lint, iron •ods wore hissing in icy water. I ilii] n,)| •ealise what was happening until Muhleiilv ■lie violent rhythmic innvcnionls nf ||,'<, -urroimding walls nia<lo me realise llio [\vfnl fuel that ; arlhi|nake was in |„„. ;ross. Around me splintered jjlsins Ml hickly ,-iiwl t-he roof burst, oil' l|)i,-|, ■louds of choking <l>iKt which added |„ ||„ honor of thosiluntion, while tin- ground iv M hakon by an extraordinary double nunc. nent. as if rising and falling, which Inn] i. peculiar effect making me imagine tint bad been seized suddenly ill. for t|„ uinnont I was in a dazed condition, |j|| he thunder or falling stones limn thr iruinhling walls made mo realise that i| was to escape with my life there wasm,; i. moment to be lost. I rushed iuln \\ K •oom where my mother and sister ulc|i| md sueeeede<l, with the help of a strnii|| ■ord. in rescuing not only lliein Imil 3j it her people in the dwelling whip hail liven tliemselvos up for lost. Then, uit|, ho help of passiilg soldiers, 1 drugged nut ovorul women and children from iiiiilit he loitering walls or the liulf-iAwmy,^ minces, which soon after eiiuif down in'i/, i crash. There were scones of inita,n'liible horror. II was difficult I" w in he dust-laden hull'-darkness, but ill ni-vv urn <ino vniild not. help imt iinng uiv ;baslly spectacle of Innnan limbs iut of Hie mass of ruins. I'You/.ioil rtlnives with bare, bleeding hands niii|mY, o dig out their «lear ones from miller the alien masonry, tlfteii (lie walls wliidi lad not alt-ogethei- collapsed ciiine down uddonly and buried tlicui with their ilcmj elativcs in a common grave. All tin i-liile shrieks and' imprecations were heard roni the miserable raving fugilivei" win ashed half naked and bleeding Ihrmip be streets, appearing like spectres in tin nrid atmosphere which bad begun In l« it. ii]) by the fires which broke mil in tin •niiiK. The water pipes liiiving liffli irokon. the sufferings of the. people wen llleiisiliod by a lack of drinking water ,Ve were <lriven to assuago our hiirnhr, hirst by rinsing our mouths with m vate'r wherewith we washed even mil voiinds. All this time a inosl- liuimis mil vhich came down like a waterspout w leluging Hie ruins, even (lirealeuiiiK th ugiiives with drowning in the mire 111 ,y Ihe receding sea. finally, we hi ceded ill reaching the Knglish Kleani! 1 ■)bio." . . . i

Most of the fugitives' who Imvi- niirl accounts <if I lie catastrophe were ton mw.li under the possession of 'terror In Mini their agonised search fur their iclalim who were lost to give any detailed mrnatives.