THE ITALIAN CALAMITY

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 313, 2 January 1909, Page 2

THE ITALIAN CALAMITY

UNPARALLELED CONSTERNATION AND DESTRUCTION INDESCRIBABLE SCENES THE DEATH ROLL: OVER 200,000 RENEWED EARTHQUAKE SHOCKS HEROIC RESCUE WORK (By Telegraph—Press Association.—Copyright.)

THE CRACKING OK TJIK EARTH.

HOW CONSULS EARED.

PART OF A TOWN SWALLOWED UL\ TRAGIC SCENES. A UIGAXTTC GRAVEYARD. Rome, December 30. Refugees declare that Rcggio was not only wrecked by the shock, but that the lower parts of the town were swallowed! up by the earth opening with a tremendous detonation like the firing of a hundred guns. .Simultaneously the .sea, with a terrific roar, rose to a great height, ruining in one sweep the most beautiful part of the town, including the cathedral, Prefect's palace, and all the main thoroughfare*, ' ~. There is consternation throughout Italy, especially in Rome and Naples, where, it is indescribable.

The death of the chief of police of Messina and five of his children was most tragic. His 'wife and boy escaped by standing under the framework of tiie largest door while the walls and Jloors fell around, burying the rest of the family. Cauuutelli and Razzara were destroyed.

A' captain of carbineers, after visiting Reggio, reported that the number of dead was enormous.

A hundred bodies have already been recovered from the ruins of Senunaioa. British and Russian bluejackets performed wonders during rescue work at Messina.

Out of two hundred Customs guards ;-. at Me-sina only forty-one escaped, while ; . t . out of two hundred'and eighty railway j e ' employees only eight were saved. AH Hilly is'mourning. The exchanges and theatres are closed, and a great national effort is being made to send succour, including doctors and firemen. Municipalities everywhere are organising relief. Scientists insist' thai the people must be compelled to re-erect their homes on spots hitherto spared,- instead of re- ,,,. building them on places which are rcguuls larlv devastated by shock?. , || ( . Expressions, of profound sympathy a., are coining from all parts of.the world. l 0 President Roosevelt cabled King 'Emmanuel expressing America's horror. .|_ President Fallieres, M. Clemcneeau, \„\ M. Pichon. King Edward,'the Kaiser. \\ e . and Prince von Bulow telegraphed their 11,. grief and sympathy. ' The lirst shock of' earthquake pasted n minute. The earth cracked l'ke a Maxim. Others say that it is impossible to convey an idea, of the Titanic grandeur of the tragedy. r" A train from TV"™"'. Wi <s unable to come within tee »"lcs of Messina. All the buildings «"' 1 bridges are broken, tint of r.'ie hundred post ollice onion ployce< »lly s 'x were saved. The gani- .,„ son c ls reduced to a small number. .! naval ollicer who left Messina for keggio telegraphed that he cannot find Reggio. It' exists no longer where it was. There are thousands of dead at Baguara. I". A serious shock was felt nt Palermo on Monday evening. The battleship Exiuoiith, now at II- Malta, conveys teats, mattresses, blauic ke'ts. niiil beef to Messina. iz. The military warehouses in Rome le were emptied of clothing, blankets, and „f provisions to be sent to Sicily. ,| c Hundreds of injured from Messina, have been brought to Naples. ■ s Survivors describe .Messina as a gigan- !>, tie dustlieap. Only a few thousands „, escaped. ' ,' ts The British steamer Drake rescued two lliuusand and fifty, while the crew L of a British merchantman rescued many ' from the burning houses. ~'. New Y'ork, December 30. I L The public of New York have sub- , scribed i-1000 to the earthquake relief a fund. The Italian c olony cabled £2OOO. " SI. L'ctersb'urg, December 30.

G A shock felt at Ekatlicriiiburg, Russ U coincided with that at Messina. THE DEAD AT REGGIO. ' CENTRE OF CITY DOWX TO St\ A RAIIAVAY SAYALLOWED Received 31, 10.35 p.m. Borne, December 31. A few refugees report t |,. lt H greater part ol'Rcggio is in ruins. Mo ot, the public buildings collapsed, inelu. mg the barracks, which in fulling kilh hinidreds of troops. The dead at Reggio llllml ,er at lea, I>.J«K>. I lie worst damage i„ Calabri ii-xirfiZfe' in ; ' iiiieft ' 0 ' Tl.e Prefect icporls that the centr igg... has. set,!,,, down to the sc is! Li I■V ' s " tmi <* »t the higl, •■si I'oiMla I'einitin. Mijsi of the pupi| s 0 f t | u , j elit 'r " il ' S ", llil ' ll "' O '•»".'> l "(»cciU,a/ ? .aro ; ,„d Marino. AT SEA. -MILES AWAY. I Received 31, lo.m ~„,, » eollUion "' riWl,Ml ° n *>**• ! ™^l V ' A » -N"KW« |.'|;„.u MEs sm . ' »"ATl'.n .SCARCE'. 'l-lu- Jir,, s ~.„,. ! ! "™'' J J™.,„ber 31. ">U. (I eat '"''" '.'""''"•''' l ;,t Mesjwi-,., , ' X '"' V ot w:,tl ''" Flails j llf j» me destruciion of the a.]tie*"*t beans of w ,.,.,.i.„, , «cs slow t w ,; , . ut '»age render ress missing'. 1 "' o ' tl »t Hit' garrison .shock has been ex- » subterranean

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A FAMILY'S RACE FOR LIFE. MANY FELL BY THE WAY. Received 31,10.35 p.m. Rome, December 31. 'Mr. Ogston, Britijj. Consul at sina (who lost his \\u Sr but aired his daughter), relates thft%> and his wife, carrying their escaped from the Consulate ;Alessiua througj a window. N -^ A balcony fell into t|e street, killing his wife. He seized Jhe child, which Was uninjured, and j*»cd fifty others who were ilceing to the country. Falling balconies, columns, and chimneys -killed half-a-dozL'u of the party at a time. , Ultimately onlv pur reached the open country. The fousul was injured. The American Coi.sUate collapsed, and it is feared that th" Consul and his wife have been killed. A FIND IN "THE RUINS. KING VICTOR EMMANUEL'S TRIBUTE TO BRITAIN. QUEEN HELENAfeCUES A CHILD. «*"■ Received 31, 10,35 p.m. Home, Deceniber3l. King Victor Emmanuel has declared that Britain's prompt response shows the brotherhood of the two nations. Kin- Emmanuel is helping to direct the rescue work at Messina. Queen Helena ~H visiting thu Injured aboard the ships in the harbor. She herself rescued a child from the ruins. It is reported at Naples that sailors of the Russian warship Mukaroff discovered in the ruins of Messina twenty million francs supposed to belong t.) the ruined branch building of the Bank of Italy. The sailors took the treasure to tlie'coimnaniler of their ship. People are frantic to go to search for their relations, and .steamer captains are refusing ti-TO for the passage from [ Naples to Sicilian ports. Hundreds of doctors and nurses ar« hurrying to the spot. ■ NAVIGATION DANGERS. 'WORLD-WIDE SYMPATHY WITH I ITALY. * • London, December 31. Lloyd's ask the Admiralty to warn merchantmen that the earthquake has ' caused new risks to navigation in the vicinity of the Straits of Messina. Thc'ILVLS. Mooltan, from Australia . to London, cleared the Straits 21 hours before the disaster. WHAT SCIENTISTS faa"r.- -~ " A COLLAPSING GLOBE. LO.Vi PROCESS AS COMPARED WITH HUMAN LIFE. Received 31, 10.50 a.m. Rome, December 31. Professor Sues;, the celebrated Austrian geologist, states that the theatre of. thf catastrophe is a spot where the earth/is sinking in disc-like form. When the sinking process is complete, t;i* hills of Seylla and u, great part of the. Peloritan range, near Messina, will he below water. The Straits of Messina will be widened, and only a fragment ef the Eastern Sicilian hills will project from the sea. Professor Suess adds: "We are witnessing a collapse of the terrestrial globe Hiat began long ago. The shortness of human life allows us to be of cheer." SEISMOGRAPH RECORDS. A COMPAEKJOxIvTtH THE 'FRISCO SHAKE. j

I Received 1, 1.15 a.m. ' Melbourne, December 31. ,q The seismograph records at the obj»ia semtol '. v sll0 «' that the first tremor '' was felt at Melbourne at 2.45 p.m. on 28th December, equivalent to 5.45 a.m. Italian time, and was continued till 3.8 p.m. ~. Tin's was followed by a group of iiV waves, each representing a fresh shock, which renchtd the maximum at 3.12 p.m. There was another group of seven .'quakes at ;i.4'J p.m., and another at ' 3.52 p.m. '■ Subsequently Hie disturbance took the l "J shape „f a succession 0 f 'quakes, about [ °Y vight in mi in icr, but of more amp!lua" tilde, until 4.24 n.m.; then thev changed Icd into minute tremors, terminating at 4.34 p.m., having lasted altogether an hour "« and lovty minutes. '«» The records are not nearly <o urnoin nouueed as they were in the wise of the Kan Francisco earthquake. ' ~ Pr " ft,S!ior I'iU'vachi says that probably W the centre of the present Italian earthJh- quake ,s nearer the snrfae, tlinn was Uu.l ot ,l„. San IVaneiseo earthquake. «" If *». the e ect would 1,, ,',lt 'more o severely locally, ,„„, t l„ waves would . he be projected through ih, 1 . i ,, 1h »,■„, smaller amplitude. Till' DKATjTkoIj,. ] . <:i(iA.\Tt(.: VKIUuXS. .J A AVITOUC TOWS VAXtSIIKS ' deceived 1, fl.ji) ~.„, i.w.000. including 200 visitor, f Two-thinl. of M,„ P „l,ni llhi(| .;, t „,,, I destroyed, the death th,,,. , liiwn if '"■•""* tllclc numbering 14,0(10. Ot these 30(10 «ere interred in P a common "rave '"unui in Twelve thousand peri,!,,,! ilt ><> lie low, „f Vylb, '''.' teen .hundred deaths „«.,„.,.,,, ;,, , .seminary. "'"" "} •' I UUYJXG FOII KOOJJ. ._. . . UKAOH HJHIJOU'Kj, f >tf IMMENSE FfSSUIiKS. "' 1 Loudon, .lanuarv 1. <'«< ,„■;,„L, '''T' • Stea,nor Th "™l»'» «P■oaehmg Messnu, : , m . t boatdoads of ! en a, KI „,„„,„„ f()f fo0(| im(] *t tl GCI. 'IT) The beach was furrowed with ennr-' Bevl mous gups, wh u „e e sulphurous ■ ■ '"'■ issuing. JjM||eg The railway station at Hc"»h.^^^^^| crushed 400, and the fallii^^^^^H bin-racks enmJied 2000 soldie^^^^^^H Mnimciise..-4k>Hi:cs were^^^^^^H