THE ITALIAN EARTHQUAKE

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 5, 30 January 1909, Page 2

THE ITALIAN EARTHQUAKE

" WE WAST SIIELTKI;." INHUMAN TUWI'S. ' Home, January :2!t. rowds of people parollcd the streets Ueliiuinova, Calabria, shouting: "Wo lit shelter! ' The troops charged 111, killing and injuring several.

MANSION lIIOL'SK I'C.NI). lleci ived •>», I l.:ill p.m. London, .laiiuarv ■£<. I Tlie Mansion limine Fund is now I .CI2J.OUO. NEWS BY MAIL A CPiAl'lllC MSCKII'TJON. Frcinmille, January <!S. A young doctor iVum Messina, nauied A Hollo Hossi, tells the following stun concerning the earthquake: "I ruse eiirlv on Monday morning intending to leave Medina by the early train. It was still dark anil 1 was wailing ready to alart when TIIK IT.OFOINU MI.KNCF. which precedes dawn wa, brulceii by an eMinordinary noise. 1 eau best deseribe it. as iike tin bursting of a thousand bombs. Thi* was followed by rushing torreiuial rain; then there was a sinister whistling as if thousands of red hoi iron rods were hissing in icy water. I did nut realise what was happening until suddenly violent rhythmic movements of the surrounding walls made me realise the awful fact that

an ■KAKTJIQUAKE WAS IN I'UOURESS. Around me splintered glass fell thiekIv, the roof burst, giving off thick clouds of choking dust, which added to llie' horror of the situation, while the ground was shaken by an extraordinary double movement as if rising and falling, which had the peculiar ell'ect of Imakiiig me imagine that 1 had been seized suddenly ill. For the moment f was in ji dazed condition till a thunder of falling stones from the crumbling hvalls made me realise that if 1 were to escape with my life there was not a moment to be lost. I rushed into the room where my mother and sister slept, and succeeded, with the help of a strong fcord, in rescuing, not only them, but Ihirty-six other people in a dwelling, who had given themselves tip for lost. .Then with the help of passing soldiers, 1 dragged out several women and children from, under tottering walls of the half destroyed palaces which soon after came down with a crash. There were scenes of

I INDESCRIBABLE HORROR. H was difficult to sec in the dust-laden, liulf-darkreied atmosphere, but atcvery Hum one could not help noticing a gliastly spectacle of human limbs sticking out from a mass of ruins. Frenzied relatives, with bare, bleeding hands, sought to dig out dear ones from under •the fallen masonry, though often the walls, which were not altogether collapsed, came down suddenly and buried them with their dead relatives in A COMMON GRAVE. ■All the while shrieks were heard from ■Hie miserable, raving fugitives who rushed half-naked and bleeding through the streets, appearing like spectres in a ■lurid atmosphere which began to be lit up by lires which broke out from the ruins'. The water pipes having been broken, the sufferings were intensified by a

' LACK OF DRINKTNC WATER. We were driven to assuage the burning bv rinsing our mouths with sea water, .wherewith we washed even our wounds. All this time a most furious rain storm, which came down like a waterspout, deluging the ruins, and even threatening the unfortunate fugitives with drowning •in. the mire left by the receding sea. .Finally we succeeded in reaching the ■English steamer Euro."

OTHER ACCOUNTS. Frcmmitlc. January 20. Most of the fugitives who have given accounts of the catastrO|flie were too ■much under the impresison of terorr and too full of their agonised search .for relatives whom they lost to give any detailed narrative of the catastrophe. People ill various Italian towns visited bv the earthquake were asleep at .the time of the shock, which came withviut warning a- little after 5 o'clock in ■the morning. It lasted over 3d seconds <r,id litcrallv swung buildings out of the •pcrpendiuclar and let them crash in a •heap of ruins. Then came tires, explosions of gasometers, and finally

A HUGE TIDAL WAVE «f liquid mini which swept over Iho ■quays and enguHnl tin' low-lying portions of the towns, drowning miserable ■beings pinned beneath Ihe ruined buildings. This is why no satisfactory estimate of the probable number of deaths lias been made. ' Here is a typical story told by a woman who readied I'alermo from Mes siua:— ''lt was

i A HELLISH SCENE. We were still sleeping when we were •sudilcMllv awakened by the strange noi-c of the windows all rattling. The doors 'burst open with a bang. Some of us ■were thrown out of boil by the violente ■of the shock. A deluge of rain was falling, and it was very dark. "Ternnioto!'' we shrieked, all shivering with terror and scarcely half clothed. I lied with my brother and sister, but lost ■them in' the street. Other people were 'running to and fro crying desperately and shouting for help, ami

INVOKING THE MADONNA nnd the saints. All around us were crumbling walls, crashing windows, and splintering woodwork. Water came up ■to our knees and near the sea front all the steamers were Hooded with muddy water which roared terribly and battered everything with incredible violence."

OTilKll ASPECTS OK THE DISASTER SCENES 01' SAVAOKY. ClllUJliKX CUXGIXt! TO THEIR J'AKEXTS' DUAL) BODIES. Received 2!), 5.10 p.m. Fremantlo, .lanuarv •».). Scenes of snviiHTy were witnessed. A crowd of persons of all descriptions kind of every age, some naked, others ilmlf clothed, and nearly all injured, iruslieil to the Customs oliieers, who were Uniitc mialilc to oiler resistance to Hie 'frenzied mob. Suddenly the reports of •revolvers riiujjf out, ami'the pooplc were 'lighting amongst themselves for a 'handful of vegetables or a small niece I "of bread.

. I'roiii the deck ~f the steamer tlio 'iiKlit of (he lighting was torrifvinj,'. Another aspect of tin, dUaatcr is described by (i chemist numeil l'uleo, who •«us in a. ferry bout. He was crossin.r in 'tin- early morning from .\l'ossiuo"ti> licggio. Suddenly a gale arose, bringing with it n

1 A UIW, SKA. •The boat seemed to be made of paper, fls it was dashed into the shore, and ; swcpt back aitaiu bv the reeeilim. wave •most, people on board being drowned. :,,, I ,L tl "' '"'I"- I'.v n virions eha-iee. Ilont- <•.. mid escaped serious injury. l'uleo ."id n few oilier survivors, after Hie 'lirst panie, made their wav on shore to ; .McsMiia. and found i|. |ii ; , ; A CITY (U' l)i;.\l).

There was nobody about, and ihe i.r„Uotlml sileuee was onlv broken by the | nman- groa.is and shHek, „f the'injurIM| . I I'lc) aii.l hi-, eoiii|ianion- tried to resell,, some of them, but the task was •beyond their power-. owing In the com(lllioll of tile, wrecked house-, 1 'I lie captain of tl„. [j„„j iU , cruiser General Makarolf told „[ similar c\perienee. After the shock „„,,. were no 'lewer than four great waves in -neeesisiou, (he sea. from ]■> ,„ ~, llll( | even ;|0 tecl. ||,. saw a few survivors 'wandering about the ,l,ore halfuak..,! mi'! starved 1 mad with terror.

liulcr a bed. miraciiloiislv UK-il on a |iieeo of wreckage. TWll HAWKS Iwcrc found gravely plaviug u i ( h |,ulitons.

Many children,.were found eli,i»ia.. ,1..spairmejy to the dead bodies of Their iinothcrs. ' llu-inu -oldior- -avcl nnmher- of chihlren, manv of whom were mere .babies, and carried (hem 0,, hoard. Several of the adults were -tricken with iinadness and tottered on deck shielding ■their head- with their arms as tlimigh islill in (lie midst of fallinj; ina-oun. " I In alt Russian -aih.rs saved more .than a thousand people in Messina, iwhieh was wrecked by the earthquake and half-obliterated hv the sou.

! iuwcio iwas forsaken for -three whole .lavs. iOnly after tile arrival of Kin K Victor .was systematic rescue work attempted. i Every town within 2."> miles had been wrecked. i The Hank of Naples and the Hank of .Italy wero about the only buildings left slanillnjr in Rcftgio. The. water supply coinnlclely disappeared and 'ao bread was available.

CABLjG news (By Oablo.—Press Association.—Conyright.)