The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1882-10-14
EUROPEAN LETTER,

| ERoNA, Cept, Zotl 1907
Verona is in tears. Aterrible misfor-
tune has befallen the city OF the Scaligers,
OF Danties banishment, and the ill-star-
red lovers, Romeo and Juliet. Across
the continent, from Antwerp to Venice,
there has been continuous down-pour
OF rain for weeks past, and heavy snow
storms have descended upon the Swiss
and Italian Allies and the Austrian
Tyral. Such bad weather at this season
OF the year is almost unprecedented. In
the Bernese oberland avalanches have
poured down the mountains side with a
noise like that OF thunder. The rivers
are swollen and turbid, and mighty
masses of rock tumble down from great
heights into tho valleys, sometimes
blocking the roads across the passes.
From the Austrian Tyrol, the melted
snow, helped by the frequent and heavy
rains has so swollen the Adige that
whole tracts OF country are submerged,
trees are washed out of the ground by
the roots, and, besides the damage done
to other places III Italy by similar mis-
fortunes. Verona has become one huge
lake.
As long ago as Friday last the people
| were warned of threatened danger which
found them still unprepared in the early
hours of Sunday morning. In the mid
die of the night the Adige swelled and
swelled, drowning them while they slept,
No exact computation can be made of
the actual number of deaths, but it is
supposed that at least thirty persons are
lying dead in the ruins 6f the fallen
houses on the banks of the rushing river.
Communication is entirely cut off be-
tween Verona and Venice. Milan and
Verona are full of American tourists,
unable to go forward and unwilling to
return. Looking down upon the city
from the lofty summit OF the Scaligers'
watch tower, the fallen buildings on theop-
posite side of the river are plainly visible,
and dead bodies can be seen lying upon
the floors of houses with their fronts off.
The water is almost as high as tn. roofs
of the ground floor rooms for consdera-
BILE space along the rivers bank.
Yesterday the entire city was flooded.
The bakeries and -four stores have been
destroyed, and but for public charity
Verona might have been reduced to a
state bordering on famine. Every part
Milan alone forwarded both yesterday
| and to-day as many as 500 kilos of
wheat or loaves, which are being sold to
the inhabitants at fixed and moderate
prices. The ancient, picturesque Piazzo-
| del Signori, in the centre Ofwhich stands
the remarkable statue of Dante, is an i'm
passble sea of mud more than foot
deep. Almost every house has its cellar
full of water, and at the Hotel de Lon
dres, where by the courtesy of the land
| lord, am permitted to eat and sleep,
there are only few bottles of wine left
| for the use OF the guests. The remain
der is inaccessible, drowned by the
| food.
The people are afraid to remain within
| doors and consequently the public places
are crowded. Pale-faced women, their eyes
streaming tears, stand disconsoatcly at
the street corners, or walk up and down,
hand in hand, silent and distracted, cast
ing sorrowful looks at the passers-by.
Many have lost all, friend and home as
well. The priests 60 about ministering
charitably, with words of consolation.
Yet their ministrations are of little mo
mentary avail to women deprived of
husbands and children Of parents. Hun
dreds of people, turned out of house and
home by the relentless food, slept in the
churches last night, and tonight hun
dreds of rough beds are being laid down
along the floor of ST. Bcrnardino, time
worn fifteenth century religious house.
No such catastrophe has befallen the
city OF Verona since the occurance of Il
somewhat similar misfortune little
more than a century ago.