The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1883-08-28
Buried by an Earthquake.

AAnoes Win ZIG tolloWlnS ueeply INTEREST
ing letter from an En- slish gentleman who
was one of the sufferers from the catastro-
phe of the 2Sth of July:
We were large party at La Piccola Senti-
nella, the well managed and favorite hotel
on tkis beautiful and once happy island.
The company were chiefly Italians, but we
English numbered six-Mrs. Strive, her
son Llewellyn tadult), Mrs. Robertson and
her daughter tagged 15), Mr.. Green "a retired
Indian judge), and myself. But must not
omit an English speaking lady-a confirmed
inyalid-a Miss Van Allen, from San Fran
cisco.
We dined at the usual hour of 7.30, and
during the course of the dinner Mr.. Struye,
most skilled pianist, sent a message down
the table through common friend to ask
certain Mile. Tuperti if She would oblige
him by singing song of Schumann's he was
very fond of. The answer, returned through
the same channel, was that the lady would
be glad to obiige him tMr. Struve) If he
would play the accompaniment.
After dinner, about S.45, we English, Mr..
Green excepted, adjourned as usual to the
uncovered veranda running the length of
the two drawing rooms, where we men
smoked, by the kind permission of the Is
dies, and had our coffee. The Italians most
ly took their coffee in the salons.
After Mile. Tuperti had sung one song a
gentleman came out and asked Mr.. Strive if
he would now kindly fulfill his promise of
accompanying the lady, on which he at once
left us and entered the drawing room. The
song concluded, went upstairs to my room
laote-5oth the dining and drawing rooms
were on the ground foor) to fetch the cards
for our usual rubber, and finding Mesdames
Strive and Robertson on my return still in
the veranda, sat down with them until Mr.
Strive should finish pianoforte piece he
had just commenced. He had it appears.
been much pressed to play, and, although it
was quite against his wont to play after
dinner, be Welded. But, dire fatality! the
work he selected favorite of his, and one
which he played to perfection-was Chopin's
Funeral March. A curious fact may enter
here. The Marchese Capellini, on hearing
what was the piece selected, Immediately
left the room, saying nothing would induce
him to listen to that; and he was saved, for
not two minutes afterward came the crash.
and of the many who were at or about the
piano that night, not one, as far as we know.
lives to tell the tale.
By this time it was half past 8. While I
was quietly talking to the two ladies, still in
the veranda-Miss Robertson must. think.
have followed Mr.. STRIVE in the drawing
"A era a1eF
NO need to doubt what this meant We in
stinctively jumped up and descended the
one short step leading down to the garden.
We we're all three close together, Mrs. Rob-
ertson on the left, Mrs. Strive in the middle
and on her right. / shouted s.Left,o hop
ing to make for small vineyard in that d.
rection; but ere the word was fairly out of /
my mouth heard a shrek from poor Mrs.
Robertson, and | know nothing more.
SHOWER OF STONES.
certainly was knocked head over heels at
the same moment, and, l presume, Mrs.
Strive too, victims to The first shower of
huge stones which fell from the cornice of
the rooms over the two salons.
To see anything was impossible. All was
dust and brickbats, flying about in wild con
fusion. have an idea that picked myself
up, but only to be knocked down immediate
ly; and my reason for this idea is that when
ton was lying little further away from
what had been the house than conceive to
have been my first falling place. The two
poor ladies had, fancy, succumbed to the
first blows, and fallen buried among the de-
biis. When | was able to analyze nv own
position found myself lying fiat on my
face, my head wedged in tight between two
big stones, my arms crossed under another,
and my legs fmmovable under third AL
at mn
elapsed since the original crash-an un-
earthly stiffness reigned all around. 1t
seems almost impossible to suppose that SO
much could have happened in SO short
space OF time. 1t was pitch dark. If there
had been any lamps they had all gone out.
Soon heard the voice of man as If in
pain, breaking the terrible stiffness by re-
peated invocations to the Virgin and ali the
saints. imagined him to be wounded, but
as the voice grew nearer l assumed him to
be on his legs, and begged him to come and
release me. He very kindly relieved me of
the stone which was keeping down my arms,
and of those which locked in my head The
third which pressed on my legs, was, he
said-I freely admit it-far too heavy for
one man to lift He would go and get assis-
lance. He went, but saw him no more,
nor did The promised assistance arrive.
Minutes passed, and | heard distinct cry
cry of "Ajuto." /, too, raised my voice as
often as l thought heard people near me.
From yet another quarter came presently
the same despairing strain. But our cries
seemed all In vain. The supernatural still
ness alarmed me. Could we three, evident
ly helplessly wounded, be all who were left
Of that joyous assemblage / had seen and
mixed with only a short hour ago? Were |
all the rest engulfed in that living tomb?
"Ajuto, ajuto," l continued, In chorus |
with my two unknown companions in mis- |
fortune, whenever / thought I could be |
heard. At last Ma man had befriend- |
ed during many years. came up. "Are you
the Count Dap said he s'No," re-
piled. 81 am so-and-so. Do try and lift |
this awful stone off my legs.'' "Oh, sir, it |
is impossible for one man to lift a stone like |
that" And be, too, left me never to return. |
And SO an hour or two passed away. That |
in my occasional cries for help was heard |
was evident, for male voice once replied in |
the distance, 'sHelp will come from Naples;
none is to be had in this sporso paese dirty |
country" But the possessor of the voice |
did not trouble himself to come near me.
And now-about midnight, / suppose-the
full moon began to rise in all her glory, and
to illuminate the beautiful bay at my feet.
BY her light was to certain extent able |
to make out Rny position, and to satisfy my
self that even in the event of another shock |
was comparatively safe A huge pillar |
Old, lndeeo, lie nOt lar from, me, Dut /
thought it could not fall on me; anyway, l |
determined 20 hope it would not.
1 must here record touching little Incl |
dent which occurred about the same time.
An agonized little whine reached my ears,
and shortly afterward a cold little nose
touched my dusty cheek. l at once recog-
nized poor little 'Berri''-Mrs. Strives pet |
dog-and ! at once came to the conclusion
that, failing to find his kind old mistress OR
his master, he had joined me as the only |
friend he could find on this side of the grave.
The Door little beast remained with me all |
night. had long heard voices chattering |
below me, and as the pangs of thirst were
beginning to assail me, changed my cry
of "Aiuto" into one for "Acqua." That l
was heard is undoubted, for voice replied:
cit is impossible to communicate with the
house"-an exaggeration, if nothing worse,
as traversed the very route in the morning.
THE RESCUE.
Happily, an Italian night in July does not |
last long, and about A. NJ. Sunday, 29th), |
just as the waning moon was giving way to /
the first rays of dawn was reioced to hear
the sound of strange voices below me. A
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