Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1906-04-13
VOLCANIC CINDERS
Cause 4 DISASTER
MARKET BUILDING AT NAPLES
CoLLAPsEs UNDER WEIGHT
OF ASHES.
200 PERSONS BURIED;
MANY OF THEM KILLED
Estimated 500 Lives Lost Thus Far
as Result OF OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
Fleeing in Panic-stories of Heroic
Rescues.

Rescues.
Naples, April 11.-Many persons
were killed and injured Tuesday in
this city by the collapse of the root
of the Monte Oliveto market, caused
by the weight of cinaers from Vesuvi
us. 1t is estimated that 200 persons
were buried. The number of dead and
injured is unknown. Up to ten o'clock
the bodies of 16 dead had been taken
from beneath the ruins and ITS in
jured people are being cared for al
the hospitals.
Joy Turned Into Mourning.
Before the disaster Naples had re
turned to her normal self The day
was brilliant, the sky cloudless, the
waters of the Mediterranean were blue
and unrippled, in place of the mel
ancholy grayness of the last few days
and better still, the menacing column
of smoke from Vesuvius had almost
disappeared and, though the smaller
craters still gave forth smoke, the
wind had turned it in another direc-
ton and an air of peace and spring
time had spread over Naples and its
vicinity. But this scene of quiet was
turned into mourning when the news
of the market disaster and the loss
of life became known. The people
who gathered about the market were
soon in state of great excitement,
which increased when the recovery of
the bodies commenced.
Disaster Is Appalling.
The disaster at the market place
was appalling. The courtyard covers
600 feet square and was rooted. The
space within, which is surrounded by
stalls, had been temporarily rooted to
protect the shoppers from the falling
ashes. This area was unusually
crowded with buyers and their chill
dren, the accident happening at the
hour of the day when trade is most
brisk.
Suddenly, with scarcely tremor of
warning, there was 4 terrifying crash,
and the brilliant sights disappeared in
a cloud of dust, while shrieks of agony
rent the air
Injured persons taken from the
ruins of Monte Oliveto market have
better chances of recovery than the
victims of the disasters at Ottajano.
as the latter when they escaped death
from falling buildings were in many
cases suffocated by ashes.
All the city authorities are on
the spot and everything possible is
being done to assist the families of
the victims
The duke of Aosta during the morn
ing, in order to encourage the peo-
pie, tried to visit the villages buried
or partly buried under the ashes from
the volcano, but 1t was impossible to
proceed in motor car or on foot, SO
he tried horseback, and by making
strenuous efforts succeeded in directing
the work of rescue and saving several
people who were at the point of death.
Loss of Life Placed at 500.
1t is estimated that 500 lives have
been lost as result of the eruption
of Mount Vesuvius. which continues
with little abatement OF violence Hun.
dreds more are injured and the home
less who have fled in panic from the
region are estimated at 100000. Ac-
cording to information received here
more than 200 persons persisted in the
district of San Giuseppe, while from
the ruins OF church which collapsed
owing to the weight of ashes on the
roof 40 corpses were extricated and
it is asserted that at Sorrento 81 per-
sons were killed by falling houses.
The high cone of the volcano has
gone almost entirely, having been
swallowed up, so that the height of
tie mountain is nearly 600 feet less
than formerly. On the north side of
the mountain new craters have been
formed.
The minister of finance has sus-
pended the collection Of taxes in the
disturbed provinces The military au.
thorities are distributing rations and
have placed hutg and tents at the dis.
position of the homeless
Smoke Rises $4,000 Feet.
Prof. Di Lorenzo, the scientist and
specialist in the study of volcanoes
estimated that the smoke from We
suvius has reached the height of 25,.
600 feet. Ashes considerable dis
tance from the volcano are piled up
to a depth Of $50 feet All work in
tie port of Naples has been suspend
ed. At Ottajano five churches and ten
dwellings fell under the weight OF
ashes and cinders, which lie four feet
deep Oh the ground. In the fall of
tie buildings about IL persons were
killed and many were injured. The
village is completely deserted. After
tho evacuation Of the place the bar
racks and prisons fell in.
Disaster Grows at Other Points.
Terrifying news is reaching the city
fm points throughout the district
surrounding Ottajano. Reports indi-
cate that an enormous area is buried
Beneath ashes and cinders. The pres
ent disaster is looked upon as repe-
fition of the catastrophe OF Pompeii
aud Herculaneum, except that in this
instance the loss OF life Is less.
Reports from coast and inland
towns depict terrible devastation
San Giorgic. Cremcna, Portici. Resina
and Tore del Greco have been almost
completely abandoned. They are half
buried in ashes and many roofs have
fallen. Somma Vesugians is another
village that haa suffered severely.
The scenes at Ottajano when the first
victims were unearthed wers terrible.
The positions of the bodies showed
that the victims had died while in q i