The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-04-10
200 BURIED.
FrightfuI Disaster in the Heart
Of Naples.
Market Place Roof COllapses
Under Weight Of Cinders.
TITLED WITH PEOPLE.
An Enormous Area About Yesu-
vius Is Overwhelmed.
Disasters of POmpeii and Her
culaneum Are Repeated.
96 BODIES ARE FOUND.
4 Large Number of Children Are
Unaccounted For.
0Yertaken by Panic They Fled
in the Darkness.
An Enormous Area About Vesu-
vius Is Overwhelmed.
Disasters of POmpeii and Her
cuIaneum Are Repeated.
96 BODIES ARE FOUND.
4 Large Number of Children Are
Unaccounted For.
0Yertaken by Panic They Fled
in the Darkness.

~aples. April 1o.-A frightful dis
aster has occurred in the center of the
CITY. following the eruptions Of Mount
Eesuvius Two hundred people 1t Is
estimated. we're buried this morning
in the ruins of the market Monte Oil
veto. when the roof collapsed under
the weight of cinders from the vol
cano.
The exact number of people within
the building at the moment of the
catastrophe is not known and the list
Of fatalities is problematical. The dis
aster at the market place was appall-
ing The court yard covers 500 feet
square and was rooted. The space with
in was unusually crowded with buyers
and their children. the accident hap
pcning at the hour of the day when
trade is most brisk.
Rival displays of flowers. fruit and
vegetables contended for buyers, while
market women screamed their wares
and joked with their customers. Lit
tie children played about the stands,
adding gayety to the scene, the like Of
which is not to be witnessed outside of
Naples Suddenly with scarcely
tremOr of warning. there was a terrify-
ing crash and the brilliant scenes dis
appeared in cloud Of dust, while
shrieks of agony rent the air.
The work Of rescue progressed dur
ing the morning hours and before
noon 6 bodies had been removed and
lis injured persons extricated from
the ruins
An Enormous Area Buried
Terrifying reports are reaching the
city this morning from throughout
the districts surrounding Ottajano Re-
ports indicate that an enormous area IS
buried under ashes and cinders. The
present disaster is looked upon as a
repetition of the catastrophe to Pom
peii and Herculaneum except that in
this instance ashes rather than lava
covered the devastated places and the
loss of life is less.
All efforts on the part of press re-
To1ts and the authorities to ascertain
the exact number of those who have
already fallen victims to the eruptions
Of Nesuyius have so far failed.
This is accounted for from the fact
1nat the buried villages are impossible
Of access and further because the peo-
pie who fled when their houses began
10 fall have scattered throughout the
country districts.
The finding of s6 bodies is determined
as follows:
At San Guizeppe 49; at Terzigno 20;
Ottajane o.
The fate of many children at Otta-
1ano is unknown. When the military
carts arrived at the scene of the dis
aster last night the soldiers arranged
to have the children and aged people
get into the carts but when the vehicles
had gone a few hundred feet it was
found that although there were four
horses harnessed to each wagon they
could not pull their loads through the
deep ashes, in spite of several desperate
efforts made to do so. This caused a
panic among the children who expected
TO be buried in the ashes from the vol
cano and they fed in all directions in
the darkness and binding rain and
have not since been heard of. Searching
parties went after the children but IN
spite OF continuous shouting and call
ing no trace was found of them and
II is feared that the children have been
snothered in the ashes.
Digging Out the Victims.
The scenes at Ottajano when the
first victims were unearthed there
we're most terrible. The positions Of
the bodies showed that the victims
had died while in state Of great
terror the faces being convulsed with
fear Three bodies We're found in a
confessional OF one of the fallen
churches One body was that of an
old woman who was sitting with her
right ar mraised as though to ward
off the advancing danger. The second
was that OF a child about years of
age. 1t was found dead in a position
which would indicate that the child
had fallen with a little dog close to it
and had died with one arm raised
its pet from the crumbling ruins The
third body, that Of a woman. was re-
duced to an ognizable mass.
These three victims We're reverentlv
laid side by side, while a procession of
friends and relatives offered up prayers
beside them. Other bodies which were
found later caused such an impression
smong the already frantic population
that the authorities did not deem it
advisable to permit any more bodies
to be identified for the present
Forty-nine bodies have already been
t. ken out of one of the churches at
OttajanO.
Heroic Rescues.
Many tales are told of heroic res
cues on the part of soldiers sent to the
assistance of the sufferers in the vol
canic district at Ottajano and else
where. One man rode his horse
through the ashes reaching up to its
danks at Ottajano. calling out. who
wants help Who wants help2" He
was rewarded by hearing a woman s
voice reply in weak tones and. spring
ing from his horse. the soldier called
comrade to his assistance and 7oun-
aered among the ashes until he arrived
at the ruined walls Of a house from
which the voice seemed to come AS
he made his way toward the building
the soldier shouted words of encour-
agement and climbing over a heap Of
ruins and brav1ng a topping wafi, al