The San Francisco call., 1906-04-11
NAPLES DAY OF MOURNING.
Many Homes Desolated by the Monte
Oliyeto Market Disaster.

NAPLES, April 1O.-Naples early this
morning had returned to her normal
self. The day was brilliant, the sky
cloudless. the waters of the Mediter-
ranean were blue and unrippled in
place of the melancholy grayness of the
last few days, and. better still, the
menacing column of smoke from Vesu-
vius had almost disappeared, and
though the smaller craters still gave
forth smoke, the wind had turned in
another direction and an air of peace
and springtime had spread over Naples
and it's vicinity But this scene of
quiet was turned into mourning later,
when the news of the collapse of the
roof of the Monte Oliveto Market and
the loss of life became known. The
people who gathered about the market
were soon in a state of great excite
ment, which increased when the re-
coyery of the bodies commenced.
Just previous to this disaster reli-
gious professions had been passing
through the streets of the city. the
people desiring to render thanks to the
Almighty for having apparently
averted much greater disasters than
those hitherto recorded here. Here and
there these professions wended their
way with images of the Madonna or
Saints, dressed in gorgeous robes of
blue or yellow satin, borne above seas
of dark heads, mostly those of women.
walking arm ins arm and chanting as
they moved along the main thorough
fares. This motley but picturesque
procession was headed by numbers of
boys, walking two and two and carry
ing lighted candles. which flickered
family in the bright sunlight. Only in
few cases did priests accompany the
professions, which, in the main, seemed
to be local and spontaneous affairs, or
ganized on the moment in various dis
trictS. The news of the accident
changed the brilliant scene to one of
great gloom and the procession quickly
disbanded.
The disaster at the market place was
appalling. The court yard, which COW
ers 600 square feet and which is
buyers and their children. the accident
occurring at the hour when trade is
most brisk. Rival displays of flowers.
fruits and vegetables contended for
buyers, while market women screamed
their wares and joked with their GUS
toners. Little children played about
the stands. adding gayety to the scene,
the like of which issnot to be witnessed
outside of Naples.
Suddenly, with scarcely tremor of
warning, there was a terrifying crash
and the brilliant sight disappeared in a
cloud of dust. wlrile shrieks Of agony
rent the air..
The work of rescue progressed dur
ing the morning hours, and before noon
seven bodies had been removed and
seventy injured persons extricated from
the ruins.
The indignation of the people in
creased as each additional body was
taken out and disturbance approach
ing a riot in Importance occurred. The
people loudly insisted that the authori-
ties were aware that the roof of the
market was unsafe, and that they were
so excessively economical that they
would not appropriate the funds needed
to repair it. The identification of the
bodies of a number of those killed by
the collapse sof the market roof was
found to be impossible, owing to their
being absolutely unrecognizable, in
some cases being reduced to pulp.
Among the dead were many children
who had been sent by their parents
to do the morning marketing, and the
grief of the parents when the bodies
of their children were found was heart
rending.