The midland journal., 1907-11-01
TERRIBLE HAVOC
BY EARTHQUAKE.
Entire Villages in Calabria Are
Destroyed.
AN ANCIENT TOWER TUMBLEs..
The Cathedral at Toure di Gerace Falls
-Torrential Rains Follow Shocks
Many Persons Buried in Ruins
of Their Dweilings-The Residents of
Many Towns Are Panic-stricken.

Rome (By Cable) The details
received here regarding the earth
quake in Calabria in every way tend
to show that the damage done was
much more extended than at first
estimated, but that the loss of life
has not geen great. The lowest es-
Inmates place the number of killed
at about 20 and the highest at about
120, but there Is nothing to show
that the last figures mentioned are
correct. Nothing definite will be-
known on the subject until the ruins
are cleared away
Premier Gioletti conferred with
King Victor Emmanuel on the dis
aster, and it was reported later that
His Majesty would go to the disturb
ed districts if any fresh shocks oc-
Cured
Details of the earthquake show that
the shocks were especially severe in
the southern end of the Calabrian
Peninsula, but throughout Calabria
there were scenes of desolation and
despair.
First Shock Terrific.
The first shock was tremendous
one, and was followed by two others
of longer duration, which entirely
destroyed two villages and reduced
many houses in several others to a
mass of ruins.
The first shock fortunately brought
the entire population of the villages
into the open, and many succeeded
in making their escape to the hills
or open plains, which accounts for
the smallness of the list of fatalities.
Half the houses at Furrezzano and
Brancaleone collapsed and many per-
sons were buried in the ruins, and
at Sinopoli and st. Ilario more lives
are said to have been lost. Panic
prevailed everywhere.
Rocella, Jonica, Reggie, Cosanza,
Baracdio, Cittanova, Palmi, Marina
and other towns also suffered from
the shocks, but none severely.
A Cathedral Tumbles.
The cathedral at Tore di Gerace,
which arose from the ruins Of Locri
Euizephyrii, the once celebrated col
ony of the Locrians, was thrown
down, as was also an ancient tower
which had withstood all the Gala
brian earthquakes for centuries past
, Half the houses Of the villages of
Gerace are in ruins, and similar
conditions prevail in number OF
other points in Calabria.
During the confusion caused by
the first earth shock the prisoners
in the jail at Catanzaro mutinied and
were only subdued with great diff
Guilty. The female prisoners were
particularly alarmed, screaming and
shouting and beating the doors until
the whole place was in terrible up
roar. The prison officials did every
thing possible to calm the inmates,
but panics broke out afresh every
time another earth shock was ex-
perienced.
As soon as possible detachments of
troops, with relief trains, were hur-
ried to the scene of the disaster and
did everything they could to assist
the people who had fed from their
homes.
Only two days ago the finance
minister, Signor Massemini, inaugur-
ated two entirely new villages in
Calabria, which had been built by
the relief committee of Milan for
the victims of the earthquake of
1905. These, however, withstood
the shocks.
The scientists at the University of
Naples who study seismetic dis
turbances say that the earthquake
of 1905 was preceded by the erup-
tions of Mounts Stromboli and Etna.
which suddenly ceased and we're I'M
mediately followed by the earthquake.
Mount Vesuvius, they add. was ac-
tive until a week ago, but since then
the volcano has not emitted any
smoke at all.