Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1908-12-29

disaster which has befallen southern
Italy and Sicily by the earthquake
visitation. and rendering sincere sym
pathy. The president also notes that
the American National Red Cross has
issued an appeal for contributions to
aid the sufferers
APPALLING DEATH LIST.
One Estimate Places Fatalities at 50,-
OOO
Rome, Dec. 29.-Fifty thousand per-
sons were killed, according to one
estimate, by an earthquake which yes
human habitations on the island of
lSicily and in the department of Call
abria, Italy It is believed to be the
greatest disaster Of modern times.
Reports arriving late last night all
tend to confirm the statement that the
catastrophe possibly will equal that
which occurred in 1888, when 10000
persons perished at Messina- Thous-
ands are believed to have been killed
in other places.
According to late advices last night
the city Of Messina, in Sicily. was
terribly damaged by the first shock at
5 o'clock, and later three-fourths OF
the town practically was swept from
the earth by vast wave from the
sea- Few living things escaped from
this inundation.
Among those lost was Commander
PASSING Of the Italian navy, and body
of men whom he had led ashore as a
rescue party from his ship, the Bar
Dor. after the first shock.
Four Cities Entirely Lost.
Calabrian towns, Palmi, Reggie.
Scilla, and Bagnara are reported to
have been destroyed completely. be-
ing now merely masses of ruins. Many
hundreds of persons were killed or
that Reggie met the same fate as
Messina.
Mount Aetna seems to have been the
center of the disturbance and that por-
ton Of Sicily within a radius Of forty
miles seems to have been laid waste.
It is not known whether the volcano
is in action, as that section of the is
land is completely cut off from the
world, even the railroads OF the entire
eastern half of Sicily being destroyed.
The region devastated yesterday is
subject to earthquakes and probably
250,000 persons have been killed by
these phenomena in Sicily and Calabria
in the last three centuries
Pope Is Distressed.
The pope was greatly distressed at
hearing of the scourge that had af-
flicted the loyal population In the
south. He could hardly credit the truth
Of the dispatches describing the de-
vastation and fatalities as ten times
gerater than in 1906.
After kneeling fervently in prayer.
his holiness arose and said, as he said
three years ago, that he felt his place
was amidst his suffering children. It
was his firm intentionsto order that in
structions be given for beginning the
journey, but his physicians and those in
attendance upon him insisted that 1t
would be impossible for him to UNDER
take such a fatiguing expedition in the
present condition Of his health.
In this latest visitation shocks began
at 5 o'clock in the morning and lasted
at the outer radius of the disturbance
for about thirty-two seconds. The
range Of the disaster from the point Of
view Of serious damage was about 200
miles in diameter. The western end Of
the island escaped with slight shocks.
The disturbance extended thru the toe
Of Italy for about $50 miles toward
Naples. The tidal wave following the
earthquake badly damaged shipping in
aAmost all Sicilian ports.
King Hastens to Scene.
fr31A fo,,, Of q
island, suffered scarcely at all. 1t is
by means OF the cables from there to
Naples that the most meager news is
received, altho some wireless COM
mtn1cation with the warship Barbor
has been established.
King Victor, who has been shooting
near Naples, has cut short his holiday
and is fastening preparations for a
Journey to Calabria on a mission of
rescue such as he took under similar
circumstances three years ago when
Mount Vesuvius was in eruption. Upon
the kings command the government
has telegraphed to Sardinia ordering
the battleships Regina Elena, Vittorio
Emanuel, and Napoli to hasten to
Messina and render whatever aid is
possible and establish wireless COM
munication.
Three thousand laborers are being
sent to Messina at the government
expense to clear the ruins. Merchant
vessels are being sent to various ports.
Whole regiments are going south by
train to help the work of relief They
are taking military ovens, field hospi-
tails. tents and medicines.
Sig. Bertolini, minister of public
works. has started for Calabria.
ALI reports show that the present
catastrophe embraces a larger area
than the earthquake in 1906.
The steamers Washington and
Montebello, which were in the harbor
of Messina last night proceeded to
Catania, loaded with injured who were
so stupifed by terror that they seemed
unable to realize what had happened,
simply saying that it looked as tho the
end of the world had come. Five
steamers left Catania for Messina to
assist in removing the thousands Of in
jured.
The cruiser Piedmonte reached Ca
tania last evening, bringing 500 injured
from Messina. They describe the rise
of the sea as a gigantic wall of wa
ter 1t lifted the ships from the har-
Dor and dropped them far inshore as