Omaha daily bee., 1908-12-31

arrived here with refugees from Messina.
brings word that Arthur s. Cheney, the
American consul at Messina, and his wife
died under the debris Of the consulate.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 90.-Ninety Ameri-
cans in a Messina hotel that was destroyed
and Italians and Americans cooperating in
the quest for information regarding the
missing are reported upon in a cablegram
the State department received today from
Ambassador Griscom at Rome. The ambas-
sador cabled that he has received no word
from the American consuls at Messlna and
Palermo. He has asked the Foreign office
for information and that office, he adds,
will use every effort through army and
navy officers to obtain immediate news.
The British consul at Messina is reported
injured and his wife and children dead.
The ambassador says that It is reported
that ninety Americans we're in the Trim
acria hotel at Messina, which is said to be
totally destroyed. 1t is known, however,
that some of the guests escaped. The For
eign office reported that several foreign
nations are hurrying warships to the scene
to offer assistance. The ambassador has
despatched consular officers in the quest
for Information.
state Department. Busy.
Every effort is being made by the State
department to obtain news OF American
citizens who were in the earthquake zone
in Italy and whose fate caused their
friends much uneasiness, and appeal to the
department to help locate them. Amabas-
sador Griscom at Rome was directed to
cable promptly any information o~btainable
regarding the missing people and to send
some of the American vice consuls In Italy
to the scene of distress to render what
ever aid possible. Efforts are also being
made to keep In Communication with Dep
uty Consul Lupton at Messina to the end
that prompt advices may reach here re-
garding any Americans in trouble there.
The State department announces that 1t
will make public promptly to the press any
information received from its officials in
Italy so that news will reach those i'm
mediately interested at the first possible
moment.
The departments information is that the
winter tourist season has not yet begun In
Sicily. The impression among officials is
that those Americans who were In the
earthquake zone In that island were mainly
at Taormina.
Many inquiries came to the department
regarding friends believed to be In the
earthquake region. In addition to those al
ready announced those inquired about in
cluded the following: "
Mrs. Martha c. Kittridge, her two daugh-
tiers, Ethel and Clarissa, and Miss Mar
garet Mendell. all of Brookline, Mass, and
all of whom are believed to have been at
T~aormina; Miss Blanche Kane of Phila-
delphia, whose probable whereabouts in the
disturbed district are not stated, and David
Sessums, who, 1t is, said at the depart
ment, is bishop of Louisiana, believed to
be at Messina. o.
Two wisconsin Victims.
FOND DU LAC, Wis. Dec. SO.-Miss
Margaret Mcmillan Of this city and Mrs.
Thornton A. Greene Of Ontonagon, Mich, are
believed to be victims of the earthquake
in southern Italy. Their party was at
Rome on Christmas day and were then
leaving for Sicily. Miss Mcmillan and Mrs.
Greene are daughters Of c. A. Mcmillan,
millionaire lumberman and furniture man
ufacturer of Fond du Lac.
Few Tourists in Region.
NEW YORK, Dec. 3O.-Had the disas-
ter In southern Italy occurred a month
later, according to local manager of
HNApBSoh q a6ClNlSSf a hiuCl kIHdlcT
number of Americans and other foreign
ers must have persisted than doubtless
has been the case. This would have been
so, they point out, because the season
for tourists in Sicily and Calabria is at
it's height in the latter part of January
and really does not begin until after New
Years, either for Americans or northern
Europeans. None of the tourist COM
panies. therefore, so far as could be
learned, had parties in the danger zone.
There are fifteen direct steamship lines
between New York and Italy. Six OF them
fly the Italian flag. When all of them
carry passengers and freight destined for
southern Italy and Sicily, only two may
be said to make regular calls at Messina,
These two are the Sicillan-American
Steamship company and the Anchor line.
Almost all the others tranship their pas
sengers for Sicily and Calabria at Ma
Piles and Genoa.
In the local offices of the two lines
running regularly to Sicily 1t was said
today that no word has been received by
them from Messina or any other point
abroad regarding those Of their vessels
that might nave been in port at the time
of the tidal wave or regarding any OF
their property. officers and employees In
the affected district.
One Of the few direct cable messages