The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-12-29
TIDAL WAVE FOLLOWS
EARTHQUAKE SHOCKS
Messina, Sicily, Partially Destroyed and the
Streets Filled With the Dead
and Injured.
Catana nundatedGreat Da mage and Loss of Life Many
Other Villages and Towns

|
| Rome, Dec. 2S.-The three provinces
of Cozensa. Catanzaro and Reggie di
Calobria, comprising the Department of
Calobria. which forms the southwestern
extremity of Italy, or the toe of the
boot" were devastated today by an
earthquake, the far-reaching effects of
which were felt almost throughout tise
entire country.
The town of Messina, in Sicily, was
partially destroyed and Catania was in
undated. In Messina hundreds of houses
have fallen and many persons have
been killed Owing. however, to the
fact that telegraphic and telephone
communications were almost complete
ly destroyed. it is impossible to obtain
even an approximate idea of the vast
damage done.
Terrible Loss of Life.
The fate of the entire regions within
the zone OF the earthquake is unknown,
but reports received here up to late
hour tonight indicate that the havic
has been great and the destruction to
life and property more terrible than
Italy has experienced in many years.
The uncertainty of the situation for
many thousands has filed all Italians
with deepest distress for they still have
fear that the day may come when thai.
part of the country. which seems to
have been most blessed by nature, VIII
be destroyed by the blind forces of that
same nature which nearly nineteen CEN
turtles ago overwhelmed Pompeii and
Herculaneum.
Tidal Wave Followed Shocks
All reports show that the present ca
tastrophe embraces a larger area than
the earthquake of 1905. The tidal wave
which followed the earthshocks on the
eastern coast of Sicily sunk vessels and
inundated the lower part of Catania-
1t is known that number of persons
We're killed at that place, but the rush.
ing waters carried everything before
them and caused such an indescrioable
confusion that it will be impossible for
| some time to estimate the damage ana
the lives lost
Missing Isolated.
For a period the town of Messina and
the whole province of Reggie were COM
pletely isolated through the interrup-
lions to the telegraph and telephone
and by landslides that INSTRUCTED the
railways. Absolutely nothing was heard
from Reggie throughout the day, while
the first news from Messina came IN
the form of dispatch which a torpedo
boat, flying at full speed along the coast
of the peninsula carried from point TO
point, always finding the wires down,
until il reached Nicotera. where the
telegraph lines were found to be intact.
From this point the dispatch was sent.
1t briefly stated that the situation was
desperate and, after summarizing the
immensely of the catastrophe. ended
PASSING. commander of the local sta
ton for torpedo boats, was buried un-
der the debris after having. with other
officers, performed heroic work in trying
to save others.
Government Acted Quickly.
The Italian government proceeded
energetically to relieve the widespread
distress, concentrating at the points of
greatest need troops and engineers.
Members of the Red Cross were dis
patched to various places and camps
with provisions were Immediately pre-
pared. all available railway lines and
warships being used for their transport;
The city of Messina has suffered prob
ably more than any other place. the
latest information coming directly from
that quarter stating that two-tlirds of
the town was destroyed and several
thousand persons killed.
Stupefied by Terror.
The steamers Washington and Monte
bello which were in that harbor later
proceeded to Catania, loaded with in
jured. VINO were so stupefied by terror
that they seemed unable to realize what
had happened, simply saying that it
looked as though the end of the world
had come Five steamers left Catania
for Messina to assist in removing the
injured from that place, who are re-
ported TO number thousands.
AT Catania the panic-stricken people,
fearing new shocks, absolutely refused
to enter their houses. and are camping
on the squares and are free from wa
ter and the surrounding country.
The tidal wave sunk 500 boats there
and did great damage to several large
vessels and steamers, including the
Austrian steamer Buda-
Not only did Catania suffer from the
effects of tidal wave. but a similar