New-York tribune., 1908-12-31

which is hailed token Of love fron s1S'1l
race
The Minister OF Marine tonight received
word that the steamships Taormina and Cam
pania with $4,000 beds and a large supply OF
provisions aboard. had left Genoa bound for
Messfna Other steamers also bouutfully
stocked are on their way to the stricken cities
from various ports.
The dispatches from the stricken zons say
that large army would be required 70 co<e
with even the pressing needs Of the unfortunats
people. who are roaming about half clad and
starving some Of them dragging articles OF
clothing from the snoulder1ng ruins TO protect
themselves from the piercing winds. Terrible
suffering is inevitable before the much needed
relief stores can arrive
The rescue parties. military, naval and CIVIL
of different nationalities performing pTodi-
gies. but the task before them is almost hope
less. Added to the difficulty Of obtaining food
and water. there are drugs or surgical ap-
pliances Heartbreaking appeals for help are
heard on every side to which only the most in
adequate response is possible Temporary hos
pitals are being fitted up. but only a compare
lively few can be relieved and the scenes OF
horror defy description The survivors in Mes
sfna may be seen vainly searching in the wreck
age for morse1s Of food
Late dispatches say that the city Of Paint
contains 1900 dead and twice as many injured
Two-thirds Of the town was laid waste All the
villages adjacent suffered as severely
The King has telegraphed Premier GioIitti.
condition as Messina. and announcing that a
Russian steamer with five hundred injured viii
arrive at Naples tomorrow. His majesty asks
that all preparations be made for their reception
at the hospitals. and requests that the ship bs
sent back with all the doctors who can be
mustered
kilograms from Catania describe Messina as
appearing like huge glowing furnace The
fire spread to the buildings which had rot yet
fallen completing the work Of destruction The
strait Of Messina Is choked with corpses
of men and animals At the present time there
are twelve warships at Messina. four Italian.
four British and four Russian. as well as a num-
Der Of destroyers and steamers the latter be-
longing to the Italian General Navigation Com
steamers and wiz be taken to Naples
The relief work. is now we'll begun. but hum
dreds of persons are wandering about the ruins
like madmen- Food and clothing are being
given to them as fast as it is possible.
General Marazzi commandant at Catanzaro.
has telegraphed to the government that he has
tried vainly for two days to reach Reggie by
land and sea The roads are impossible and
the shore has been so torn and twisted far
as he travelled in Calabria that it was impos-
sible to approach the water
At the Ministry of Marine word has been re-
ceved that frghtful looting and pillage occurred
at Reggie. This place, already overwhelmed.
will have few survivors. it has been impos-
sibe for the relief expeditions to reach it
\ dispatch from Palermo describes the ex-
perences of A. J. Ogston the British Vice-COn-
sui az Messina. who arrived with his daughters
at Palermo. he himself being injured He said:
| AT the first shock my wife rushed a cor
and snatched up the child. We ran downstairs
! and found the door blocked with vreckags. VS.
cIambered through the window. but we were
/ passing building the balcony fell and killed
| my wife instantly BY a miracle the child es-
| capped unhurt. l rushed 20 tfs municipal square.
| where fifty persons had gathered, and ran
| nadly for the open country. balconies. columns
| and chirnneys falling around US in terrifying
| manner. The members of our party were struck
| down half dozen at time and when We
reached place OF safety only four Of the party
| remained. The others undoubtedly were killed. -
/ The Marquis RuvoIito. who visited Nessina
i and then returned to Catania. said that the
| spectacle was hCsrifying He estimated that
| there were not more than ten thousand sur
| vivors Thousands. he said, We're buried under
the wreckage and some Of the injured pinns 4
beneath the walls. which the fire did not touch
were yet alive. He believed that it would tax,
months. and perhaps year. TO remove the deac
| from under the ruins. a few bodies have beer
recovered. and they have been buried in th'
public gardens.
One tragic phase Of the disaster was IN
fight for life made by the prisoners in the
above Messina. There were nearly one IN
sand Of these. including three hundred wo