Daily Kennebec journal., 1908-12-31
StorieS Of the Survivors Of the Horrors and Suffer.
ing Is Almost Beyond Be|ief..-Aid Is Be.
ing Rushed to the Afflicted Places.
American Consul Cheney and Wife Among Dead at Mes
Sina---7erribe Work Of Tidal Wave Following Quake
---AmeriCan Red Cross Quick to Give Assistance
POSSIBLY $4,000 DEAD.


Rome, Dec. 30.-The immensity o.
the disaster in southern Italy ant
fact that it is now estimated that no.
900 people periShcd in MeSsina anC
Reggie alone score of other towns
have been devastate dand thousands
OF victims in these places must be
added to the roll. In the face of thi:
awful total, all Italy stands appalled,
Nor has the full death list yet beer
reached. Ship loads of fueutives have
arrived at Naples and other ports ana
the vast majority Of tneac are sore ly
Injured. Other thousands remain l.c II
the ruins If their hotnes or wander
half starving and half naNed. over the
land. The forces thar, on Monday
oVerW hclmed cities also destroyed the
means Of subsistence. T,!@Graphi1
commune alton has lcen ostahlishe' 1
hecn installed in Il railway van Mes
sa3"S hirh haze come over the line,
tfnut they have been meagre in de-
tail, show that there hope is gone
Nothing remains Of the city but a
mass of ruins that have been swep
by lirc.
\ mere handful of survivors are he
ing cared for by the rcScuing fore
but their distress is great ana il ha
been increased by the violent, ley win
which followed the deluge of rain. Dc
struction is everywhere and appalling
There is little food and less water. O
i., l,a
licved that fully 10000 pcrished. Fort.
thousand people died in Reggie.
King Victor Emmanuel and Quce
Helena We're in Messina today. Th'
King explored the ruins, regardless O.
the danger to which he exposed him
self. He was often moved to tears a.
the heart-rendng scenes he came up
on at every turn. The King was louf
in his praise of the splendid wor'
accomplished by the Italian, Russian
and English bluejackets. who save,
many who otherwise would have in
evitably perished. The Queen spent th,
day in the wards of improvised hospi
tails, visiting the wounded many
whom have lost all that was dear tc
them Her Majesty did her best to
cheer them with womanly words of
consolation, often breaking into sob:
as she listened to their dreadful tale
of suffering The King left for Reggi'
tonight.
Catania, the largest city nearest to
the scene of the disaster. IS crowded
with refugees, and the continuous
streams of fugutives coming in, the
sight of the wounded and repetition G.
real and imaginary earth shocks have
so alarmed the population chat they
are becoming uncomfortable There is
no longer places there where the ref
ugees may find shelter. Cardinal Fran
cisco Nava Di Bontife. archbishop of
Catania, has employed all the moneJ
in his possession to provide bread for
the fugutives, but the people Of Catan-
Ia also are in great need, as the or
linary business pursuits have been
Entirely interrupted.
The government is finding difficulty
III ascertaining the of the many
foreigners who were in the earthquake
zone at the time Of the catastrophe.
inquiries concerning whom are coming
from all quarters of the globe. Tho
commander of the battleship Admiral
Mlkharof. which arrived with fugi-
tivcs at Naples today. confirms the re-
port Of the death Of the American
consul at Messina, Arthur s. cheney
and his wife. who were buried in the
ruins of the consulate The number of
Americans i'll Sicily and southern
italy is believed to be small and sew
eral OF them are reported to have been
staying at Taormin, which is on the
coast about so miles southwest of Mes
sina. According to the latest reports
thi,, place suffered no harm from the
earthquake.
The minister Of war, in dispatching
orders to the military authorities who
have practically taken over the abb
solute power throughout the zone of
tie earthquake, explained
"This disaster has resulted in q
greater loss of life than any of our
wars for independence Indeed the sit
uation is much worse, as war is always
preceded by q period of preparation,
this came within 40 seconds. Where
war only affects the young and strong
among tine people the present calamity
has moved down. women and children,
old men and youths. While in war, tho
armies are followed by the most COM
Continued on Page Twelve.)