The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1908-12-30
SOUTHERN ITALY
DISASTER GROWS
IN HORROR
Number Of Dead May Reach
100000
WHOLE TOWNS BLOTTED OCT
King and Queen Have Arrived a. Mes
sna to Give Personal Direction
to Relief.

Rome Dec. 30.-One hundred thous
and dead: Messina. in Sicily and
Reggie and a score of other towns Ca
Southern Italy overwhelmed and tho
entire Calabrian region laid waste
this is the earthquakes record So Oar
as is at present known from the re-
ports that are coming into Rome slow
IT, on account Of the almost complete
destruction Of lines OF communication
to the stricken places.
The death list ia Messina ranges
from 1900 TO $4,000. that OF Reggie.
which, with It's adjacent villages. mum
Dered 5000 people. includes almost
The entire population. At Paint 1000
are reported dead. at Cassan0 1000. az
CosenZa 500 and half OF the population
of Bagnara about 1900.
The Monteleone region has been de-
yastated and Riposto, Seminara. san
Giovanni Scilla. LazZaro and Cannlt
clio and all other continues and vil-
lagos bordering on the straits are 10
ruins
The king and queen Of Italy are eK.
pected to arrive at Messina today. hay
ing sailed Monday night from Naples
aboard the battleshlp Nittorio En-
nauuele
The pope has shown the greatest
distress 40 the calamity and he him
self was the first to contribute. giving
a sum amounting 20 100000 90 the
relief OF the afflicted
10 is feared that many foreigners
have been killed. as q number Of the
hotels az Messua and doubtless az
other places. were crowded with
tourists.
Little Is known OF the fate Of the
diplomatic representative OF the for
eign powers stationed az these posts,
although the Italian Government Is
using every effort TO relieve the ankle
~ felt ON their account
Stunned al The magnitude Of the
calamity which has oyertaken fellow
ooun,lymen. an Italy mourns tonight
or the stricken Province of Calabria
md ne Island of Sicily Accustomed
FOR centuries 20 earthqu~ kes. Italy
prepared for the disaster which In the
traction of "a minute yesterday de
yastated cities and towns and caused
The death OF thousands.
The hands OF all the nations have
been extended 70 Italy In her allie
lion From rulers have come mes
sages of coincidence and from The peo-
ples spontaneous promise of that aid
which brings the world closer toget-
her In times OF great calamity.
Already British and Russian squad
rons have arrived az Messina French
Warships are ON the way. Sailors and
marines have been disemharked. and
they have performed courageous acts
.n rescuing the injured and wounded.
A large number of survivors have
been transferred 10 the warships,
which are transformed into great
floating hospitals
The work of rescue at Messina pre-
sented narrowing scenes. Hundreds
of people were pinned under walls
and rnfteTs. alive but terribly injured
for thirty hours. One OF the rescuers
found under the ruins of "A house i've
children. alive. but unable 10 speak,
cliuging TO the corpse OF their mother
IN some cases heroic rescuers met
death IN the falling debris. In one
house twenty persons suspended on
the 0fth floor. and unable to reach
the street because the lower floors
had been torn away. were rescued
with a rope 10y sailor Six criminals
were killed while attempting TO loot
the bank of Sicily whore cash
amounting to half q million dollars
lay in plain view.
Latest reports received here state
that 1000 soldiers In the various bar.
racks az Mcssina were buried under
the ruins. The rock of Charyhdis
now blocks the entrance TO the
Strait of Mcssina. The tidal wave
wrecked the lighthouses In the strait
including Faro Beacon. and they
crashed into the sea.