The San Francisco call., 1908-12-30
WARSHIPS FIRST
TO TAKE AID TO
THE SURVIVORS
Hundreds Believed to Be Still
Alive in Ruins of De-
strOyed Cities
Refugees Tell of Fearful Havoc
Wrought in Fraction OF
a Minute
Tidal Wave Destroys HarbOrs
and Lighthouses and Navi-
CATION Menaced

Tor the disaster which in the fraction
of a minute yesterday devastated cities
and towns, and caused the death Of
thousands.
Messina. whose tragic history has
been marked by tidal waves and war,
and which was the center of yester-
days terrestrial maelstrom. was shaken
ITO ruins. Flames burst forth to COM
plete the city's destruction and to burn
.alive untold numbers helplessly pin
d toned beneath fallen walls and broken
timbers
The strait Of Messina was shaken
and twisted by the earthquakes trem-
bling. for mariners report the channel
altered beyond recognition. The ports
and villages on both the continental
and Sicilian sides were wrecked and
inundated and all lighthouses along
The coast were swallowed up. Navi-
cation now is dangerous and in some
places impossible.
In the Calabrisn district. which was
s. only beginning to recover from the ef-
fects Of the Earthquake Of 1905, Reg
gio was the center Of the earth's up
heavaL The seaport Of Reggie is re-
ported as no longer existing and the
city proper is in ruins.
The loss Of life on both sides Of the
strait and in eastern Sicily was enor-
.fmous. One Of the refugees from Reg
gio, who was the first to bring the
news Of the city's destruction, tried to
make his way to Sicily in a sailboat,
but was compelled to return, and final
ly found safety at a peninsula port. In
hss experiences he said:
The sea was mysteriousiy agitated
and the heavens were ablaze. Nearing
Sicily the clearing smoke revealed the
mystery; Messina was in flames. IN
the frenzy of despair / turned my boat
back TO Calabria"
Starving, bleeding from injuries and
ALMOST insane from their terrifying ex-
periences, Messina's survivors are flee
ing in ali directions. The spectacle
presented by the ruined seaport is de-
.scribed as terrifying. Tumbling build
ings both killed and mutilated many.
-swhile hundreds Of the Injured, i'm
prisoned in the wrecksge, were aban-
doned 10 their fate by the fleeing
populace. one OF those who escaped
said:
The earth seemed suddenly TO drop
and then turn violently on its axis.
The whole population. who practically
were precipitated from the houses rent
p in twain. were spun around like tops
as they ran through the streets. Many
sfeu crushed TO death and others be-
wiidered took refuge for breath be-
side the tottering walls. where they
soon met the fate Of their companions"
Already British and Russian squad
rons have arrived at Messina.- Sailors
and marines have been disembarked
and they have performed courageous
acts in rescuing. the injured and. re-
moving the wounded. A large number
Of survivors have been transferred to
the wsrshlps. which are transformed
into great floating hospitals Steam
ers with doctors, druggists. fremen
and workmen- have arrived at Messina
from Catsnia and other places.
Special dispatches received here from
3 Calabria confirm the destruction of
Reggie. They report that the situation
there is as had il not worse than at
Messina. The streets in Rome are
5ammed with people who as soon as
they heard. the news noc5ed in the
streets.
All Nations Extend Aid,
The hands OF all the nations have
been extended to Italy in her afiiction.
From rulers have come messages of
coincidence and from the people spon-
taneous promise Of that aid which
brings the world closer together in
time OF great calamity
Great Britain. France and Russia
have sent their warships as quick as the
fash Of the telegraph could carry the
orders to lend assistance to the stricken
cities. Relief funds have already been
started and a hundred ships and trains
are on their way carrying supplies and
reinforcements 10 the south. Rome
Milan, Florence, Naples and other cities
are sending physicians. police and fire.
men,
The bourses and theaters have been
closed throughout Italy and dispatches
OF sympathy continue to pour in from
al quarters Of the globe
Big Wave Follows Quake
Al the time Of the earthquake the tor
pedo boat sappho was lying in the har-
Dor at Messina and one of the officers
told OF the occurrence as follows:
AT half-past in the morning the
sea suddenly become terribly agitated,
seeming literally TO pick up our boat
and shake il. Other craft nearby
were similarly treated, and the ships
looked like bits OF cork bobbing about
in a tempest Almost Immediately a
tidal wave of huge proportions swept
across the straits, m0Rnting the coasts