New-York tribune., 1908-12-30

while trying to escape by falling oalc0nles an an
roasourv and still many others Iost tnelE iea -
son and are to-day wandering aimlessiy IN tSe tSe
open fields outside the city or up diiU ~ 49,
ruined streets they knew so We'll .+ zo,.,
The Iooters and the robbers were sho' uo'"'
by the rifles Of the soldiers.
II has been proposed here to remove al 'ne
survivors of Messina TO Catania.
The previous reports from the provinces tna' d
number of villages were wrecked have been con
Arn,ed. Seventeen are dead at Riposto Ihe
town Of Seminara, in Calabria, twenty mics
from Reggie is said to have been destroyed
with the loss of hundred lives
The following graphic story Is told ny a "oiiia"
who arrived here from Messina this morning
She was herself badly injured She describes
the horrors accompanying the disaster at Mes
sina in these words:
| Internal is the only word which will adequate
| Iy describe the fearful scene Wnen the mrs.
shock came most of the city was fast asleep
was awakened by the rocking OF tne mouse; use;
| windows swayed and ratified, and crockery ana
glass crashed to the floor. The next moment l
was violently thrown out of my bed. was halr
stunned but knew that the only thing 10 DO was
TO make NV way outdoors The streets were
filled Everybody had rushed out in their night
nio+bes baa1Iess of the rain which was falling
in torrents Terrified shrieks arose from all
sides, and heard heartrending Appeals Ior
help from the unfortunates pinned beneath the
ruins
walls were tottering all around us, and not
one of my party expected TO escape alive My
brothers and sisters were with me. ana IN a
frenzy of terror groped our way through the
streets, holding our own against the panic
stricken people, claTnbering over piles Of ruins,
until we finally reached place of comparative
safety. But this was not done before was
struck down and badly injured by piece or
furniture which fell out of the upper story OF
a house.
of fleeing people, half clad like ourselves The
houses seemed to be crashing to the ground in
whatever direction turned
Suddenly the sea began to pour into the town.
1 ], flea IOF
everything. The oncoming waters rolled In IN
| huge wave, accompanied by a terrifying roar.
The sky was aglow with the reflection Of burn
| ing palaces and other buildings. and there sud
denly shot up into the sky a huge burst OF fame,
| followed by a crash that seemed TO snake the
| whole town. This probably was the gas works
Eventually we reached the principal square
| of Messina Here found two thousand or
| three thousand terrified people assembled. None
| of US knew what to do. We waited in agony
/ of fear. Men and women prayed and groaned
| and shrieked. I saw one Of the big buildings
/ fronting the square collapse. 1t seems to me
| that scores of persons were buried beneath the
/ ruins. Then lost consciousness, and remen-
| Der more.
Mount Etna, the volcano a short distance from
| here. is showing this morning considerable ac-
tivity and the detonations. which can be plainly
heard in this city. and the volume OF smoke roll
ing out of the crater have added to the panic
Of the people.
| According to the director OF the focaI OBJ
servatory this activity is directly connected
with the earthquakes of yesterday, which
wrought such havoc in Calabria and Sicily but
| a great eruption is not expected. Such phe-
nomena, the director says. seldom accompany
violent seismic disturbances.
| The majority of the refugees are being treated
| in the hospitals while the others have obtained
| shelter in private homes. woman who escaped
| unhUt told her experiences follows:
We were all sleeping in my house when we
| were awakened by awful trembling, which
| threw out of beds. l cried out that II
| was earthquake and called to the others TO
| save themselves while quickly pushed a few
| clothes into valise. The walls cracked and
| my bureau split in two and then crashed to the
| floor. nearly crushing me. My hands trembled
| so that l could scarcely open the doors.
| To increase the terror. a rainstOrm, accom-
panied by hail. swept through the broken win
| dow. Finally, with my brother and sister
! succeeded in gaining the street, but lost
| them in the mad OF terrorstricken people,
! who surged onward uttering cries of pain and
| distress. During this terrible flight balconies
| Chimneys and tiles showered down upon
| tinuousy. Instinctively 1 rushed toward the
| waterfront, but there found the grand prom
| enade transformed into a miry lake. in which
! I slipped and often fell. I learned afterward
! that 1 was rescued senseess by a soldier and
| carried to a train