Daily Kennebec journal., 1908-12-31
W7lN1sO OF TAIYs TERRIBLE EARTHQUAKE MAY REACH 10000

"At the first SHOCK said the vice con-
sui my wife ran to a cot and snatcnets
up the child. We ran down stairs ana
found the door blocked with wreckases
we clambered through the window. bat
as we were passing a building the baF
cony fell and killed my wife instah,'y.
nv a miracle the child escaped unnufL 4
| rushed to the municipal square, wfcre
50 people had gathered, and we ran mad
ly for the open country, balconies. col
umns and cnimneys falling around us IN
n terrifying manner The members Of our
party were struck down. half a dozen at
n time and when we reached a place of
safety only four OF the party remained
Ine others undoubtedly were killed.
The Marquis Ruvolito, who visited
Messina and then returned to Catanla,
declared that the spectacle was hoff1fy-
ing. He estimated that there were no.
more than 10000 survivors. of the entire
populace. Thousands, he said, are buried
under the wreckage and some OF the In
iured pinned beneath the walls whicn
the fire did not touch are still allVe.
Some few bodies have been recovered and
they have been buried in the public gar
dens.
The destruction of the American con-
sulate at Messina and the death of Con-
sui Cheney and perhaps the death, also,
of the former vice consul, J. s. Peirce, to-
gether with the absence Of w. H. Bishop,
the American consul at, Palermo, leaves
the United States without representa-
tive in Sicily at the present time ON
cials in Rome are considering the pos
sibiIity of the administration at wash
ingtOn ordering one or more OF the ships
Of the battleship fleet now cruising
around the world to proceed to Sicily in
order to protect American interests.
So far all reports agree that there wera
few, if any, Americans in Messina at the
time of the disaster with the exception
of Consul Cheney and his wife. Mr..
Peirce was an Englishman and for many
years the Perce family had lived in that
city. Several of the members were kill
ed, but Miss Peirce made her escape as
well as one of the male members OF the
family, who. may prove to be the wee
consul.
Late reports confirm the fact that Ia
Ormina was almost entirely untouched
by the earthquake. Only the famous
Hotel San Dominica was damaged.
Rome, Dec. 3O.-The minister of
marine estimates the victims of earth-
quakes and tid;ii wave in Calabria and
Sicily at 900 and the number may
reach 100000.
1t is impossible to exaggerate the
state OF despair of the 10000 Calabar-
ians and Sicilians in Rome. Most Of
them have relatives in the stricken
area The telegraph offices are be-
sieged by weeping men and women de-
manding. beseeching and crying for
information or the dispatch of a mes
sage.
A telegram received here from Palmi
says the continuance of the storm is
bringing the greatest hardship to the
survivors The streets are described
as filed with naked, hungry and help
| less people. Shelter and food are i'm
| perative.
The minister of telegraphs this
morning received the first dispatch di-
! rect from Messina. 1t comes from the
| operators sent there to re-eStablish
| telegraphic communication. The mes
sage says merely that after overcom-
| ing all kinds of difficulties the oper-
ators succeeded in stretching Il wire
| and installing their apparatus at a
point close to the city. Orders have
| been given that the wire be held eX-
| clusively for the use of the govern
| ,nent authorities
| Rome, Dec 30-Half the population
| Of Calabria and the eastern part OF
Sicily is dead: the other half is weap-
| ing. AS the great extent of the terrific
seismic disturbances become apparent,
| it seems impossible to exagserate the
| horrors hich have followed them. The
alamity which has overwhelmed Italy
is almost beyond the grasp of the
| ina gination. Innumerable wounded
are buried in the ruins, many of whom
will perish because it is impossible to
| rescue them from the wrecks of their
| former homes. The whole OF Italy is
absolutely stunned and on the scene
of the disaster the bulk of the people
are literally demented with the sud-
denness and extent of the blow The
total number of victims is variously
estimated from $4,000 to 10000.
| When King Victor and the Queen
arrived at Messina today touching
scenes were enacted as Their Majes-
ties made their way into the ruined
town. The scene of disaster and hor
ror was too much for the Queen, who
almost swooned Crowds of terror
stricken persons swarmed about the
royal party. throwing themselves in
the mud and screaming for pity and
aid.
MANY terrible stories are related in
connection with the rescue work. The
rescuers had to contend with su-
perstition. 50 deeply rooted in the
Siciiian mind that in many instances
injured men and women chung to
crumbling walls, refusing to let sc
their hold and seek a safer position.
AS further facts concerning stricken
AIessina become available they cor
lroborate in every detail the worst
fears heretofore expressed The cathe-
dral. municipality buildings. the bar
racks and the prisons, are all destroy
cd and presumably all the smalle,
| buildings shared the same fate OF 28t