The Roswell daily record. [volume] (Roswell, N.M.) 1903-current, 1908-12-31

Rome Italy, Dec. 31.-SlOWly the
measure of the disaster which depopu-
lated Calabria and eastern Sicily has
been taken and as the reports accum-
ulate it is evident the first estimates
in no sense exaggerated the extent
and horror of the visitation. The Off
cia1 estimates place. the dead at no.
900 but there is reason to believe this
may be greatly exceeded.
Today the pitifu1 plight of the SIR
vivors claims universal attention and
the relief of their sufferings calls for
the concentrated attention of all ma
tions. The dead are dead but the
countless thousands of half demented
naked and starving survivors, some
wounded and some uninjured, who are
crying pitifully for food, water, cloth
ing, shelter and medical attention pre-
sents an awful situation.
No news has yet been received of
Americans thought to be in the dew
astated district, excepting Rev. Dav-
id S. Essums, of New Orleans and his
daughter Alice, who are safe at Rome.
1t is reported that several Americans
lost their lives in the wreck of hotels
at Messina. Ambassador Griscom is
about to go from Rome to the South
in an endeavor to secure Information
concerning the missing American
travellers.
1t is estimated that one hundred
thousand have fed from the desolat-
ed territory in fear of further convul-
sions. The latest estimate places the
dead at Palmi and Bagnara at $4,000
and 10000 respectively. Two thousand
survivors say that for half an hour
before the earthquake the heavens
were filed with gorgeous display of
light resembling an auroro borealis.
1t is declared that not less than
25, 900 living are still entrapped in the
ruins and they are better dead as it
is impossible to rescue them.
Terrible Tales of Suffering.
Rome, Dec 31-To the terrifying
spectacle of death caused by Mondays
earthquake has now been added the
horror of starvation and the fear of
pestilence in the ruins of Messina,
Reggie and the various other towns
in Sicily and Calabria. The bodies.
litter the ruins, while everywhere are
countless thousands of homeless peo-
pie.
Words are inadequate to express
the horror of the ruin and desolation
Sicily, where the trembling of the
earth and fire and water combined to
change a smiling verdant country in
to deserts. Messina exists no longer,
and at least thirty years will be nee
essary to repair the ruin that natures
violence has wrought.
As yet it is impossible to obtain
news from the little villages along the
coast. and there are many who believe
they are entirely wiped out In many
cases entire buildings were swept out
into the sea and no trace remains
of many fourishing villages that are
wiped out of existence.
In the smaller towns such as Pal
mi the suddenness and the complete
ness of the catastrophe is overwhem-
ing. OF the fourteen thousand living
in Palmi only few score are living
today. Yesterday ZOO corpses were
buried in the cemetery there The sur
vivors Of Palni, reinforced by rescu-
ers from other points, are performing
prodigies Of valor.
The first of the survivors to reach
Catanzaro from Reggie were so brok-
en- by the shock Of their experiences.
# was almost mpossible for them to
give clear account Of the destruc-