The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1908-12-31
Loss OF LIFE Will
Be GREATEST
IN HISTORY
Fully $50, 900 People Perished
in Earthquake
PlTlFUL CONDITION OF LIVING
Thousands Wander Among the Ruins
Of Wrecked Cities, Naked, starv-
ing and Helpless.

Rome, Dec. 3l-Such scanty addit-
ional details as have reached the au-
thorities today have served only to ac-
centuate the horror and immensely Of
the catastrophe which has fallen upon
Southern Italy, and there is now good
reason TO believe that at least 100000
persons have lost their lives
Messina, where the king and queen
have arrived, is covered by a pail OF
smoke from the numerous fires that
have broken out among the ruins and
add to the horror Of the calamity
While II is impossible to estimate
the death roll. and there is possibly
tendency to exaggerate the figures
as was the case in Martinique and In
previous Calabrian earthquakes still
there seems every reason to fear that
the present disaster will prove the
greatest in European history
All resources Of modern civilization
have practically been SET az naught
and the measures OF relief which so
far as has been possible TO carry out
have been altogether inadequate to
the tremendous requirements OF the
situation
Messna Reggie, and a dozen small
towns and villages We're annihilated
Out OF Messinas total population OF
10000 II is believed today that about
10000 persisted The official estimate
is $4,000 but another report says that
there are only 10000 survivors whose
plight is indescribable
Reggie. which the king is visiting
tonight has been partly swallowed up
in the immense assure. and the re-
mainder Of the town is in ruins
Major Pelligone who is In command
OF the troops there estimates that the
| figures of the dead al Reggie will 60
10 10000.
The town OF San Giovanni. which is
close TO Reggie, was swept by tidal
wave that penetrated zoo yards In
land.
Al Monteleone In Calahria. the mum
Der reported lost Is 1909 Bagnara.
| Calabria, with a population Of 5000.
was practically annihilated with one
fifth Of the inhabitants reported dead
Gazziri. Sicily. places It's loss az
1900. Palmi and SAINT Euiemia were
wrecked. with a heavy death roll and
the whole population of 400 of the
village OF Seminara. In Calabria is
believed 10 have been destroyed
Resides these reports there Is an
| enormous loss OF life IN various vii
lagos along the coasts and mainland Of
Sicily
| Help from the outer world is 40 last be
| ginning TO reach thesirickeu city The
/ British armed cruiser Sutlei has
| steamed in from Malta and she has
! been followed by the Russian battle
ships Slaya and CzarcvItch and the
armed cruiser Admiral Makaroff
The officers and men OF the TWO ma
vies are giving every possible aid yet
their task Is a fearful one under the
pelting rain Open air hospitals are
being installed In what were once the
streets Of the city
The sights on every hand are so
moving and so tragic that IL Is almost
impossible 20 describe them adequate.
~. In the terms OF the human language
The utmost depths of anguish and SUI.
fering seem TO have been plumbed and
the imagination stands aghast before
the effect OF this catastrophe.
The garrison OF Messina persisted in
the ruins. The people who survive un
hurt are suffering the cruel eXtrcmi.
ties OF hunger and thirst Here and
there can De seen searching eagerly
for some morscls to eat or water 20
drink. but the heaps OF dust and the
debris yield them nothing.
1 A. nj
scene meets the eyes Men and wom-
en-. half naked and terribly injured.
are seen imploring relief The hos
pitfalls aud chemists shops have disap.
peared and there are neither drugs
nor surgical instruments Govern.
mont officials from Catania. however.
are ON the spot and doing their very
utmost A Catania FIRE brigade has
also arrived and Is working with the
Russian sailors to eXtinuiish the
Arcs.
An Italian battlcship has reached
Mosslna aud has landed q number OF
sCamon and soldiers while troops are
on the way from Caiania and Naples
but Il will take at least year 90 ~.
move the dead from under the ruins.
| NV NhNhHNANNi' SUI NAAr'h wv wv
pie while they were asleep, which
helps to explain the immensely OF the
loss. The prison collapsed and many
OF The prisoners escaped. so there
were number OF desperadoos let
loose upon the ruined city.
Some of the dead have already been
recovered from the ruins aud have
been buried in the public gardens
Search for the wounded and the unin
iured In the debris Is being vigorous.
IN prosecuted. There Is hope that
even nov. two days after the earth.
quake. further roscues will be- made.