The Lake County times., 1908-12-30
Five Demented Persons Are
the Only Ones Saved from
a City That Numbered 3d.
600, and Warship Finds no
Trace Of City.
GREATEST CAIACLYSM
OF MODERN TIMES
Change In Geography By Earth's Up.
heaval Shows That Many Cities
We're Swallowed Up By Sea and
Ninty-Foot Wave Hits Shaken
Towns In Italy.

4OWAAD 49, As~~&J
Rome, Dec. 3O.-Whfle 1T In still Inn
possible to calculate the full extent
of the earthauare disaster in southern
Italy, 1t IL certain fhast the catastrophe
is one of the greatest in history-per-
haps the greatest Of modern tfmeA
From the latest aivfcesS and compila-
ITEMS the following terrible figures and
facts give some idea of the monxtrcus
tragedy:
Total number of Sicilian dead,
including Messina .......... 10000
Total number of Calabrians
aend 10000
Grand Total. loS,0S0
Exact Figures Unobtainable.
In detail the death list in Messina
ranges from $4,000 to $4,000; that OF
Reggie, with it's adjacent villages.
number $4,000 people. includes almost
the entire popularation. At Palmi L.
900 are reported dead; at Cassano L.
600; at Cozenza 500, and half of the
population of Bagnara about 1000.
The Monteleone region has been de-
vastated, and Riposto, Seminara, San
Giovanni Scylla, Gazzaro and Canni-
telo and all other communes and viii
lagos bordering on the Straits of Mes
sina are in ruins.
No exact report of the number of
dead is obtainable up to this hour. and.
in fact, it may never be obtained, as
many bidies have been totally de-
stroyed in the ruins. Messina and Reg
gia are utterly destroyed. Messina had
q population of 10000.
Tidal Wave Swallows Thousands.
Their annfhilation was due less to
the earthquake than TO the tidal wave
which followed 1t. swallowing VI
thousands of human beings before they
had chance to escape Two other
Caiabrian towns, Bagnara and Palmi
were also destroyed and 1t is feared
that many foreign tourists have per
ished. 1t appears certain that ths
ninety English and forty German
guests at the Hotel Triniacria IN Mes
sina lost their lives.
Reggio Disappears Entirely.
The ominous absence of details con-
cerning Reggie di Calabria proves to be
due TO the fact that not only the city
itself, but its whole population with
the exception of a mere handful has
disappeared. The war ships which
were ordered to relieve the survivors
were unable to approach the coast ow
ing to the changed conhguration O
the Straits of Messina. Ultimately ;
torpedo boat ran close to the shore
but was unable to discover a trace o
the city.
Only five of the city's inhabitant
have yet been accounted for Thes
unhappy wretches reached Cattanzar
at Palmi half demented by fright. On
of them was mainly impressed by hav
Ing seen the sea cover the cathedral.
The government is withholding ~
news concerning Reggie for the pres
ent hesitating to publish the appall
ing tale until it is fully confirmed. /
view Of this latest development of tn
catastrophe the death roll may we
reach $4,000.
Some of the survivors from Messin
say that the gas meters at the ga
works exploded and started fires i
every direction. 1t was not long afte
the tidal wave had receded when tn
havoc by fire made the catastroph
complete.
Thousands of injured were iayin
pinned under the debris and many Q
these were burned before help coul
reach tine The fire is still burning /
MeSSlud anu many tAouSdHoS AlOi
who are still imprisoned under falle
walls and wreckage must perish ur
less they are promptly extricated.
Survivors in Helpless Daxe.
The survivors in Messina are demon
allied. Despairing groups OF men an
women parade the ruined streets, try
ing to get some trace of relatives G
friends. but seemingly powerless |
render any real service toward carin
for the wounded or extinguishing til
flames.
All the chief municipal officials
Messina and Reggie were killed an
thus there was no one with executfy
ability to take charge of the situatio
Immediately following the shock.