The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-12-30

similarly treated and the ships looked like bits of cork bobbfng about in tempest. Almost immediately tidal wave of huge proportions swept across the strait mounting the coasts ana carrying everything before 1t. Scores os shlps were damaged and the Hun garian mail boat Andrassy parted her anchors and went crashing Into other vessels Messlna bay was wiped out and the sea was soon covered Witn masses of wreckage which was carried off in the arms of the recedlnG waters"
 Flight sailors from the Sappno were landed and took up tbe work oa reSsrS, ..,r officers and men from ltaiiAn anu British steamers also went ashore az soon as possible. the Britishers savlhs fan,I,v of five who were tmprlsoh- a1 Ir \ burning house. Many prison- CTS from the jails made theit ss escass ana footed right and left. hundt s... sss engaged in the work of ropDihBy banks and. business houses: .s tna
 Tn inc opinion of the officers ., Sle sannbo half the population of Mes- sina perished.
 sailors Tell of Scene.
 tr.,.4,,av. 3atories told by the omceTs \, tha sannaho. show the tremenoous Sarcs of inc great wave that swept comnletely over the city, from wnicn r dense cloud of dust arose as the pal,a- ings fell, while the air was rehs cries for help. ..
 Only at sunrise was 1t posslple lo " even faint idea of what nao if is impossible to describe the norLo. ~. in ali its, tragic grandeur; Almost Ihe entire city was. in the twinkling or tne eve. reduced to ruins In the midst OA thfs stlll stood the gigantic ana sinis. fer walls of the great Hotel Trincria' ssbaya hundred foreign guests met their death; the municipal palace ana line of what were once spienoid eur fees along the sea front.
 From a dozen sections tongues oa aan,a were seen shooting out ot the ..,Ins ana shortly half the town was erveIoped in flames. thes smoke from which was carried in great masses ias
 sailors from the sAppaho under the con,mand of the head engineer, succeed sd after a mighty struggle againss Inc waves. in reaching the land ana thev were among the first to penetrate into the town and begin the worK os rescue. .,.
 At every step they came upon the dead and dying and they joined the others in trying to save those caught :" the ruins. ~ ..
 The escaped prisoners from the jail were soon at work sacking the empty houses, paying particular attention to the Rank of Sicily and other public buiIdings Bands of looters entered the wrecked houses and then fought over inc booty One band sacked the home of a rich merchant, turning a. deat ear 10 his pitiful appeal to help himself ana family. who were pinioned by the wall
 Soldiers were hastily dispatched 10 guard the city, and they shot may hooters whom they caught in the act.
 The first official news from Reggio reached the home office this evening to inc effect that the town had been en- tirelv destroyed and that the dead were numberless. Five distinct earthquake shocks. all terrible in their effect, had been felt.
 Several hundred soldiers were killed at Catahzaro and many police were ,.,,,stS st and wounded Thousands of charred bodies have been seen floating in the straits.
 At PalmI, 300 corpses have been dis covered and many more are still be- meath the wreckage of the town Every house in Bagnara was leveled. Every little cillage. has it's quota of dead.
 Before the departure of the King on the batIeship Vittore Emmanuele, his ma iesty received telegram from Pres ident Roosevelt eNpFessihs Ano sSarp0 inv of the United ststes. The King highly appreciated this kindly expres- sion of concern.
 Reports of heavy loss of life are coming in every hour from city and town and nearly every village in the stricken zone and the story in its detail has only begun to be told. The horror grows as further reports come in.
 Messina has been fire swept, Tne dead there alone will run into the