The Washington times., 1908-12-31
SURVIVORS DRIVEN
INSANE BY HORROR

NAPLES. Dec. 3l.-Tales Of marvellous
escapes in the territory swept by the
earthquake and the tidal disaster, Vie
with the figments Of the most vivid
imaginatious. Descriptions Of horror
more grewsome than the mind Of novel
lists could Salnt ~ told by the refu-
gees who are pouring in here by rail-
road trains. afoOt and by steamers.
The Duchess de Osta was present at
the landing Of the Russian battIeshiP
MarakofT and swooned at the horrible
sights. The refugees say that the Odor
coming from the ruins is so nauseOus
that the rescuers have been overcome
The Baroness Benedetu d'AIJomonte.
noted throughout Italy for her beauty
and her charities. narrowly escaped.
She was I'll Of malaria In AIessIna and
had been advised by her physician 10
return 20 her country home. She
boarded a train just one hour before the
earthquake and escaped death likely,
by so doing. Her son is in New York
at the present time.
It is expected that by tonight 5000
refugees Will have made their way 10
this city. The hospitals are overcrowd-
ed already. Many Of the sufferers are
the head and body by falling debris.
When the German ship Seraphin ar
rived with 500 refugees, many were the
terrible stories told.
Pathetic Scenes.
An aged man decended the gangpIant
carrying in his arms little girl whose
person and clothing were sneared with
blood. When asked if she was his child
he replied:
''No. I found her lying in the street
at Messina and brought her along"
Mothers, frantic with grief at the loss
Of children, are filling the hospitals
with their walls
n. CulpO. a AeSSiua pharma CiSt, was
on a ferry boat when the tidal wave
came. He declares the boat descended
and touched bottom
The experience related by Prof. PaIer-
mo OF the University Of MeSSina who
arrived here. IS typical Of that expe-
rienced by the greater number Of suf-
fererS.
Prof Palermo lost his wife and two
sons in the destruction of the city and
he himself narrowly escaped death.
4 was sleeping in my bed" said he
today, when I was awakened by the
tossing of the room. The bed seemed
10 rise upon its edge and I fell upon
the floor with the bed atop OF me. The
building seemed to part and q great
yawning gap opened in the ceiling and
the floor simultaneously. I dropped
through the creyiCe into the apartment
below occupied by a Nine. Pernici. I
could hear a Tumbling sound as Of
thunder and about us we could hear the
crash Of falling walls. For two days we
remained in the ruins OF what had once
been our home 7 constructed a shelter
OF bricks and planks to ward Off the rain
which continued 10 fall in torrents.
After the Quake.
eve had no food and I feared to ven
ture forth in the maze Of twisted streets
and over the heaps OF stone and mortar
and splintered wood After the noise
Of the falling buildings had subsided
we began 10 hear the cries OF the in
jured. The voices of men rose in an
gUished shricks. Some played: others
cursed; others howled in delIrium. Men
and women insane from fright. cried
aloud at the top Of their voices In
the open space before the building i'm
which we were housed, half a dozen
dead boo -es had rolled. Some were
punctured with boards: others were
crushed beyond Identification. At in