Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1909-01-01
ALL NATIONS HURRY
AID TO uNF0RTUNATES,
Help From Every Quarter Being Rushed
To Relieve |ta|y's Earthquake Suf-
fpTerS---Further Details.

| Rome, Dec. 31.-EstimateS of the
death roll of the earthquake now cease
to concern the Italian people. 1t l.
enough to know that the catastrophe
is overwhelming; figures would ado
| nothing to the grief Of the stricken
nation, nor move to greater efforts
| those upon whom the work Of relief
| and rescue has fallen.
Every channel open to the govern
| ment has been utilized to this end anG
other nations have been quick to come
| to it's assistance, even before the cry
| for aid went up. Ship loads Of fugi-
| tives have been carried out Of the
| stricken zone to Naples, Palermo
| Catania and other ports, and, accord
| ing to the minister of marine, rescue
vessels to the number of Sc are now
| centered in the Strait of Messina and
| 5000 soldiers are being landed on the
| two coasts.
Most important Of all now is the
| question of the living. Thousands OF
those who escaped the falling walls
and the sweep of the tide are starving
and without clothes or shelter. They
can scarcely long survive their suffer-
J ings. The first thought has been TO
carry food and covering for these help
| less people and it has now been de-
cided by the government to send a
| fleet of emegrant steamers to remove
them from these places.
The British warship Minerva re-
ported by wireless to Malta that two
severe shocks occurred at Messina last
night Prof. Ricco, director Of the
observatory at Mont Aetna, states that
his instruments have recorded a. dis
tinct shocks after the first but during
the last IS hours they have been al
most motionless. Aetna and Gtrom-
boil are now quiet and he is certain
that the earthquake was not of vol
caric but geological origin, similar to
that " 1875.
Lloyd c. Griscom, the American am
bassauor, Will leave here tomorrow and
will proceed to Messina and other
places in the South on an Italian war
ship in search of information concern
ing missing American travellers. 1t mas
been found impossible to obtain tldlngs
OF the hundreds Of foreigners supposed
to have been in the zone. about whom
inquiries have been made to the gov
eminent and the various embassies.
The horror of the situation at Messi-
ma and Reggie grows with every fresh
dispatch. One of the correspondents
places the death roll throughout the
entire territory as high as 100000. but
this appears to be extreme. Others
make their outside estimate 100000
but the official estimate, as made by
the minister of marine still holds to
115,O0O
Relief expeditions which have been
making their way to Reggie have en-
countered tremendous Instructions all
along the route. They report Is pro-
vincial villages, besides those already
mentioned in Calabria as having been
completely ruined. This would indi~
cate that the earthquakes havoc was
not confined to the coast. What has be-
come of the inhabitants of these vii
lagos is not known. Those that were
left alive after the destruction of their
homes doubtless joined the great army
Of refugees seeking safety, or have
fallen by the Wayside.
The Calabrian coast for 80 miles has
been torn and twisted. From Bagnira
to Reggie. distance of 25 miles, is
half demolished. Assistance has reach
tu Dul lev vi lIlSoe pidICo ttiio IiiSS ehAN
practically without supplies Of any
kind At Bagnara surgical operations
are being performed with pruning
knives. but at Reggie even that Is i'm
possible. Bands of thieves infest the
country and the despair of the unaided
villages is complete. Hunger supplies
he motive for shocking violence and
robbers defy the few surviving police
men and soldiers.
It has been impossible as yet to as
cartain whether there were any Amer
cans at the hotels in Messina. The Ho-
TEL France collapsed at the first shock
and 60 guests were killed. 1t is assert
ed that none of these was American.
Only two walters escaped as they We're
already up and had the presence of
mind to seek shelter from the falling
walls under the stair case of the hotel.
The Continental hotel was destroyed
but it seems that no Americans We're
stopping there. Almost all the guests
at the Hotel Trinicria, including J. G.
Martens. the Swedish consul, are
dead Nothing has been learned def
nitely as to the number of Americans
in that hotel, which was the leading
one of the city.