New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1909-01-23
MR.. LUPTON'S ESCAPE
Consul Tells of Night of Terror at
Wessind.

Washington. Jan. 22.-StUart K LuptOn. now
American Consul at Messina has sent long re-
port to the State Department of his experiences
and observations during the earthquake of De
cember IS, when he was vice-consul and when
Consul Cheney his death The report is
dated December 81. In it he says:
The walls and roof of my room began to crack
and crumble. stones fell on the bed. and the dust
was so thick was almost unable 10 oredtng T;
in. the motion ceased seized my clothes and
made my way down the stairs as best was able
At the doorway Of the hotel / ran into net,
charged 1rH 1uSkiiy for me- Soon found my way
to the waterfront. about block away. and start
size the 'e extent Of the disaster and expected to
find DR. and Mrs Cheney in the street hn rn1l
6t tbsb @ op When aaa mot
sheu ID have ben 10 eight feet above the
fifteen or twenty feet high, over which clam
was still in inky darkness, so could not form
any idea as 10 the extent of the disaster. 1AIter
posed the consulate to be and waited daylight
consulate. but could nothing that reminded
me Of It. . -, oors,,,.,o 20 10 ,,.rs
was nothing but a neap of ruins iron beams.
splntered wood. bricks and stones in haPsss con-
over the ruins to IL could md ANYTHING famit-
Which rec0gnized as the property Of Mrs cheney.
and remembering the spot where t had stood was
the spot where their room had been and called. in
hs h9pe mat helrd n Nothing 5oWeSer and further
search revealed piano severed b s1 h PRneT Ss
had piano. so it must have come down rom m
s She t fse n6 one could stand and the
went down almost Immediately, II was absouteIyg
four doors and gone down long flight OF steps
which had three sections Nothing belonging u
'' Realizing that it was Impossible TO aid the con-
sui sui made 1 mp my aeT 90 GO friends soo
started suddenly occurred to me that II m h9
sbn
carefully earryine n MS M Time some hafcotheJ
Others entirely naked. gave part Of my c.otheS
away. but found I could do nothing there were 50
calling f s2g sBs Sd Sdrs and
ropes were necessary. and tney naq ~ I'D from
some men trying TO lower an ono iaI; an1a
the f9 } co T90F bToke pTecptsng soul
to the pavement beloS, An0t moi Of WfRicb stuck
was arm rJe was unable call out. but rattIei
against the Taing MEN men and tools it was mpos
aibIe 10 do anything, l kept on trying u SMUT
most all the natives were hysteriGal, snriekns
and moaning Some weTe eel1 an nj On the way
met an Engiishman whom kpeT; v anq mad coi
apsed and that OF the nine men3s pr; 6 6I
his family had escaped An2tner I4o bt mr. that his
nae if u and son were dead. Everywhere the story
was the same ts r3a 'n Who Constituted the garrison
~ Messins more than fifteen hundred were de 9s
10 tie alarm Of the people About Il o'clock ~ went t
he steamer Chesapeake P-!oliEIis -
on prdIu .ariosn OH Company, and managed 70 get
cur Of tea and sandwich Captain MOTT OIL vas as
- lind and told No to send persons IN need on
toay5 and he would do anything he could Tor mem
I went again to the shore TO see what c.ul1 10, De
done and nv that night more than seventy .prIh--
cinaIiy women and children were on board, AoouI
o"ri0ck rain began to fall. adding 10 the misery
. .ba paonIs Scores and hundreds OF them were
20 rs seen sitting in all the squares or ~ideT
streets. and looking as if they had abandoned all
hope. " -, .. a,5 1vsn+ 10 sIaen on
coiI NJ rome on the foreshOre not trouoling my
self about any possible consequences AFTER halI
on hour I was awakened by the cold. and dec1ded
that The best thing for me TO do was 20 follow the
band of refugees. and to 60 on board the mesa
DaaLa for the night First went to my hote ana
found il still standing. but very much an ,
G,in1 upstairs very cautiously, got rev things
INTO n clothes bag taking care to secure nv copy
90 the regulations as 1 have had trouble enoHgh
without one.
By the time I reached the shore again looting
roi begun and from all can hear pandemonium
rsieped ali through the night Customs guards
we're fodning the hooters although some tried man,
fIiv Ia repress t. Almost all the carabineers had
been killed but the remaining ones did the best
they could.