Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1909-01-01
MESSINA ENTIRELY DESTROYED,
REGGIE DEVASTATED AND
WHOLE COUNTRY ABOUT
MOUNT ETNA IS VAST
CHARNEL REGION.
VOLCANO IN ACTIVE ERUPTION.
Pope Is Notified That All Bishops,
Priests, Monks and Nuns Have
Persisted.
GHOULS LIKE FIENDS IN RUINS.

| ROME, Dec. 29.-Seventy thousand
lives lost in the terrible earthquake
which has leveled scores of cities and
| towns in the eastern half of Sicily and
the department of Calabria, Italy, is the
| latest estimate Of the destruction of life
in the greatest disaster of modern times.
| Messina, a city of 10000 inhabitants,
was completely destroyed by fire follow
ing the earthquake and tidal wave.
This news was brought to this city in
telegram to Premier Giolitti from Dep
uty Felice at Messina.
At o'clock this afternoon the dead at
Messina was estimated at $4,000.
The towns of Calabria, Cassano and
Cosenza report thousands Of dead. Cata
mia. the third largest town in Sicily, is
in ruins. 1t is impossible to estimate
the number of dead, but they will I'M
doubtedly be counted by the tens OF
| thousands
Refugees from Messina who have
reached Palermo say that there were
! 100 foreigners in the Hotel Trinacria
and that they all lost their lives. The
! hotel has been completely obliterated. 1t
was one of the best in the city and
|
Early this morning The Tribuna es-
timated the total casualties in Calabria
| and Sicily at over 10000, and refugees
stories have added to this number as the
hours roll by.
Disaster Is Appalling.
| The disaster in the province of Gala
| bria and the Island of Sicily has today
assumed staggering proportions. Each
successive report received from the
| stricken region makes it more apparent
| that the first stories of the widespread
destruction were little, if any, eXagger-
| ated. Messina alone reports thousands
| of victims, but it is feared that this is
| only a partial list of the dead and
wounded. Reports are coming in from
! other towns giving estimates of dead
therein from 500 up to several thousand.
Reggie still remains in it's tragic isola-
! ton. 1t is impossible to get word from
the stricken city and the silence gives
rise to the most fearful apprehensions.
| Vandalism of the worst kind has brok
en- out and the government has adopted
the most energetic and most severe meas
| ures for its repression. Robbers and
i looters are shot on sight.
The prison at Messina collapsed. Some
| of the prisoners were killed, but the sur
vivors made their escape and joined the
! hooligans who were sacking the city.
Such confusion reigned that the robbers
met with no resistance. The local chief
of police lies dead in the rooms of his
| office.
The barracks at Messina were de-
molished. The commander of the troops
| was killed outright, and there are many
| victims among the enlisted men.
Martial Law Declared.
The government last night sent Gen.
/ Feira Di CoSsatto, an army corps COM
mander, to take full charge of the troops
| in the devastated territory. One of his
! first measures will be to declare martial
| law.
The robbers pillaged the ruins of shat
tered buildings, and even stole clothing
and valLables from the corpses of vic
| tins. There were not deferred by the
flames that broke out in several sections
! of the city, out took advantage of the
| light for their vandalism. The night in
! Messna was one of horror indescribable
fire robbery, dead and dying on every
side, the city in the utmost confusion,
and the people panic stricken and under
| spell of terror.
| Troops began to pour into N1essina last
night and this morning a number of
| steamers arrived from the peninsula with
soldiers Oh board. Patrols were at once
organized and efforts made to bring some
order into the situation. Bands of citi-
zens were formed and helped heroically
| in the work of rescue. Many courageous
| acts were performed by soldiers and
| citizens alike, and in some cases the
rescuers themselves lost their lives in
! trying to help others. Toward morn
| ing several of the worst fires had been eX
| tinguished, the loOting was under partial
| control. and comparative order had been
established. Everything possible is be-
ing done to succor the wounded, but
| the relief measures are still utterly in
| adequate owing to the immensely of the
| disaster,
Finest Buildings in Ruins.
| The finest palaces, churches and the
aters of Messina are heaps of ruins.
| Countless dead bodies are scattered
through the wreckage, and their de-
composition will doubtless bring pes
thence to add to the horrors of the sit
! uation.
The devastation over the entire dis
trict was more or less complete. No part
| of the province of Reggie de Calabria
escaped. The disturbance was most
severe along the shores Of the straits Of
Messina, where the cities of Messina and
Reggie are situated. In more than one
! town the shocks caused gas meters to ex-
| plode, and disastrous fires resulted. The
| flames helped greatly to swell the death
list.
The conf1agration of the straits of Mes
sina has been materially altered The
tidal wave that completed the destructive
work of the earthquake was 81 feet
high.
Wireless telegraphy has been of the
greatest assistance in getting in reports
from the devastated regions and in help
ing the authorities to realize the extent
of the disaster and to send help to the
places where it was most urgently
needed.
Battleships Are Dispatched.
A flying squadron of the Italian navy,
composed of the three best battleships,
had left for a cruise on the Atlantic be-