Weekly Watertown leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1908-1909, 1909-01-01
OERTH TOLL MAY
REACH 100000
MESSINA, CATANIA AND REGGIE IN
RUINS-SURVIVOR SEARCH
FOR FOOD.
MANY BURIED ALIVE IN RUINS.
Wrecked Buildings Are Tombs for Thou
sands Who Suffer as Do Those in
Dante's "Inferno"
REFUGEES LOSE THEIR MINDS.
MANY BURIED ALIVE IN RUINS.
LOSE THEIR MINDS.
BULLETIN.

BULLETIN
SYRACUSE, Sicily, Dec. 3O-Violent
earth shocks were experienced here at
half-past 5 this morning. The people
of Syracuse, terrified and fearful, rushed
through the streets IN the surrounding
open country.
The bishop of Syracuse exhorted them
to calm and courage.
Two violent shocks were felt ON the
island Of Ustica last night Ustica is
forty miles off the north coast of Sicily.
The inhabitants of the island spent the
night shivering in terror in the fields.
ROME, Dec. 30.-The details of one of
the most appalling disasters recorded in
the history of the world are being I'M
folded III the dispatches coming in today
! from Calabria and Sicily. 1t is a story
| Of understandable horror and calamity.
| The earthquake of Monday wrought
havo" and destruction that cannot be
estimated. Italy is stunned by vista
ton described as the greatest disaster
IN the memory of living man. Yet the
fulI measure OF the catastrophe has not
yet been taken.
The calamity grows with the recent
of every fresh dispatch from the south
Calabria is dotted with small towns and
villages, and new localities are reporting
almost hourly casualty lists that run
from the hundreds into the thousands
1t IS still Impossible to reach any accu-
rate estimate of the dead but the total
number is placed anywhere between
100000 and 10000. In some quarters
it is declared that the final numbers will
be as high as 100000 persons. One-half
of the population of Calabria and east
ern Sicily apparently has persisted
1t is feared that vast treasures have
been looted at Messina The local branch
of the Bank of Italy had 100000 on
deposit there and other banks had large
amounts of money in their vaults There
were also countless treasures and arti-
cles of value in the sumptuous palaces
and prosperous shops of the city.
Countless thousands of wounded men,
women, and children are dying today in
the ruins. 1t is utterly impossible To
succOr them all. Numberless wounded
of the survivors who have made their
way to other cities are still without med
zeal attention The facilities for proper
care even in the cities that did not suffer
are inadequate.
Queen Almost Swoons
King Victor and the Queen arrived ar
MeSsina today. As they made their way
into the ruined town the scene of disas-
ter and horror was too much Tor the
Queen. who almost swooned. Crowds of
terror stricken persons SWarmed about
the royal party, throwing themselves in
the mud and screaming for pity and aid.
King Rescues Injured.
Many terrible stories were told to the
King i'll connection with the work of
rescue. His majesty, however, lost lit
tie time listening to recital of diff
culties. He Immediately joined a rescue
party and labored as unremittingiy as
the others. He personally extricated sew
eral injured persons pinned under the
ruins.
The Queen quickly recovered her cour-
age and followed the example of her
husband. She devoted her attention
principally to the little children. She
rescued with her own hands a little boy
years old, bleeding from many cuts
and wounds and herself carried him 10
the dock. where she handed him over TO
members Of the hospital corps. At the
dock were many small boats sent in to
take the wounded out to the ships in
the harbOr. Every available steamer in
the port has been fitted up as a tenn
pOrary hospital.
Overpowering Stencil Arises.
Signor Orlando the minister of Justice
who IS with the royal party. has de-
scrbed the catastrophe in a telegram TO
a friend as one of the greatest disasters
in the memory of man. Au overwhelm-
ing stencil is beginning to arise from ihe
ruins of Messina. Ten thousand soldiers
will be required to bury the dead there
1t was learned today that Gen. Coli
lost his life at Messina.
Many terrible stories are related in
connection with the rescue work The
rescuers had to contend with a SUPER
L. .tN,l
mind that in many instances injured
men and women chung to crumbling
walls, refusing to let go their hold and
seek a safer position.
As further facts concerning stricken
f, Messina became available they corro-
borated in every detail the worst fears
heretofore expressed. The cathedral
municipality buildings, barracks and
prisons are all destroyed and presum-
ably all the smaller buildings shared the
same fate
Bodies Cover the Sea.
OF $50 railway employees in the station
at MeSSlna, only eight are known to
have survived, while at Reggie the 81
lence of death still reigns, leaves to the
imagination the terrible havoc wrought
by the catastrophe with the horrible in
rush OF the sea. the swallowing up of
boats. the crushing of ships, and the dc
Structlon of bridges and walls. The sea
became almost instantly covered with
debris after the upheaval. containing
refuse of every description dotted with
human bodies.
When day dawned, the entire shore
line of the surrounding country was ut
terly changed IN appearance. The coast
line was greatly altered, while of all the
magnificent houses along the shore only
a few lettering ruins remained From
these ruins from time to time sprang
jets of flame and smoke
People with tears in their eyes
watched the departure of the King and