The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1909-01-05
MILITARY At MEss|Nh.
svstem of Rescue Work Much
Aided Thereby.
LO0TERS ARE SHOT DOWN

|LOOTEKS AXE SHUT WWN
Enormous Number Of Casualties at
That City Due to the Suddenness
With Which First Shock Came, Little
Time Being Given For Escape.
Catania, Jan. 5.-The system of res.
cue work In Messina has been greatly
augmented by the arrival of troops.
who are to be seen all over the ruined
city in squads of twenty and thirty,
patrolling day and night. Bodies of
them are also working In the ruins
by day and night under the beams Of
the searchlights of ships in the harbor,
and thus far but little time is being
lost
The movement of refugees from the
villages near by is daily increasing in
volume. and large numbers of persons
arel eaving the devastated region. OF
the victims buried under the ruins
comparatively few have been rescued
alive.
It is now clear that the enormous
number of casualties in Messina was
due to the suddenness with which the
first shock came, giving but little time
to the people to escape from their
homes. The tidal wave was not so
high as was at first reported, and
would have done little damage had II
not been preceded by the earthquake
The damage done by fire was com
paratively Insignificant.
The first shock that came literally
threw down the city, and almost every
street was completely buried under
the walls that had fallen. furniture and
debris practically cutting off every av.
enue Of escape.
Then came the tidal wave to inun.
date the city. and the living and dying
we're caught like rats and drowned.
or had their brains dashed out by be.
ing thrown by the rushing waters
against piles of masonry and rubbish.
In many quarters Of the city the stencil
from the decomposing bodies binders
greatly the rescuers In their work.
Far greater havoc was wrought In
Messfna than was believed when the
Associated Press correspondent first
passed around the outskirts With
Frank Perret of Brooklyn, assistant
director In the observatory Of Mount
Vesuvfus. Though no part of the city
escaped. In some sections the work of
destruction was more thorough than
In others. During the tour q most care
ful examination was made Of the Amer.
lean consulate. II is q complete ruin
nothing but heap of crumbling and
crushed stones without resemblance
to its original shape. It Is most doubt.
ful 1t the rescuers will be able to re-
cover the bodies buried beneath the
debris for . few days, but every eff.
fort to do so will be made. The French
and Turkish consulate also were RACED
completely, and It seems almost Inn.
possible that any of their inmates could
have escaped.
The officials in Messina say that the
original estimate Of the fatalities in
the city probably was not exaggerated.
The lower part of the city is practical
II totally destroyed.
Both ct Messfna and Reggie the
guards are having difficulty in pro-
tecting the survivors. and the vast
treasure In the ruised buildings from
the bands Of thieves that are swarm
Ing everywhere. It is reported that
six Russian sailors have been shot by
looters ct Messina, and that sixteen
criminals have been killed at the same
place within the last twenty -four hours.
S1x hundred persons engaged In pillag-
Ing have been arrested. In an engage
ment at Reggie between the police and
bandits two Of the police were killed.
Reports still come in of the contin-
uance OF the earth shock. some of sui.
dc1ent force to do further reat dam.
age. According to these reports new
shocks at Pellaro prectpitated the en-
tlre popsaation in the sea, Including
both the dead and living victims Of the
flrst quake.
At Reggie the people are becoming
moro calm, and aid to that city is now
being systematically forwarded. Mil.
ltary 3ones have been established
throughout Calabria.