Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1909-01-07
CARING FOR THE VICTIMS.

s-
Rations, Clothing, Tents and Other
Supplies Are Pouring in and the
Hungry and Injured Are Being
Cared For.
Rome, By Cable.-What chiefly
concerns the government and the peo
pie is the progress that is being
made towards the relief Of those who
have suffered by the dreadful earth
quake in southern Italy and Sicily. ]
Considerable advance in this respect
has been made at Messina, where, ac-
cording to reports received here, the
supply service is beginning to work
satisfactorily. The different regions
on the coast have been allotted to
various warships and other>ships as
centres from which i. .torpedo boats
and launches convey and distribute
rations and water to the different
| villages.
The Minister Of Justice has wired
from Messina to Premier Giolitti
that large bodies Of troops have ar
rived and are now occupying all parts
/ of the town. The appalling extent
Of the diaster renders anything like
a systematic search Of the ruins is
impossible, but persons are being
dragged out all day long and are
quickly transported to the relief ships
as soon as their wounds have receiv-
ed attention.
The appalling message came on
New Year Day that the Ripari Is
lands which lie just north of Sicily
had gone down with its $4,000 inhab-
ltants, but messenger boat sent to
learn the facts has returned with the
news that the islands are but little in
jured. Only the cracking of build
ings make any real damage.
Estimates Of Death List.
Rome, BY Cable-Estimates of the
death roll Of the earthquake now
cease to concern the Italian people.
It is enough to know that the catas-
trophe is overwhelming figures
: zWould add nothing to the grief Of the
stricken nation, nor move to g1eater
efforts those, n4nA whom the work Of
relief and rescue has fallen.
i Every channel open to the govern
ment has been utilized to this end,
and other nations have been quick to
come to its assistance, even before
the cry for aid went up. Shiploads
Of fugitives 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 SO 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 wall:
and the sweep of the tide are starv.
: ing and without clothes or shelter
They can scarcely longer survive
their sufferings The first thought
has been to carry food and covering
:. for these helpless people, and it hal
now been decided by the government
), to send a feet of emigrant steamer.
to transport them to other places.
Professor Ricco, director Of the OBJ
servatory at Mount Etna, states tina
). his instruments have recorded AZ dis
j, tinct shocks after the first, but tina
s during the last IA hours they hav
e been almost motionless. Etna ant
y Stromboll are now quiet and he i
d certain that the earthquake was no
=. Of volcanic but Of geogra pnical orig
a in, similar to that Of 1875.
e. The horror of The situation at Mes
sina and Reggie grows with ever
fresh dispatch. One Of the correspon
,e dents places the death roll through
a out the entire territory as high a
X 100000, but this appears to be ez
n treme Others make their estimat
It 100000. but the official estimate a
at made by the Minister of Marine ST.;
e. holds to 115,000.
The tidal wave lasted much longe
than the earthquake. During all th
is time vessels shivered intermittent.
oe as though shaken by some huge ns
rine monster.
80 A naval observer of the destr1,
"a ton Of Messina says there were for
n; n; tidal waves, ranging in height fro
no IL to 80 feet. Thirty minutes clap
IS ed between the rolling in of the fir
x and the destructive onslaught Of Il
last wave.
Thousands Of half nude individual
of both sexes have gathered alo1
the muddy beaches on either side
nm the ruins Of Messina seeking food !
ith trying to get away BY sea. Mar
- children have died from exposu
- and the cases of madness are increa
re ing.
ed During the night the warships