The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1909-01-05
MESSINA WILL BE
MORE BEAUTIFUL.
SAYS KING
tContInued from Page OneJ


dases for the wounded, and the cap.
tain and SIX seamen got In. Regard
less of their protests. I let myself
down by line hand over hand and
y dropped .nto the boat. The captain
n would 5pvs forced me TO return but
\ the seainen were already pulling
A Justify to shore. When forty yards
/ from land every man OF the crew
\ jumped overheard and swan ashore.
all mad with anxiety for their families.
then took one oar and the captain
another and we pulled for the land.
City strewn With Dead.
INSTANTLY the crowd sprang upon
the boat to seize the bread We had
brought. We were thrown down and
trodden underfoot by the famished
men. but soon struggling to our feet,
we FASTENED toward the ruins OF the
city.
mo words can describe adequately
the horrors that met us everywhere.
At every step the ground was strewn
4 with dead bodies and fragments OF
A corpses torn TO pieces. The air was
filled with one long moaning. which
sometimes sighed out from beneath
the ruins where thousands still lie
buried alive, but which was continual
ly swelled by the cries Of the wounded
and dying In countless narrow streets.
"The stencil was indescribable, and
everywhere fires burned steadily
among the ruins, consuming the dead
/ and living together and filling the air
with the horrible fumes of burning
flesh.
with the utmost diffculty reach
H ed the remains of the Hotel Trinacria,
Of which only the front was standing
This was at 1880 on Thursday. A
gang OF Russian seamen was working
with splendid courage to bring out
those buried alive in the hotel.
Suddenly the ground rocked under
our feet the front wall OF the hotel
trembled and then fell In one mass
upon the devoted sailors, destroying
them to man.
by some miracle not one stone
touched me, and the panic-stricken
crowd swept me on to the Via MAJ
zini, which was choked with dead.
wounded and dying Here many Ital-
] ian surgeons were working like mad
men 10 save such lives as they could
where every convenience was lacking
IL remember the exasperated cry
% one surgeon shouting for water
in which to dissolve corrosive sub
Innate. but not a soul helped him
while he bent over the body OF poor
wretch who had lost both legs.
Then suddenly a man | knew was
apon me. imploring me to help him ex-
tricate his family from the ruins Of
his house. For two hours we sought
the place In the heart of the burning,
crumbling city. We found a smould-
ering ruin out OF which came low and
trembling cries for help.
I'm voice that nothing can de-
scribe my friend called to his father
and mother, and from beneath the
crumbling walls came back the call,
'Giacomino. my son. save us!'
my poor friend threw himself like
A mailman upon the wrecked masonry.
trying to tear II away with his hands.
H. II cried out In vain for help, but as
We we're completely alone none an
swered us. then seized a half-charred
bit OF timber and thrust II into the
hole whence the sounds came and tried
to move the stones, but. to my horror
screams of pain came back, as IL
had unwttingly wounded some un-
/ happy person.
Swept Away by FugtIves.
But ! had no time 10 think. for
suddenly heard OF half-mad fugitives
filed the lonely street and carried me
on to the railway station.
Suddenly was face to face with
an officer who was shouting for a tele-
graph Office. broke away from the
crowd and followed him till we came
to half-wrecked railway carriage in
which telegraph instrument had been
set up. but no private or press mes.
sage is accepted on any conditions
whatever. though fabulous prices have
been offered for transmission of a mes.
sage.
But money has no value in Mes
sina. l have seen sailors throw 1t
away In disgust, mad with hunger and
thirst, where neither bread nor water
can be had.
Near the custom house found my
self close to a group Of stan officers
at the wireless station, which COM
municates with the observatory at
Sicily. They were discussing the news
and I took some notes.
The great earthquake, learned,
was Of rotatoy character. with a
northwest direction, and the first
shock lasted 80 seconds, with a sells.
mic wave 80 feet high, which in
undated Messina and swept away in
Its ebb every human being on the
quays, together with all the provisions
recently unloaded from steamers. Tho
Messina observatory registered ~
shocks.
Smaller Towns obIIterated.
Besides Reggie, which Is complete
ly destroyed, the towns OF Bagnara.
Scilla, Villa San Giovanni, Campo
CALICO. Palmi, Cannitello and many
other smaller places have ceased to
exist.
Il wandered through the ruins of the
city OF Messina and Its suburbs for
two whole days. amid scenes of such
horror as I shall never forget. A gem
eral officer, whom knew and CHANGED
to meet, gave II as his opinion that
not more than per cent OF the popula.
ton escaped unhurt, and that the num-
Der OF dead exceeds 100000.
The efforts Of the Italian troops
TO extricate the living are heroically
seconded by seamen from the foreign
menof-war, especially the English and
Russians. More than once sawsthe
English bluejackets giving away half