The Washington herald., 1909-02-21


packed archives were exploding in the
ruins Of the 8Iunicipio. and the charred
papers were whirling down the north
wind. saws Frank J. Msther. IT, writing
from Messina 10 the New York Post
could not restrain the refection-Here go
the survivors. Without these papers none
can prove that he was born. much less
that he has survived; none can marry.
inherit. or transfer property: perform
any civil act. in short. Such are the
beauties OF a code that assumes every
man 10 be an outlaw unless he can prove
the contrary What civil standing the
undocumented refugees might have re
ceived by special grace 7 can only guess
II is fair 10 say that the Italian univer-
sites have consented to accept the
fugitive students OF NIessina, even though
unprovided with birth certificates.
But I confess I felt happier when 1 read
yesterday that in some ofnce OF the pre-
feet copies Of the archives had been
saved. so that-I translate literally
Every Messinian viii be enabled 70 re-
integrate his civil state
In any case. the horror OF Messina has
at last reached the economic stage. The
government has assumed control Of the
wrecked district for al least FIVE years;
has voted liberal and extended doles and
credits for rebuilding the ruined houses
has taken special measures for the teni-
pOrary custody Of orphans and unclaimed
property Meanwhile the tone o. the
press IS becoming fiscal. There are now
few complaints against the slow and dis
organized methods Of digging the wound
ed from the ruins: the mOribund are now
the dead We read instead bitter protests
from property owners WHO are not per
uaitted 20 return and safeguard their
interests. and criticism Of the haphazard
way in which saivaged goods are thrown
into a single repository without zfeans
Of Identification.
Protests Unjustiied.
Such protests seem both natural and
Unjustided The military government
cannot permit thousands or even hun
dreds OF people 10 return 10 Messina.
where there is no way OF housing or feed
ing them Infinite confusion in the re-
covering and ultimate distribution Of the
goods in the ruins is inevitable. for every
thing was shuffled together by the earth
quake. Every well-to-do Messinian -
anxious to begin the sorting Why
should mere police OF sanitary condi-
tons stand in the way2 IN the same
fashion, one may guess, Mrs. Lot was
vexed that the Divine warning allowed so
little time for an orderly packing up IN
SOdom- But at least the Messina COM
mission has promised TO reform It's ran
dom ways
IN casting the balance sheet OF Messina.
the chief loss, speaking merely in terms
Of economics. IS that Of human life. How
many are dead We shall never known e1-
actly, but the materials for a tolerable
estimate are already at hand-in the con-
ditiOn Of the ruins. the rough statistics
Of the escape. and the impressions Of
the cooler observers in the first hours and
days Of the catastrophe One who. Ike
Capt de Angels CwhOse story you have
already had). one who. Ike him, counted
the dead and living in the villages to
ward the Faro, visiting also the ruins OF
the city. IS in a position 10 make pretty
close estimate His estimate agrees
closely with that hazarded in my earlier
letters.
In the commune Of Nessina he believe
5000 souls have peTished, or considerable
more than half the population. which
was. roughly. 10000. Ny reckoning was
made on the conviction that two-thirds
Of the inhabitants Of the city proper.
containing 90. 400 people, had perished and
Of these three-quarters instantaneously OF
through slow exhaustion deep IN the
ruins The first shock Of the earthquake,
7 believe, either killed OF trapped no less
than 60004 people in the city. In the out
lying district, where the houses are lower,
the deaths from subsequent exposure and
famine perhaps exceeded those caused
Immediately by the shock
100000 All Told PerIshed.
Reggie. across the straits, had an urban
population Of 1900. The whole commune.
a large one, had 400 Inhabitants. Here
help came slowly There were no un-
shaken prosperous towns near by to
give aid and asylum. and the tidal wave
drowned many. The dead AT Reggie (the
commune) win hardly be less than S0000.
We must add the dead In Sicily outside