New-York tribune., 1909-01-05

the relief work The crews of the Russian
SQUADRON are arousing increased admiration
They have labored without rest. and not re"
of the sailors have been killed or injured In the
performance of heroic services.
SATURDAY morning the FIRE broke out again
in the municipal building. The city records
were consumed and high wind carried the
burning papers far into the air and scattered
them over the warships in the harbor. The fire
communicated to the building OF the Bank OF
Italy. where 100000 lire ts15,0OoO00) in pa
per money was stored. The energetic efforts of
the firemen and sailors. however, served to con-
troll the flames and the money was removed to
warshp
SATURDAY. night at s:4s O'Clock there was
fresh shock of earthquake. ana a panic en-
sued ashore and on board ship. Many of the
tottering walls fell, but no fatalities were re-
corded There have been score or tremors
since the disaster of last Monday morning, but
this was the first that was distinctly percepu-
BILE After this shock the fire in the municipal
building famed up again, and was burning
fercely when this dispatch was sent
Earthquake experts who are here to study the
phenomenon generally agree that the earth-
quake was the result Of fault in the geological
formation under Messina. which constituted
line of contact in the volcanic action between
slip occurred similar TO the one which detached
Sicily from the mainland That a subsistence
occurred at some points and that there was a
rising of the earth's surface at others is proved
by soundings which show the channel Of the
harbor deeper at some places and shallower at
others. The British battleship Exmoutn' at a
distance one-half mile south of Reggie. found
1fty-eight fathoms of water where formerly
there were 243. Mr.. Parret, who was one of the
first scientists to reach the scene says he has
proved the fact that the first motion was up
ward and the second osciliatory. He character
ICES the disturbance as intervolcanic and says
he predicted 1t.
THE first earth movement at Messina was
vertical" Mr.. Parret went on, and 1t was fol-
lowed half second later by undulatory
movement The principal disturbance was in
the Strait of Messina- Here there were great
changes in the bottom OF the sea, from north
east to southwest. The movements probably
were in the same direction those that orig
inally formed the strait, and they may have re-
suited from deep-seated earthquake SHOCKS
which induced severe seismic or volcanic dis-
turbance and which were freely predicted to
the passengers OF the steamer Cretic, which ar
rived at Naples on December %.
The continual settling of the crust of the
earth in this region has been amply proved, for
there have been no fewer than five hundred seis-
mic movements recorded since 1905.
Instead of burning the ruins OF the city 10
prevent a disastrous epidemic, it is now under
stood that the authorities have decided to clear
Messina OF every living person and surround Il
with a Gordon of troops in order to keep II ao-
solutelv isolated.
The first shock of the earthquake raised the
bottom of the straits between Messina and Reg
gio about fourteen hundred feet. This has been
ascertained hv so,Indings The tidal wave at
Messina. it is stated by experts, was not more
than eight feet high, while IL was double that
height at Reggie. AS a consequence. the loss
of life at the latter place was proportionaiiy
greater than at Messina.
There has been some confusion of identities
caused by the publication OF a report that Mr.
Fox said to he the American vice-consui at
Rersio. had also lost his life. 1t was also be-
ueved the man referred to was the English
Consul at that city. but he is among the sur
vivors. being now at Malta
Foreign officers who have explored the ruins
m both sides of the strait give higher estimates
of the loss of life than italian reports They be-
lieve that 10000 persons have been either killed
or framed in the ruins of Messina and 10000
az Reggie where the tidal to double
the height that it did al Messina. Signor de
Naya Reggie member OF the Italian Chamber
of Deputies has personally traversed most OF
the earthquake region on both sides OF the strait
He estimates the total dead at $4,000, the
wounded at 10000 OF the dead Signor de Nava
calculates that 10000 ct Messna, $4,000 at
Reggie and 1000 at other coast and interior
towns affected The radius of destruction ex
tends thirty miles north and south on the coast
Of Sicily, and on the mainland for an equal
distance below Radicena toward the south.