The sun., 1909-01-17

In the story Of any disaster usually ranked
as OF the first magnitude. They are
swallowed up to-day In the general mood
Of horror.
On Thursday last there was sufioient
force at hand to begin the work OF remoV-
ing from sight the surface results OF
deaths harvest. No records were kept
even OF the number OF bodies dealt with.
They were taken hastily TO the shore.
loaded swiftly upon ships carried out 10
sea and committed to the waves. Thou
sands were thus disposed Of. Now there
Is an army OF workers. and the work OF
saving the living Is almost finished. a
few hundred soldiers have been assigned
to the task OF digging graves-not ordi-
nary graves. but great trenches, each
to accommodate 200 or more OF the dead.
wandered yesterday into small gar
den. enclosed by high walls, through the
gate OF which passed constant procession
OF stretcher bearers. The burden upon
each was a half concealed human figure.
The enclosure adjoined the ruins OF
great barracks, beneath whose debris
the bodies Of $50 soldiers are still en-
tombed. The garden had been the rec
reation ground Of the dead men and their
comrades Four trenches had been made
or were still digging One had already
been piled into mound. An ofiicer was
painting upon rough wooden cross the
inscription. "Salmi-I3O." and this he
presently stuck into the ground at the
head OF the finished grave. At the bottom
Of the second trench. fifty feet long
eight feet wide and ten feet deep, there lay
already a closely packed row OF bodies,
upon each OF which had been thrown a
shovelful OF quicklme. Another layer
Of corpses just arriving was being placed
above them. on in corner Of the en-
closure great fire was burning, fed with
the clothing and other effects OF the dead,
thrown there before the remains OF their
owners were committed to the earth.
MEssISA MUST RE LEFT TO ITS DEAD.
The time is at hand when Messina must
5e abandoned utterly. Its ruins, still
peopled by more than fifty thousand dead,
must be left to the purifying influences
Of the same force that we call Nature,
which wrought all this destruction. Man
should not attempt as yet to cleanse so
vast a charnel house. We hear brave
talk, most OF Il from patriotic statesmen
at the safe distance Of Rome, to the ehect
thnt il Is Italy's national duty TO rebuild at
once the fair town.
They have no conception, these senti-
mentalists. OF the physical difficulties
of the titanic task they propose, When
say that no one man has been able to
traverse even a third Of the clogged and
barricaded streets in the nine days that
have elapsed since the catastrophe, some
idea may be formed OF the nature Of the
undertaking that Is suggested II would
test the powers OF an army OF 100, COO men
merely to clean the streets within three
months. And think Of the nauseating
conditions under which they would work
at the present time Even under conf
pulsion. men could not he found to under
take il.
1t has been proposed to cover the ruins
with auicklime and then TO begin excavs-
tions after a few rains had soaked the
mass with the disinfecting chemical, The
worlds existing supply OF the material
would not suffice for the purpose Again
il is proposed that thousands Of barrels of
petroleum should be poured upon the
ruins. and the torch applied. 1t would
require a river Of oil, for only small
proportion Of the debris consists Of in
fiammable material.
No. the sanitary authorities are right.
Messna should he left as il stands for at
least eighteen months. Then salvage
operations may be undertaken systemat-
-, .kaN oh Ia
There are more weighty. practical
reasons why the rebuilding Of the city
should not be attempted. One needs but
10 glance at its history to appreciate them
1t is, TO be sure, some l25 years since the
town was two-thirds destroyed by SINH
lar calamity, and mankind recks little Of
the possible fate OF future generations
But who can guarantee that natures next
blow will be delayed for a century or even
for year? The earthquake Of only three
wears ago was as violent seismloally as
that which afflicted San Francisco. Four
thousand victims perished in II. Even
the quake Of 1907 was severe enough TO
have ruined any American city. Are
these lessons to be " asted upon this fool
hardy people?
Ii Is argued that the wonderful natural
harbor-a fine anchorage, half enclosed
by a sickle shaped narrow arm sweeping
out into the straits-is too valuable as
a commercial port to be abandoned.
That may be partially true. Messina
can still be used as point Of distribution
and ernbarkation. The trains 10 and from
Palermo and other parts OF Sicily which
pIy hetw cen Rome and the island can still
be ferried across the narrow stretch OF
water to San Giovanni Low steel and
iron warehouses and similar dwellings
for q few hundred workmen can be con-
structed. But a city like that which has
gone would be a defiant challenge to
Providence. Even IL 1t was attempted
the undertaking could not be realized
within several generations. Two-thirds
Of the inhabitants Of Messina are dead.
Within week the few thousands remain
ing will be scattered by oompulsion to
distant destinations in all directions. Not
few will 60 to America.
THE KINGS VIEWS.
have heard the King quoted as say
ing lust before he left here last Saturday
that if his influence could prevent 1t Mes
sina would never be rebuilt. Those
were wise words, and II any degree Of
foresight and prudence remains in the
population and authorities they will be
needed. The same considerations apply
with equal force to Reggie and all other
towns on this part Of the Calabrian coast.
Nature insists upon retaining for her