The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1909-01-01
NUMBER OF DEAD REACHES
One HUNDRED THOUSAND

Latest reports received here state
that 1000 soldiers i'm the various bar
racks at Messina were buried under
the ruins. The rock of Charybdis
now blocks the entrance to the Strait
Of Messina The tidal wave wrecked
the lighthouses in the strait including
Faro Beacon, and they crashed into
the sea.
Stunned at the magnitude of the
calamity which has Overtaken fellow
countrymen, all Italy mourns for the
stricken province of Calabria and the
island of Sicily Accustomed for CEN
turtles to earthquakes, Italy stands
ever in dread, but none was prepared
for the disaster which i'm the fraction
of a minute devastated cities and
towns and caused the death of thou
sands.
Messina, whose tragic history has
been marked by tidal waves and war
and which was the center of the ter
restial maelstrom. was shaken to
ruins. Flames burst forth to complete
the city's destruction and to burn
alive untold numbers helplessly pin
Toned beneath fallen walls and brt
ken timbers. The strait of Messina
was shaken and twisted by the earth
trembling, for mariners report the
channel altered beyond recognition.
The ports and villages on both the
continental and Sicilian sides were
wrecked or inundated. and all light
houses along the coasts We're swal-
lowed up. Navigation now is danger
Gus and in some places impossible.
IN the Calabrian district. which was
only beginning TO recover from the
effects of the earthquake of 1906, Reg.
gio was the center of the earth's up
heaval The seaport of Reggie is
reported as no longer existing, and
the city proper is in ruins. The loss
OF life on both sides of the strait and
in Eastern Sicily was enormous. Ona
of the refugees from Reggie who was
the first to bring the news OF the
city's destruction, tried to make his
way to Sicily in sailbOat, but was
compelled to return and finally found
safety at a peninsula port. In de
scribing his experience he said:
"The sea was strangely. mysterious
ly agitated. and the heavens were
ablaze. Nearing Sicily, the clearing
smoke revealed the mystery: Messina
was in flames. In A'e frenzy of de-
spair | turned my boat back to Gala.
bria''
Starving. bleeding from injuries and
= I'll,
periences, Messina's survivors are
fleeing in all directions. The specta.
Gle presented by the ruined seaport is
described a9 terrifying. Tumblins
buildings both killed and mutilated,
while hundreds of the injured i'm.
prisoned in the wreckage were aban.
dOned to their fate by the fleeing
porulace. One of those who escaped
said:
"The earth seemed suddenly to drop
and then turn violently on its axis.
The whole population, who practically
were precipitated from the houses
rent in twain, were spun around like
tops as they ran through the streets.
Many fell crushed to death and 9th
ers, bewildered, took refuge for
breath beside the tottering walls
where they soon met the fate of their
companions
Already British and Russian squad
rons have arrived at Mgssina. Sail
ors and marines have been disem.
barked and they have performed
courageous acts in rescuing the i'll.
jured and removing the wounded. A
large number Of survivors have been
transferred TO the warshipS, which
are Transformed into great floating
hospitals. 1t is imperative that the
dead be removed from the ruins in
order to avoid q pcstilence Steamers
with doctors, druggists. Ercmcn and
workmen have arrived at Messina
from Catania and ctho~ '>'~c0~