The evening world., 1909-01-13
81 Was There. | Cannot
Talk" Says Qltroneo, Still
Stunned and Bewildered.
WIFE AND FAMILY LOST.
Slowly a Picture of the FIor-
rors of the First Shock Is
.if , Drawn From Him.

{ GIusepe Cutroneo, the first survivor
N the earthquake Of Messina 10 reach
these shores, was a Storage passenger
On the Italian steamship Re d'Italia,
which arrived in Jersey City to-day.
Among his fellow passengers were
seventy other men and women from
dhe neighborhood OF the earthquake
zone who were not themselves involved
in the disaster but who came because
they were afraid OF additional convul.
eions,
Cutroneo lost MS wife, who was about
to bear him fourth child. and his
TWO little sons and daughter in the
earthquake lie was cattle buyer in
RfAsslna. A small army OF reporters
'pnd photographers had gone to the pier
70 meet him. In the excitement pre-.
,Sailing among the 1870 passengers OF
fhe Re d'Italia, all OF them keenly con-
,cerned to get all possible late news OF
Che earthquake, the search for Cutioneo
was for a long time unavailing. He
sat listlessly in a corner, with his head
sn his hands, awaiting his turn. He
shook his head IN answer to all ques-
aons as to his Identity, and it was not
until he came down the gangplank.
nearly the last passenger to leave the
ship. that the interpreters who were
questioning every departing immigrant
learned that he was the earthquake
survivor.
At first he did not want to talk about
dhe earthquake.
~ Was There. ) Cannot Talk"
Il feel far too sad" he said. 1T Is
not a thing OF which man may tell
D tale. No one can understand. No one
Can talk OF It to make others see the
picture. 1 was there. l cannot talk"
Urged by his brother, who had come
40 the ship to meet him, and assisted
by the interpreters. Cutroneo at length
was persuaded.
y left my home early on the morn.
ing Of the earthquake" he said, ito get
n train for Milazzo. The train was to
leave at 4 o'clock. At a quarter past
o'clock 1 had in my pocket seventy
lire. OF that l spent three lire for my
ticket to Milazzo. That was a loss as
you will see. Then | sat in the train
IT was almost time to start There was
a great noise. I cannot tell how great
IT Is no use, / cannot talk"
Cutroneo broke of and lifted his arms
eppeaingly to his brother. saying: II
would like to tell, but 1t is foolish to
Ray so little when 1t would take a
greatly educated man year to give the
right Idea"
He was patted on the back and re-
auctantly took up the story again:
Fought With Everything,
THE car turned over on its side and
moved up and down, like a ship on the
sea In a storm. Then the station build
ing fell down on US. I thought Mas
BILLED. I had no hope. But / fought
with everything my hands touched.
Pretty soon, found myself climbing
through the window OF the car. There
had been nearly hundred people with
me In the train. I saw none OF them.
II got out and ran toward my home.
Sometimes I found fallen houses In my
way in the street. Sometimes the street
was closed and l turned and ran this
way and that, looking for way Every.
where there were people, all crazy like
mysef-men, women, children; some
with clothes, many with none. Almost
all had cut faces or bodies and many
were crawling along on the ground with
broken arms and legs, screaming.
AT last I found my house. Do not
ask me how long looked. How can
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