Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1909-01-07
EARTHQUAKE REFucEEs ARE AR
IRVING AT NAPLES HY
THE sHIPLoAD.
PRESENT sIcKEHING SIGHT
Many Of the FugItIves Are u De
pIorable Mental Condition
Through FrIght--A Cap
taln's story.

refugees from Messina, bereayed men.
starving women and weeping children.
all with the stamp Of great fear stiA
upon their faces. One Of the refugees,
a man employed with German cotton
arm in the lost city, said: "Messina
Is utterly destroyed. Nothing r.
NAMED when left but part Of the
citadel. A few soldiers are the lone
| survivors OF the whole garrison.
mo sooner were we In the street
than the house collapsed, tried TO
assist in the W ork Of rescue, but Y
was useless. The horror and confusion
were indescribable. All day l wanr'
dered in the wrecked streets. No food
could be secured. i had only q few
!, nuts to eat The head Of my hrm was
lost and his brother had to 50 through
the streets begging for bread for bis
wife and children. There was no Or
xanization in the work Of rescue.
"A Russian vessel lying In the har'
Dor was thrown into the street BY tne
tidal wave. Other vessels foundered.s
The wounded refugees present .
| sickeuing sight. Some appear hardly
human; others among the fugitives
have no apparent injuries. but are ~
such a deplorabIe mental condition
that they seem the worst Of all. The
horror Of that tragic minute Is IA
eradicably flxed upon their faces. on
the relief ships the refugees were
heaped everywhere. Some OF them
appar to be stricken with a kind of
. idccy, looking aimlessly before them;
) others completely mad, howl wildly.
3 The commander Of the Therapic gives
. a thrilling description Of the rescues
9 eRected by his men when mis- ship ar
b rived at Messina from Malta under IN
] structions to convey the survivors 70
! Naples. Twenty different confagra-
tons we're raging. AS the vessel drew
IN before the city 1t was surrounded
/ bv a fotilla of boats and tugs loaded
+ 10 the gunwales with men and women
9 who piteousIy cried for food and drink
q for they had had nothing for "a hours.
y on entering the port, tremendous
e clamor greeted their ears. It was the
n survivors screaming for help. From
. the water front Messina appeared 70
/ be intact as the facades Of the tine
q buildings along that line Of streets
still we're standing, but behind was
l. emptiness and ruin. The principal
\ SQUARE presented an aweAnspiring as'
D. pect, Everywhere were enormous
cracks into which the sea poured.
whence clouds Of steam and sulphur
d GUS vapors arose.
N TO the right was big, crumbling
% building where were heaped many
q corpses, whose desperate attitudes
ID and contorted features showed the
d horror Of the death struggles.
10 The crew landed, but the work Of
rescue was most difficult. The ruins
formed hillocks 80 feet high, under
which thousands Of persons were
% buried, The steamer was soon loadea
ID down to its utmost capacity with sur'
II. yiyors and then steamed to Naples.
q All along the way II was seen that
m the smiling villages on the Calabrian
o. coast had disappeared. Both scylla
- and Charybdis had vanished WIN
~ them.
N The Duchess Of Aosta was indefati'
ne gable in his ministrations, going from
nc steamer to steamer and bringing q
al the sufferers a word Of comfort.
or The wounded were carried to the
al ambulances between the files OF sol
~ diers to protect them from the 700
expressive manifestations Of sympa
lthy from the crowds that had gathered
!. At the piers. The means Of transpor
tn tation was Augmented by strong arni
ON Of sympathizers, in which some OF tne
on more seriously wounded were carried
M In lieu Of filters.
% The commander Of the Russian bat
ID, tIeship. Makharotf, who brought wore
re- d the American consul Cheneyt
or death, described the fearful scenes .
De, Messina. He declared that many o
m the residents Of that place had peel
10 buried alive, as groans were heart
o. coming from far, far down in the re
be sures Of the earth, which could onll
We be approached with the greatest pre-
caution. At these points the totterinl
walls threatened further collapse. Tn
augulshed cries Of the victims cause
IN half frenzy among the sailors, whI
IN in several cases excavated unde
=. dangerous places and rescued wound
q ed people, In other cases the
W reached dead bodies that separated I
sn parts when efforts we're made to ara
'rs them from the wreckage.
~ For an entire day the Russian So
M ors. divided into squads, gave assls
ere auee wherever needed Amid n
to ruins Of the bank Of Sicily they foun
zee 4 safe containing many millions an
delivered it aboard the warship. Froi
one house alone they rescued 10 PEI
sons alive.
81 Before leaving MssslnA the wafsni
stn out stores Of medicine and 100
me ashore. During the crossing to Maple
g eight Of the wounded. died
'ys BalI Tor Bsaoh Asrsis.