Omaha daily bee., 1909-01-05
Foreign Officers Place Loss of L I.
at Messina at Ninety Thousand.
THIRTY THOUSAND AT REGGI
Others Place Total Dead in Both
Cities at Seventy Eight Thousand.
FURTHER SHOCKS ARE FEARED
Earthquake Expert Says Heavy
Tremor Will Come This Week.
FIRE is THREATENING MESSINA
Blaze Breaks Out Anew in Doomed
City-Heavy shocks Throw
Inhabitants Into
Panic.
FURTHER SHOCKS ARE FEARED
FIRE IS THREATENING MEss1Nl

Pantcs
NAPLES. Jan. 4.-Foreign officers who
have explored the ruins on both sides of
the straits give higher estimates of the
loss of life than Italian reports. They be-
lieve that 10000 persons have either been
killed or trapped In the ruins Of Messlna
and 5000 at Reggie, where the tidal wave
rose TO double the height that 1t did at
Messina. Slgnor De Nava, Reggie mem
ber of the Italian Chamber OF Deputies,
has personally traveTsed most of the earth
quake region on both sides of the straits.
lie estimates the total dead at 5000 and
the wounded at 1000. OF the dead. Signor
De Nava calculates that 5000 are at
Messina, 1900 at Reggie and 1000 at other
coast and interior towns affected. The
radius of destruction extends thirty miles
north and south of the coast of Sicily and
on the mainland and for an equal dis
tance below Radicena towards the south.
More shocks Predicted.
MESS1NA, Jan. 4.--There is reason to be-
iieve that the devastation by earthquake
OF Calabria and Sicily is not yet at an end.
Further heavy shocks have been predicted
for today and scientists declare that Others
still more severe should be expected Janu-
airy and January 8, when the relative pO-
siton Of the sun and moon will produce
the greatest strain on the crust of the
earth. Several minor shocks were expert
enced Saturday and many totterlng walls
were thrown down, but II is not known that
any persons were killed. The new earth
quakes are starting the fires afresh and
the people are In a condition bordering or
panic
Messina Is to be evacuated entirely a.
soon as possible. The disposition of the
dead is one of the greatest problems con
fronting the authorities.
Two days spent amid the ruins of Mes
Bina and Reggie bring convincing evidence
that the horror OF the situation in thu
straits of Messina has In no sense beer
exaggerated.
Messln.- and Reggie have ceased to exist
In the ruins OF the former city two-thrdi
of the inhabitants lie buried. while at Reg
glo one-half the people lost their lives.
New snock Causes Panic.
Saturday night at o'clock there was a
fresh shock OF ear thquake and a panic en-
sued ashore and on board ship. Many OF
the tottering walls fell. but no fatalities
were recorded. There have been a score
OF tremors since the disaster of last Mon
day morning but this was the first that
was distinctly perceptible. After this
shock the fire in the municipal building
famed up and was burning fiercely wher
this ditpatch was sent.
Earthquake experts who are here today
to study the phenomenon generally agree
that the earthquake was the result of q
geological formation under Messina. which
constituted a line of contact in the, vol
canIc action between Mount EtnA ant
Mount Vesuvius and that a slip occurred
similar to the one which detached Sicily
from the mainland, That a subsistence oc
CURED at some points and that there wal
a rising OF the earths surface at others Il
proved by soundings which show the chan
mel OF the harbors deeper at some places
and shallower at others. the British bat
tleship Exmouth, at a distance half a mile
south of Reggie, found ffty-eight fathomi
of water where formerly there were 243
At NivEa, between Messina and Catania
a freight train today ran into and tele
scoped a relief train crowded with injured
persons. five of whom were killed.
Twenty LooteA shot at Messina.
ROME Jan. 4-Parliament will be con
voked January II. The minister of wa
says that the forts Around Messna, which
contain tons of powder and millions o
cartridges, havn not been injured HI
also said that while he was at Messtna a
least 1900 persons were taken from tn
ruins. injured and uniujured, OF whicl
number 1000 were saved by the Russian
and 1000 by the English sailors. The Italiai
navy has sent 600 tons Of provisions to tn
affected district. All the treasure foun,
has been placed aboard warships.
A pocketbook was picked up containing
$4,000. and much clothing has been fount
at Messina and elsewhere with bank note
sewed In H. Advices from Messina say
that twenty looters were shot there yes
terday That city viii be evacuated today
Six thousand persons already have lef
there and 5000 more will leave today.
Famine in Mountain Villages.
REGGIo. Jan. A detachment of troop
which went TO the villages on the eas
coast Of Calabria found nothing but ruin
and the bodies of persons killed In tn
earthquake. The survivors had fled. Their
Is every reason 10 believe that dreadful
havoc was wrought in the mountain vii
lages that have not yet been explored.
convoy with 1000 rations of bread whic
was going through Bagnara was rifled en-
route by famished persons here.
A number or small poats, all OF ther
overloaded. put out into the channel to re
quest food of incoming steamers. whic
compelled the officers of the vessels I
rescue them. Several Of the small Graf
oapsized and a number OF persons wer
drowned.
Equipment OF Red Cross.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 4-The Italian Re
Crcss. through which relief is now bein
contributed by all nations OF the world I
succor the earthquake sufferers, Is wide I
scope and the equipment at It's comman
Is reasonably large II has facilities fo
operating eight field hospitals OF leo bed
each. each with two doctors and on
pharmacist forty-five field hospitals. wit
fifty beds each. with twenty-eight mer
siNty-ons relief posts, each with a docto
and nine men, one commissaTy officer An
forty-two men; fourteen ambulance corp
having one doctor and four men each; tw
hospital ships, with four doctors. a phaI
maeist. eommissary officer and forty-eigh
men each, and fourteen hospital train,
each with doctors, eommissary officers an
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