Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1909-01-01
FRIDAY, JANUARY I, 1909,
WORST IN 200 YEARS.
Terrible Earthquake Disaster In Italy
and Sicily.

Terrible Earthquake Disaster In Italy
and Sicily.
Later reports from southern Italy
and Sicily, which We're devastated by
an earthquake last Monday, seem to
leave no doubt of the fact that the
number Of dead is close in the neigh
borhood of 100000 and that the dis
aster is the greatest that has occurred
since the destruction of Jeddo. now
Toxic, Japan. a little more than two
hundred years ago, when about the
same number Of people were killed.
All the thickly settled country that
forms the toe Of the Italian foot and
all of northern Sicily was devastated.
The territory includes the large cities
of Reggie and Scilla in Calambria,
Italy. the cities Of Messina and MilazZo
i'm Sicily and scores Of smaller towns
and villages along the coast of Italy
and far into the interior Of Sicily, as
we'll as in the Lipari Islands to the
west.
The first shock came early Monday
morning while most Of the people were
in bed. There was the usual roaring,
rumbling sound, then the trembling OF
the earth, followed by pitching, toss
ing and violent upheavals in whlch
great buildings went down as though
built Of sand. Then came tremenQ-
Gus tidal wave, forty or fifty feet hlgh
and completed the destruction, wiping
out practically the entire population or
towns and villages. Reports OF yeSter-
day had II that of the $4,000 people
who live in Reggie, Italy, not a nun
dred survived, and the spot where the
city stood is now covered by the sea.
Immediately after the earthquake,
fires broke out in the towns that were
out of reach of the submerging udai
wave. and there being no water or
other means of checking the flames,
the fires continued to burn as long as
tho. was anything within reach Oh
.ich they could feed.
AS soon as possible after the uis-
FASTER, warshipS of various countries
hurried to the stricken territory, those
of Great Britain and Russia arriving
first, and Immediately began giving
such assistance as they could IN res
cue work. The sailors were able 10
save many people in the city OF MesSl-
ma. who had been buried alive in the
ruins. Hundreds of wounded were put
aboard ships and carried to Naples and
other Italian ports.
The food supply of Messina and 9TH
er stricken cities was completely ue-
stroyed and the pangs OF munger
We're soon added to the general dlS-
tress. AS soon as the cities or !talE
and the balance of Europe realized
this situation, they began to load SHIPS
with food and hurry them off to the
neOple in distress. Heavy subscrip-
tions of money, headed by 100000 from
tho ling are heing raised in Italy, and
the relief and rescue work generally Is
proceeding as rapidly as possible.
As was feared at the outset, dis
ease resulting from wounds, exposure
and stencil from dead bodies, has pro-
ken out and widespread peStllence
seems to be almost certain. Ihe nrst
reported epidemics were of miningltls
and pneumonia.
began TO settle, ghouls were out toT
plunder, robbing exposed goods and
treasures and taking money and jew
elrv from the bodies of the dead and
wounded. Soldiers, sailors and ma
rines have been doing the best they
could in circumVenting and arreStlng
the marauders.
The channel of the strait of Mes
sina between Italy and Sicily has been
so changed as the result Of the up
heaval as to battle navigation and Mt.
Etna, the great Sicilian volcano has
-Sroken out in renewed eruption.
Although the tourist season has not
yet fully opened, there were large mum,
hers of Americans in MeSsina, and
there is no doubt that many of these
were killed in the destruction of the
great tourist hotel at that place. The
hotel at MeSSina was one OF the laTS-
est in Europe.