Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1909-01-06
Uncomfortable Fire is Com
p1eting Destruction Of Lev
c1ed Cities and Horror Story
Exceeds Widest Imagination
CITl ) Or REGGIO AND BAG
THOUSANDS ARE DEAD.

People, Helpless and Withou1 Food
or Homes, Beg for Aid-ki..g & and
Queen Take Charge of Relief
Work-A Woman's Graphic Story.
Pathetic Scenes.
Rome, Italy, Dec. 30.-The details
of one Of the most appalling disas-
ters recorded in the history Of the
world are being unfolded in the dis
patches coming in to-day from Gala
bria and Sicily. 1t is a story Of in
describable horror and calamity.
The earthquake of Monday morning
wrought havoc and destruction that
cannot be estimated. Italy is stun
ned by n visitation described as the
greatest disaster in the memory of
living man. Yet the full measure of
the catastrophe has not been taken
The calamity grows with the re-
ceipt of every fresh. dispatch from
the South. Calabria is dotted with
small towns and villages, and new
localities are reporting almost hour
ly casualty lists that run from the
hundreds into the thousands.
Dead May Reach 100000.
1t is still impossible to reach any
accurate estimate of the dead, bus
the total number is placed any where
between 100000 and 100000. In
some quarters 1t * declared that the
final numbers will L. q high as 20O,-
900 persons. One-hai, of the popu-
lation Of Calabria and eastern Sicily
apparently has perished.
Countless thousands OF wounded
men. women and children are dying
to-day in the ruins. 1t is utterly
impossible to succor them all. Num-
berless wounded of the survivors
who have made their way to other
cities are still without medical at
tention. The facilities for proper
care even in the cities that did not
suffer are inadequate.
Survivors Half Dcmcnted.
The devastated district is still fill
ed with half demented survivors,
starving and wandering aimlessly
burning King Victor Emanuel and
Queen Helena arrived in Messina to-
day and both personally went to
work to aid the injured. Their cX-
ample has been wonderful inspira-
ton to the whole country.
Every possible thing is being done
to forward the work Of relief, but
the railroads into the afflicted zones
have been put out of operation. Bag
nara, a town Of 10000 people, north
OF Reggie, is reported as annihi'at-
ed. The entire population is said to
have perished. Reggie, city Of So
900 people has been practically de-
molished.
The detailed stories from refugees
only add horror upon horror to the
calamities of the fateful day.
Fresh earthquake shocks were ex-
perienced last night at Pizzo, in Ca
labria, and Palermo, Sicily. They
We're not severe.
Half Now Dead; Other Half Weeping
Rome, Dec. 30.-Half the popula-
ton Of 'Calab"'.. and the eastern part
OF Sicily are dead; the other half is
weeping. AS the great extent Of the
terrific seismic disturbances becomes
apparent, 1t seems impossible to eX-
lowed.
The calamity which has overwhcl-
med Italy is almost beyond the grasp
of imagination. not only because Of
the dead now known to number tens
OF thousands, but because OF the in
Vulnerable wounded buried in the
ruins. many of whom will perish be-
cause it is impossible to rescue them
from the wrecks Of their former
homes.
Italy is Stunned.
The whole of Italy is absolutely
stunned, and at the scene of the dis
aster the bulk Of the people are
literally demented, with the sudden
ness and extent Of the blow. The
total number of victims is yariously
estimated from 10000 to $150,0O0.
King Victor and the queen arrived
at Mcssina to-day. AS they made
their way into the ruined town the
scene Of disaster and horror was too
much for the queen, who almost
swooncd. Crowds of terror-stricken
persons swarmed about the royal
party, throwing themselves in the
mud and screaming for pity and aid.
Man. terrible stories are related