The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1909-01-02
QUAKE DEAD
PROBABLY
100000
Disaster Greatest in
Memory of Man.
MESSINA WIPED OUT
Fully 10000 PeTlSh"d In That
City Alone.
REGGIO A HEAP OF RUINS
King and Queen Explore WTeCkage
Regardless of Danger.
REGGIO A HEAP OF RUINS
King and Queen Explore WTeCkage
Regardless of Danger.

Rome Dec. 3l-The immensity OF
the disaster IN southern Italy and
Sicily can only be measured by the
fact that II is now estimated that 10 i
go people peri-hed in Messina and
Reggie alone. A score OF other towns
have been devastated. and thousands
OF victims In these places must b. add
eC 10 the roll. Some say the dead will
reach 200 600. Ia the face or this awful
total all Italy stands appalled,
A. the great extent OF tIe earth
quake disaster becomes Known il
seems impossible 10 exaggerate its
horrors. II is described as thu greatest
calamity in the memory OF man
Nor has the full death list yet been
reached. Shiploads OF fugitives have
arrived AT Naples and other ports. and
The vast majority oil these are sorely
injured Other thousands remain near.
the ruins OF their homes OF wander.
half starving. hall naked over the land
The forces that on Monday o, ,rrwhelm-
ed the cities also destroyed the means
of subsistence. Telegraphic ,ommuni-
cation has been established with Mes
sina. the apparatus having been in
stalled in a railway van. Messages
which have come over the line. though
they have been meager in detail. show
that hope is gone. Nothing remains
Of the city but mass of ruins that
have been swept by fire. A mere hand
ful OF Survivors are being cared for
by the rescuing parties, but their dis
tress Is great and II has been in
creased by the violent lev wind that
followed the deluge of rain Destitu
ton is everywhere and appalling
There is little food and less water. or
Messina' s 10000 population II is be
lieved that fully 10000 perished
For,s thousand people died In Reggie
looters Shot Down.
The latest news from Messina sets
forth that some progress is being
made ia the work Of succoring the
wounded survivors. but no attempt is
being made to remove the wreckage.
The troops and sailors have been
obliged to shoot down robbers who
persisted in loOting.
The entire local treasury OF the Mes
sina branch of the Bank OF Italy. some
$4,000 600. has been saved and is on
board an Italian warship.
The rescuers at Messina are rapidly
becoming exhausted. The fires have
not get been put out. and there is no
water Yith which to combat the
flames. Many Of the people still re-
fuse TO leave chs ruins Of thsir houses.
They cling TO the sites of their homes.
crying out that their only safety is in
hdelhy TO ths wrecks OF thess houses
Force often is necessary to get them
to the ships in the haTbor. There ase
large numbers in the suburbs of Mes.
sins, who will not come back to the
city for fear Of a recurrence OF the
shocks.
Dispatches ftoH Catania describe
Messina as appesFEs like huge in
candescent furnace. The Gre spread to
the buildings that had not yet fallen. |
completing the work OF destFuctio1. |
The Strait of Messina is now cboked |
with corpses of men and animals At
the pres~Dt time there are twelve |
warships al Nessina. four Italian. four
British and fosF Russian, as well las
- ~ 0totAOyttN anu
The latter belonging to the Italian Gen. |
eral Navigation company. Ths injured |
are being carried aboard the steam ers |
and will be removed to Naples
The relief work now il well begun. |
but hundreds OF persons are wander |
ing about the ruins like madmen. They |
are being given food and clothing as
fast az ~ is possible.
General NaEazzi. commandant at |
Catanzaro. has tssiegTaphed to the gov
ernment that he mas tried vainly for
two days TO reach Reggie by land and |
sea The roads are impracticable, and |
the shore has been so torn and ssisted |
as Gar as he travelled in CaiaDrla that |
It was impossible to approach by tine
water.
Thirty-tve Towns Wiped Out.
Many survivors at CatAnia have lost i
ssseir reason. and when questioned of
the disaster glare at their questionersl
and mutter incoherentfy and cease
iessly: "Messina is destroyed"
News reaching CatanzkTo from the
outlying districts In Calabrfa Indicates
that thirty-fye TOW as and villages
have been wiped ous. with the number
Yhs Free Lance 70 prspsrsd TO do ali