davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1909-01-20
HISTORICAL DESCRIPTION OF THE
REGION IN ITALY DEVASTATED BY a43&
.. EARTHQUAKES AND WAVES
Messina, the Ruined City, is Zoo Years ola and Has Had
Many Masters and Catastrophes.

| $4,000. Next to Palermo, it Is the
| chief commercial town Of Sicily and
its harbor, which is, formed by a
peninsula, is the busiest in Italy from
the standpoint Of steamboat traffic.
The principal. object of interest to
tourists, apart from the scenic attrac-
tions Of the place, is the cathedral,
which was begun in 1898, at the time
OF Norman occupation Of the island,
and parts Of which are still standing
as originally constructed with the ex-
ception of the evidences Of damage
wrought by the frequent earthquakes.
The town is one of great antiquity,
and derived it's first known name,
Zanole "a sickle), from the shape of
the harbor. 1t was founded by Gu
maen pirates and Chalcidians in 1872
B. c., and was governed by the laws
of Charondas.
In 396 B. c. the town was de-
stroyed by the Carthaginians, but was
rebuilt a few years later by Dionysius
Of Syracuse, only to fall again into
the hands of the Carthaginians under
Hannibal in 269. The first Punic
war, however, left the place in the
hands of the Romans, and the place
was Of Importance second only to that
Of Syracuse and Lilybaeum in Sicily
during a period of Roman occupation
lasting for several centuries.
In S31 A. d. the town was taken
by the Saracens, but in 1861 it was
taken from them by the Normans.
The city %prospered greatly during the
Crusades,; being a favorite rendezvous
for soldiers from the continent en-
route to the Holy Land. In the Mid
die Ages also it became a f1ourishing
commercial city. ill.,
Its commercial Importance disap-
peared after a bitter struggle between
the a%ristocratic faction, or Merli, and
the democratic faction, or Mavizzi, in
1874. The democratic faction ap-
pealed to the French and the other to
the Spaniards. The former faction
were at first victorious, but eventual
fy were deserted by the French, the
city was taken by the Spaniards. and
when the struggle was over the popu-
lation was reduced from 10000 to
about a tenth of that number.
The town never fully recovered
from this disaster. Whatever eco
cry was made was neutralized in the
eighteenth century by a series of dis
asters. In 1740 about 100000 persons
died of the plague, and in 1888 the
town was almost entirely overthrow
by the great earthquake of that year.
Great damage was caused by bonn
bardment in September, 1S48. The
cholera carried off no fewer than 49,
900 victims in 1854 and earthquakes
in 1894 and 1906 also caused loss of
life and property. In 1880 the town
was occupied by Garibaldi. 1t be-
came a part of united Italy the fol-
lowing year..
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1909-01-20

Studied with maps and accounts OIL
the more recent Of the great earth
quake disasters of Italy, it Is seen
that in the latest catastrophe the dis
turbance reached the surface on the
northern border, close to Swiss terri
tory. Bomodossolo is among the
Alps, and the mountain range seems
to have been the route of the earth
quake. It passed to the southwark,
following the Apennines. There is a
twenty minutes difference between
the time Of the shocks reported In
upper and lower Italy.
In Calabria, which has been laid
waste again and again by such dis
t%urbances, this earthquake first
touched the surface with its full
effect. Lofty signal posts Of disaster
marked it's way, for 1t struck with
full force at the extinct volcano OF
San Giovanni, spread its devastation
across the Strait of Messina to Sicily
and rolled up another score of death
and ruin all about the slopes Of
Mount Etna, reducing to ruins the
ancient and famous city Of Messina
and tumbling the buildings Of Catania,
fifty-nine miles farther south, only
to again overwhelm the busy port
soon afterward with a great tidal
wave. :
The spread Of the earthquake in
Sicily and Southern Italy, according
to the cable dispatches, was through
very much the same area a. that Of
the earthquake of 1873, which was
the most destructive I'M the history
of Italy. Then, as now, the earth
quake caused enormous damage on
both sides Of the Strait Of Messina,
which separates the toe Of the So
called boot" of Italy from Sicily.
The historic disaster completely
wrecked the populous seaport Of Mes
sina in Sicily near the northern end
of the strait and destroyed many
smaller cities and towns in Southern
Italy and Sicily.
The loss of life in this disaster of
1888 was estimated at $1,000, Mes
sina, a city which is for the most part
but little above the level of the sea,
suffering terribly-then, as now, from
a tidal wave. The region to the
south of Messina has also been often
overwhelmed by eruptions from
Mount Etna. The southeastern and
eastern portion of the island has been
damaged time and again by eruptions
of Etna and very little by earth
quakes, while the northeastern por-
ton has sustained heavy loss Of life
and property from earthquakes and
very little from volcanic eruption.
Messina, which as in 1888 suffered
the greatest loss Of life and property
from this earthquake, is a city and
seaport of upwards of $4,000 inhab-
itants, while in the commune en-
bracing the city, suburbs and adjacent
country, the population is upward of
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1909-01-20
OF WATER HIT
SHIPS IN THE HARBOR
Torpedo Boat Commander Graphically Tells of Havoc
wrought by Tidal XaYe at Messina.

"A >A1S ~ nv
Wave at Messina.
had risen on the sea front and Corso
Garibaldihad disappeared; the streets
were full of debris, and at various
points the town was reduced to a
mass Of horrible ruins, from which
arose flames and smoke.
PETTY Officer Dennini landed in a
small boat manned by eight sailors,
after a long struggle with the angry
waves, and entered the town.
Means Greet Sailors Ears.
Series, means and desperate ap-
peals for help arose from the ruins
with disheartening insistence.
Meanwhile convicts and other
prisoners escaped from jail began to
plumber the ruins of the Bank OF
Sicily, the Military College and other
public buildings; nothing could be
done against them at first.
"Dennini and his few men, work
ing from 8 o'clock until noon, were
able to dig out $50 injured people
and keep life in many others by CIV
ing them liquor; unhappilyt their force
was inadequate to the needs of the
moment officers and men OF the
cruiser Piemonte also accomplished
miracles Of valor and self-abnegation.
"At least half the population must
have persisted. The survivors wan
der about the ruins stupefied and half
naked, imploring aid.
Italy needs several millions OF
dollars even to partially relieve. the
suffering and want.
mourning women and men fill the
railroad stations here, trying to pro-
coed to the devastated region"
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1909-01-20
The World of Sport.

Gerard Meister, a French swimmer,
won from an Italian opponent and
four others in a race il the Seine.
G. Greiff won the holiday cup and
R. NJ. Owen the monthly trophy at
the New York Athletic Club shoot.
George. Standing defeated Peter
Latham, Of England, at racquets at
the New York Racquet and Tennis
Club.
At Los Angeles, Cal, James j. JEFF
fries issued a statement declaring pos
itiveiy and emphatically that under
no condition would he %re-enter the
prize ring.
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1909-01-20
SCIENTISTS SAY DISASTER WAS CAUSED
BY SINKING OF II EARTA,S CRUST

at irregular intervals. The whole of
that section of the country seems to
be sinking in pieces, and personally I
am inclined to think that the shock
was due to this general dropping
down of that portion of the earth's
strata"
London, England. - John Milne,
the we'll known seismologist of the
Isle of Wight, said that his records
showed the italian earthquake to have
been the most severe in Europe in
many years. He fears that when the
full effects are known the loss of life
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1909-01-20
Among the Workers,

Holland now has an estimated
union labor membership Of $4,000.
A proposal has been made to form
a union of clergymen in Boston, Mass.
A reorganization of the %bartenders
and bootblacks is going on at Oak
land, Cal.
The British Government in India is
taking care that the native workers
are sharing the benefits of British
factory law.
Notwithstanding trade disputes the
average paid-up membership Of the
American Federation Of Labor has in
creased 47.915 in the last fiscal year.
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1909-01-20
NewSy

Mr.. Taft expects to visit the 18TH
mus of Panama in the latter part Of
January.
1t was said that a bill would be in
troduced at Albany, N: Y, making
art forgery a crime.
The burning oilship kalomo was
sunk by shots from the Singapore
fort, two miles distant.
The United States, Great Britain,
and Japan agree on most points of
propositions submitted to a meeting
of delegates appointed to frame rules
governing the International Prize
Court.
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1909-01-20
THE WORK OF RESCUE.

Rome.-The first stories OF the res
cue work at Messina reveal to the full
the horrors which accompany such
catastrophes. In addition to thou
sands of corpses, often hideously
mangled, hundreds Of injured are ly-
ing beneath the w%reckage.
Many Of these are women and chill
dren in their night clothes. Shrieks
and cries Of pain are heard on all
sides. Now and again some unhappy
wretch, mad from terror or grief, Is
seer sitting in the mud the sea de-
posted in the streets, or clinging
with useless energy to some support,
fearing the sea will return and wash
him away.
Instances are recorded Of such de-
mented persons deliberately plunging
into the burning ruins and perishing
in the flames. In one place five chill
dren were found around their moth
er's corpse, themselves only just alive.
The torrents of rain have helped to
check the fires, but make it difficult
for the rescuers to accomplish any
thing. They are also aiding the de-
composition Of the bodies.
Crowds Of destitute, too much hurt
or too dazed to help themselves, hud-
die in the higher parts of the town.
Many have fed into the country seek
ing refuge in caves and crevices in
the mountains.
Reports from numerous places in
Calabria and Sicily bring tales of dis
aster, any one of which would alone
cause a sensation. At Riposto the
sea suddenly receded, and as suddenly
returned in a wave of enormous
height, overwhelming everything for
a distance Of a quarter of a mile In
land, and in it's ebb sweeping hum
dreds of inhabitants into the sea. 1t
it stated that the dead are lying in
thousands at Monteleone and through
out that neighborhood.
All kinds of reports Of robbery in
Messina have reached here. The pri-
son was demolished and many of the
prisoners were killed, but others
made their escape and started to join
the vandals who were footing the city.
These robbers, undeterred by the
appalling sights around them, robbed
the collapsed buildings and took valu-
ables from the bodies Of the dead.
The fear of the pestilence that usu-
ally follows such disasters contronts
those in charge Of the situation.
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1909-01-20
Skirt Manufacturers Decree
Complete New Spring Outfits.

Toledo, Ohio.-Husbands, take no.
tice! The makers Of women's styles
decree that you must buy your wife
a complete new outfit for spring.
There's no chance to save by making
over clothes. for it cannot be done,
they say. 1t must be a three piece
suit with a hipless effect and in n
of these colors: Ashes Of roses, green,
taupe, electric blue, reseda, stone
gray, catawba, cedar or wistaria.
This edict was issued by the Ma
,tional Cloak, Suit and Skirt Makers.
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1909-01-20
SHOT MAN FOR A
Was Clad in Buffalo Overcoat--Yer-
dict, JustiiabIe Homicide.

Chattanooga, Tenn.-Mistaking an
intoxicated man clad in a long buffalo
overcoat for a bear, Thomas Deck
mar, a well known farmer, shot and
instantly killed Thomas Andrews
near Lafayette, Tenn.
Andrews had been In Jail, but w.s
paroled by the sheriff in order that
he might go home for Christmas. In
stead of going home he visited sew
eral saloons and later sat down in:
the doorway of q residence, where he
fell asleep. The family, thinking AM
drews was a bear, called Deckmar,
who prodded the form with his gun,
and, getting no response, fired. a
coroner's jury rendered a verdict Of
justifable homicide,
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1909-01-20

will prove to be even more appalling
than the present reports indicate.
The shocks were as severe as those
which devastated San Francisco and
Valparaiso.
Vienna, Austria. - Professor Ed
ward Suess, the celebrated g%eologist,
says he believes the earthquake in
Calabrfa and Sicily was not due to
volcanic eruptions, but to the subsi-
dence of the earth's crust, and that
it is likely to be followed by volcanic
movements. Should this settling
down of the earth's crust continue,
says Professor Suess, the granite hills
Of Scylla and a great portion Of the
Peloritan Mountains will be sub
merged by the sea.
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1909-01-20
Notes From Across Seas.

The Dutch cruiser Gelderland ar
rived at Willemstad, having been re-
called from Venezuelan waters.
A Royalist adherent attempted to
pull the beard Of President Fallieres
in Paris and was arrested.
A picked bodysuard is being
formed to protect Prince Chun, the
Regent of China, against assassina-
ton.
M. Iswolsky, speaking before the
Russian Duma, said that the only way
to curb the arbitrary Austrian action
was through a conference of the Pow
ers..
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1909-01-20

Baltimore, Md.-Dr. Harry Field
ing Reid, professor of geological
physics in the Johns Hopkins Uni
versity, and one Of the leading au-
thorities in the United States on seis-
mic disturbances, attributes the
earthquake in Southern Italy to a
general dropping down or sinking of
the earth in that locality. Speaking
of the shock and the reports concern
ing it, he said:
Southern Italy seems to be what
may be termed earthquake territory.
Seismic shocks occur there frequently
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1909-01-20
AWAIT WORLDS END
MINUS THE PROPHET
Followers of Spangler vainly Lis.
ten For Angels Trumpet
LEADER MAKES EARLY FLIGHT
Followers of Lee J.. Spangler Still
Await Destruction of Earth He
Predicted, While he Escapes
. From Police.

Nyack, N. Lee j. Spangler,
who has preferred to be known as
"The Prophet" is missing. It is just
as well for Mr.. Spangler's peace of
mind that he is.
Some time ago, in a prophetic
mood, this modern Isaiah ventured
the prediction that Sunday, Deem
Der IT.. would mark the end Of all
that is destructiblc on this planet. In.
that he made an error. When the
day of humiliation had slipped by
the town was in the first stage Of its
beauty sleep, having got over what
ever fright5it may have had.
The prophets followers spent a
very uneasy night and day and part
OF another night. Many Of them did
not go to bed at all, determined to be-
In at the first blast of the trumpet Of
the destroying angel. AT the first
sign of dawn, a party of the faithful
ALI women-performed their ablu-
lions and put on white dresses, .spe-
cially made for the occasion Then
they foregathered. After that they
walked in procession to the railway
station to meet a party of Saints who
were expected by the early morning
train.
In due time the train arrived NoA
a Saint was aeenMnnlosa q ba tbs
miIkman arriving with The eariy
morning supply. Behind the afaith-
full" was q crowd This was corn
posed OF about $50 rude citizens.
They made finn of tba d~iscfnIes9 Of
spaneier when no saints anneared
Undiscouraged, however. the white
robed ones. followed by the rude Gift
zens. marched sorrowfnlIy to Oak
Hill Cemetery. why there. no 4
seemed to know. unless IL he that the
cemetery appealed to them ais a happyi
hunting ground. Arriving. the +
cession attracted the attention OF
Superintendent Halstead. Not having
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1909-01-20
Women in the Days News.

It is said that the women voters OF.
Denver elected Judge Lindsey, OF the
Juvenile Court.
Ida Hawley, a comic opera star,
died in a New York private hospital
after an operation for appendicitis.
It seems to most theatregosrs- to
be but a few years since Mary Ander1
son, now Nine. de Navarro, in all he1
fresh youth and beauty, was one 9
the most prominent figures on
stage. But recently she celebrs
her fftieth birthday. She is nov liv-
ing on a pretty farm in Worcester
shire. England.
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1909-01-20
Fall River Mills Prosperous,

The review of the dividends of cot
ton manufacturing corporations of
Fall River, Mass, for the year, shows
an average dividend of $50 plus for
the year. The total payments were
S~1,741,135 on a capital stock Of $27,-
$4,000.
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1909-01-20

= London.-The measure Of the
greatest tragedy which has ever be
fallen the Christian world cannot yet
be calculated. It is known in general
terms that out of a population OF
1,75O,O0O in the devastated area of
Southern Italy and Sicily at least
100000 persisted.
The appalling news that the city
Of Reggie di Calabria has been total
" engulfed by the sea may make it
necessary to largely increase that es-
innate.
Besides, the figure given takes no
account of dozens of towns near the
centre of the disturbance whence no
word has come and where there Is
only too good reason to fear there are
no survivors to describe their fate.
The destruction of property cannot
be so great as at San Francisco, for
Messina and Reggie, the two princi-
pal cities destroyed, were not rich or
magnificent from a metropolitan
point of view.
AS a great cataclysm Of nature,
: however, this disaster is on a far
vaster scale than the California phe-
nomena. The whole face of the coun-
try. and the coast line have been
altered. Even Scylla and Charybdis
have changed the positions they oc-
cupied since the legendary voyage Of
.Aeneas.
The three provinces where the
greatest damage was done are Mes
sina and Catania in Sicily and Reggie
di Calabria on the mainland. They
comprise about 4400 square miles.
Several hundred persons persisted
and much damage was done outside
these provinces, but with them the
devastation was so complete that
scarcely a human habitation remains.
1t will be days yet before the story
of their destruction a be known.
All accounts nov agree that the time
occupied by natures gigantic spasm
was but t%hirty-two seconds. It was
some minutes later that a great wave
came from the sea to complete the
havoc in the i'll fated coast towns.
The violence of the shock seems
to have been unprecedented, except
in volcanic eruptions Of limited area.
The buildings in Messina were not
merely shaken down. Their founda-
lions were literally wrenched from
beneath them. To one side or the
, other they were toppled from the
perpendicular and fell in ruins along
side their original sites.
This was the experience of Messina.
That Of Reggie, on the opposite side
of the strait, must have been even
more violent, for scarcely n stone
remains on another of what was a
fourishing city only two days ago.
No one has yet been found to recount
the fate of this town and its inhab-
itants.
Messina probably will not rise
again from her ruins and ashes. This
last overwhelming calamity will alter
the future history of Sicily and
Southern Italy. 1t may be regarded
as certain that a considerable portion
of the population of this fair land
will bow before the wrath of the gods
and seek homes elsewhere.
Next to Italy itself America will
feel the effect of this calamity more
than any other country, for a large
proportion of the stricken population
will seek refuge there as soon as the
means of flight can be secured.
Although there was no eruption Of
Mount Etna at the time Of the earth
quake, it became active Immediately
thereafter and continues to threaten
an eruption.
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1909-01-20
Prehistoric City Being I'm
earthed Near Florence, Ariz.

Washington, D. Can American
Pompeii is gradually being brought
to light, according to the annual re-
port of Charles B. Walcott, secretary
of the Smithsonian Institution. The
work is the ~eycavating of a buried
city at Casa Grande, lea Flor
ence, Ariz. Already a number Of
structures have been discovered, but
the largest one ~eXcayated during the
year was a building 200 feet long,
with eleven rooms, the massive walls
inclosing a plaza.
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1909-01-20
Potatoes Nearly Stcadx.

While potato prices have sagged
there is no change in conditions and
no reason to look for weakness in the
market. Imports Of potatoes from
Europe have a somewhat unsettling
effect, but such imports are not likely
to be large unless the market goes up
q little higher.
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1909-01-20
Pineapples From Hawaii.

Seven years ago only forty acres Of
Hawaii's fruitful soil were devoted to.
pineapple culture; now the pineapples
occupy more than $500 acres. Six
years ago Hawaii shipped to this
country 5000 cases Of p~fneapples,
sliced, crushed, grated; now she Is
shipping more than 100000 cases.
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1909-01-20
RUFF GETS FOURTEEN YEARS.
Former Boss of San Francisco Sen
fenced For Bribing a Supervisor.

San Francisco, Cal.-Fourteen years
in the ~penitentiary, the maximum SEN
tence provided for bribery Of a Su-
pervisor, was the penalty melted out
to Abraham Ruef, who for years d.
rected the political destinies of San
Francisco as adviser Of the admins
tration of Eugene E. Schmitz, former
ly Mayor.
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1909-01-20
NAVY Bureaus Consolidated.

The practical consolidation Of the
naval bureaus of construction and OF
steam engineering was effected at
Washington, D. c., the President ap-
pointing Rear-Admiral Caps, head
Of the former bureau, as head of the
latter bureau, also.
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1909-01-20
EmbeZzler Lowe Caught.

Detective Flood brought back to
New York City from California Theo-
dore G. Lowe, accused of robbing the
United States Express Company Of
$4,000, whom the detective found
with the wife of an Amsterdam ave-
nue. butcher.
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1909-01-20
City Of Messina LeVeDed to the Ground, Reggie Engulfed
in the Sea, 44OO Square Miles Made DeSOlate in
Italy by the Greatest Disaster in Modern Times.

Half the Population Of Messina Buried in Its Ruins Towns and Villages
Along the Straits ERgufed by Gigantic Tidal Wave" Titanic lpheaVal
Of Earths Crust Changes the Face OF Sicily, Hills disappearing and the
Courses Of Rivers Being Changed--ERFe Island Of Sicily is DeSOate.
Rome, raly-one hundred thousand dead; Messna, in Sicily, and
Resgio and a cor of other towns in Southern Italy overwhelmed;
the entire Calabrian region laid waste; this is the earthquakes record as
far a. is at present known from the reports which are coming slowly into
Rome 81 account of the almost complete destruction of lines of communi-
cation with the stricken places.
t., death list in Mewina ranges from Il. 900 to $4,000; that of Reg
go, which, with its adjacent villages contained As, 900 persons, includes
almost the entire population. At Palmi 1000 are reported dead; at Cas-
sana, 1000; at Cosenza, 500, and half of the population of Bagnara,
about 1000. The Monteleone region has been devastated, and Riposto,
Seminara, San Giovanni, Scla, Lazzaro and Cannitelo, and all ether COM
mupes and villages bordering OF the strait, are in ruins.