The Spanish Fork press. [volume] (Spanish Fork, Utah) 1902-current, 1909-01-21

ors, divided into squads, gave assist
ance wherever needed. Amid the
ruins of the Bank of Sicily they found
safe containing many millions and
delivered it aboard the warship. From
one house alone they rescued ten per
sons alive
Mother Killed, Child Saved.
A dispatch from Palermo described
the experience of A. J. Ogston, British
viceconsu at Messina, who arrived
with his daughter at Palermo, he him
self being injured.
AT the first shock said the vice.
consul, my wife rushed to cot and
snatched up the child We ran down
stairs. and found the door blocked
with wreckage We clambered
through a window. but as we were
passing building balcony fell and
killed my wife instantly. BY a miracle
the child escaped unhurt. | rushed to
the municipal square, where 90 people
had gathered and we ran madly for
the open country, balconies, columns
and chimneys falling around us in a
terrifying manner. The members of
our party were. struck down, some
times singly and sometimes half
dozen at a time, and when we reached
a place Of safety only four of the
party remained. The others undoubt
eddy were killed"
One tragic phase of the disaster
was the fight for life made by the
prisoners in the Jail above Messina
There were nearly 1000 of these, in
Guiding 800 women. The building col
lapsed at the first shock and the in
mates were caught like rats. Several
rows of cells remained intact and
those who were locked within them
could be heard pounding the walls and
crying aloud for help Then came
another shock which completed the
destruction. All were killed with the
exception of the few who had escaped
after the first shock.
An artilleryman, Gaspare Valenti.
says he was engaged in rescue work
at Messina with his comrades when
an enormous wave struck him and
of straw, he declares, he was whirledj
out to sea. Being good swimmer,
he kept up for long time, becoming
tired, however, and just as he was
about to sink he was picked up by
fisherman, who landed him on the
beach. Then. seized with terror, he
ran blindly for II hours and dropped
exhausted near Aeiheale, distance of
about so miles from Messina.
Searchers Killed at Reggie.
A refugee from Calabria stated that
an express train on the road from
Reggie to Naples was brought to
stop by the shock when about Is miles
along the road in its journey. The
passengers demanded that they be
taken back to Reggie, where they
found a scene of desolation. While
searching for friends fresh shocks oc-
CURED and practically all the passen-
gers were killed.
At Messina, after rapid work of or.
ganization, progress was made in the
work of succoring the wounded sur
vivors, but no attempt was at first
made to remove the wreckage. The
troops and sailors were Obliged to
shoot down robbers who persisted in
footing. The entire local treasury of
the Messina branch of the Bank of
Italy, some 100000, was saved and
placed on board an Italian warship.
Many of the people of Messina re-
fused to leave the ruins of their
houses. They chung to the sites of
their homes, crying out that their only
safety was in fidelity to the wrecks
of their houses Force often was
necessary to get them to the ships in
the harbor. There were large num-
bers in the suburbs of Messina who
would not come back into the city for
fear of recurrence of the shocks.
Hopeless Search for Relatives.
The German steamer Serapin
brought stories of heartrending sep
aration of families and the hopeless
and frantic seeking of relatives one
for the other. Shortly after the Sera-
pin locked gangplank WAS lowered
ana rev persons were allowed on
board. The refugees were found sit
ting in isolated groups.
They gave evidence of great mental
depression. and were utterly exhaust
ed. They seemed scarcely conscious
of their surroundings. Most of them
were held in the thrall of their terri
BILE experiences.
One old man was carrying little
girl in his arms. The child was coy
cred with blood.
rs that your child?" he was asked.
No he replied, Il found her on
the pavement in Messina L picked
her up and cared for her. No one
claimed her and | could not abandon
her. have had her in my arms ever
II.