Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1909-01-04
Monday, January 4, 1909.
Inflated Messina.

the city Of Mcssina, Sicily, now raz-
Cd and dcsolate. with famine and pes
thence facing those Of it's inhabitants
who escaped the earthquake and the
teal wave, mas had A tragic history
since it was founded almost 5000 years
ago. 1t was originally the rendezvous
of the pirate bands who made that
part Of the Mediterranean their field
Of operations and preyed upon the
commerce Of the times. In this har-
Dor they found a safe refuge and a
convenient place from which to make
their saIliea. They called the place
Zanclc Ga sickle) in allusion to the
shape of its harbor.
About 240O years ago the spot was
selected as the site of a city by I'M
migrants from Greece who named the
place Messina in honor of a Grecian
city of the same name, and from that
same name In 1886 r. c., or over
1900 years ago, the town was destroyed
by the Cdrthaginians, but a few years
later it was rebuilt by Dionysius of
Syracuse, only to fall again into the
hands Of the Carthaginans under
Hannibal in 269 3. c.
For some centuries into the Chris
tian era Messina enjoyed a relatively
peaceful existence but in 81 a. d. the
town was captured and sacked by
s;aracCnS. Then in 1861 it was again
the scene of warfare and was wrested
from Saraccn control by the Norman
invaders. The town became Hour
ishing city of trade in the middle ages
and received important privileges from
Charles / of Spain which added much
t. its prosperity. The French occu-
ped the city IN 1914 but soon ADAM
doncd 1t to th,. Spaniards. 1t is only
for the past half century that it has
belonged to Italy.
BY no means all of its catastrophies
and trag. dies !.avo been those connec-
ted with warfare. Many times it has
suffered severely from earthquakes
ana several titncs it has been visited
by the plague. In IA" nearly 3n.ooo Of
Its people Wrr, carried off ny the
plague, and then, = generation later in
1853 it suffered the worst earthquake
ever known in that region up to the
recent one. Nearly the whole city
was in ruins and about 10000 Pc: sons
10 rishcd In 1N54 it was again visited
by the plague and over 1000 Of its
l.noplc died. Only Il few years ago
several thousand lives were lost IN
an earthquake shock.
Messina has long been an important
commercial center and its harbor has
been the busiest with steamboat traf-
fc of any in Italy. 1t is the most ia
nous place in the world for lennon
production and is also noted for its
oranges, olive oil. wine and silk. 1t
has. or had. Il university dating from
1898 attended by nearly 1000 students,
also an ancient cathedral dating from
loss, in the Norman times. which has
been its most striking antiquity. The
latest available figures as to its pop
ulation are those of 1901. when it had
$4,000 souls The city was very sub
slantially built, well fortified and had
fine, lava paved thoroughfarcs afford
ing excellent views Of the Straits OF
Mcssina ana the talabrian shores on
the further side. In all its calamitous
history it never met such a blow as
that Of the recent earthquake, al
though in 1874 during a war between
France and Spain it is said that over
100000 of its people were wiped out.