Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-01-17

We went ashore. landing on half-sunk-
en- stone quay depressed several feet be-
low its level of d week before. AS soon as
the fOrmaltieS of martial law had been
complied with I plunged behind that cur
tain of stone, and in another moment
stood in the worlds charnel house.
l shall not attempt to describe what L
saw. 1 thought 1 would get general idea
of the extent of the hopeless eXpanse of
ruin. The lines of the streets were easily
identified and | began to make my way.
1t was rough work even for a mountain
climber. One clambered, now up. now
down, sometimes coming to the street
level. but more often two stories above it.
Foothold was always precarious-now
bit of furniture. brick, a corner of gran
lite, prayer book. once in the keyboard
of a plano. which changed discordantly;
more often in the universal white powder
of ground-up plaster.
Fell in All Directions.
Tie debris fell in all directions. invar-
ably to the street. unless the front walls
failed to give way. In whatever direction
the buildings faced, it was the vertical
motion apparently that was most de-
structive. The horizontal shaking loosened
everything. and then the violent tossing
brought the whole construction to the
ground.
Several survivors have told me that TREY
We're bounced from their beds three feet
In the air before they could get their feet.
Everywhere rescue parties OF soldiers,
sailors and firemen were still at work.
The inceSsant cry of the searcherS. lis
any one there?' rs any one there?" will
ring in my ears for many z day. / saw
several dragged back from death, covered
with that everlasting mantle of dust
when made them look like living. moving
plaster figures. Hundreds must have been
literally smothered in it. Some were al
most naked. and to most of them the
hi
ditional suffering from cold. for the nights
have been frosty this past week
Ancient Cathedral Sad Ruin.
In the early part of my first explora-
ton l reached the ruins of what had
been one of the finest cathedrals south of
Saint Peters itself. 1t stood facing lit
tie parklike Enclosure, where were an
elaborate fountain, palm trees, kiosks and
resting places The church had been in
the form Of q Latin cross, 800 feet in
length. and across the transepts 40 feet
in width. 1t had passed through various
vtc1ssitudes since its construction was
| commenced $40 years ago 1t was dam
aged by fire in 1854. and it suffered Seri-
ously in earthquake in 1882. Much of it
had been rebuilt from time to time, and
much wealth had been lavished upon it at
various periods in its history. No less a
sum than $4,000 was spent upon the
high altar alone in 1923. and Messna esti-
mated that the noble structure and its
contents of priceless relics of art and
tiQuity represented the enormous value
of $10,OOO,0O0 The roof had been sup
ported by twenty-five granite columns
| which are said to have once belonged to a
temple of Neptune near the Faro in Ro
man days All these are PROSTATE and
in pieces. Many royal bones We're in it's
vaults, including those of Alphonso The
Generous who was buried there in 145s.
and Queen Antonio. the widow of Fred
erick III of Aragon. The treasury was
rich in gOldsmiths' work of the fifteenth
century and in jewels, and probably these
will eventually be recovered.
The interior aspect of this great basilica,
like all else in Messina, was that of utter
destruction. In one corner | came to
the discarded garments of several con-
victs showing that some of the escaped
prisoners from the penitentiary had used
this shelter to change their betraying
uniforms for civilian clothes during their
brief career of pillage.
| The largest buildings in Messina. and
some of the finest. were the various bar
racks occupied by the troops, for this
was an important military headquarters.
They are all in ruins. ! forget how many
thousand soldiers still lie buried beneath
this debris, but the proportion of those
who escaped was less than % per cent.
Priests Nearly All Dead
The priests of the city land there were
many suffered even more. prominent
ecclesiastic assured me that nne-tenths
of them are dead. The doom of churches
was absolutely complete. l am told that
not a single sacred edifice remains stand
ing in all the afflicted area. Five hun
dred in single district are PROSTATE. and
the total number destroyed is nearly a
thousand.
1 stopped for half an hour Monday
afternoon to watch the dramatic climax
of a rescue operation which had been
going on for forty eight hours. 1t was
in the ruins piled forty feet high adj
joining the principal theater in Carl
baldi street Saturday morning a faint
response was heard deep down in the
debris to the constant cry of the rescue
party, rs any one there?" The origi-
nal building had been a very solid one
of six stories of stone and mortar. It's
destruction had been complete as if
rock the size Of house had dropped
upon it from the sky and then rolled
away. 1t seemed impossible that any
thing could remain alive beneath that
apparently solid mass of pulverized
walls. blocks of granite and few
splinters of wood.
But the cry was human, and fifty men
set to work. They dug valiantly for
hours above where the voice came. They
seemed to get no nearer and night
came. Searehlights were brought, and
the work went on. Sunday morning the
location of the sufferer was fixed more
definitely. They could talk with him.
and he told them he was not much hurt
there were a few inches of space about
his head and his hands were free. He
pleaded not so much for release as for
drink and food. The dust was suffocating
and he feared he would choke il they
came closer. The soldiers forced a pipe
down through the debris, and the impris-
Oned man succeeded in reaching the end
of it. Beef broth and brandy were poured
down in succession.
Willingly Risked Lives.
A few minutes apparently would effect
his release and a stretcher was hastily
brought to the entrance of little tunnel
which had been driven through the side of
the excavation. And then, when safety
was in sight, the treacherouS sides of the
great hole began to slip, and in few sec
onds the man was buried anew. There
was a cry Of horror on all sides. \ dozen
soldiers buried their faces in their hands
and wept. The downpour of powdered
lime and stones stopped for a moment
Suddenly the officer in charge cried:
WHO will go in with this rope and
fasten il beneath his arms underneath
the dirt? 1t may mean death, for if the
dust comes down again II Will mean Suf-
location for whoever goes.
Let me go, Let me go. | don't mind
what happens to me- were the cries
from almost every man in he detachment