Omaha daily bee., 1909-01-03
FATE OF THE AMERICAN CONSUL
italian Hotel Man from Messina Tells
of search for Bodice.

ltnI AAOhCA NAuh AEOhI = ~
of Search for Bodies.
ROME. Jan. 2.-signor Serao, the pro-
prietor of the house in Messina where A
j. Ogston, the English consul, resided,
arrived here today. He says that outside
the consulate there has not been an
American resident in Messlna for forty
years past. The part of the house where
Serao lived did not fall.
The Italian rushed out Immediately
after the first shock and met stuart X.
Lupton, the American vice consul. on the
street.
Together the two men made their way
to the American consulate. They found 1t
had collapsed completely and they came
to the conclusion that A. s. Cheney, the
consul, and his wife were dead. They
made q hurried, but unsuccessful search
for the bodies.
Continuing, Serao says that with Mr..
Lupton no satisfied himself that the
guests at the Hotel Trinacria, which was
completely demolished, were all saved.
with the exception of the Swedish consul
and an Italian girl. He does not believe
that there were any Americans at this
hotel,
Taormina, where there were a number
of American tourists, is absolutely safe.
1t did not suffer From the earthquake in
any serious way.
Continuing, Serao says:
climbing over broken beams, shattered
walls and quantities OF broken furniture,
we finally reached the spot where the
American consulate had stood.
The consular building was about three
stories high. It had entirely collapsed.
We could hardly believe our eyes. Mr..
Lupton climbed over the ruins calling
out Cheney, Cheney! He was confident
the consul would answer him. He said
to me: Daylight has not come yet and
thai is why 1 cannot see him, but he
must be in the ~wreckage.'
"Our search became more and more
feverish, but as time wore on and 1t was still
unsuccessful, we finally realized its hope
l~ecsness. We saw 1t would be impossible
to reach even the bodies of the unfortunate
Cheneys. In addition to the collapse OF
the consulate. a n%eighboring building had
been precipitated upon the consular ruins,
and the whole was a vast mass of wreck
age.
Touched with the despair of Mr.. Lup-
ton, l tried to console him, saying thal
III dc ubtedly the Cheneys had been Vouch-
safed the mercy Of immediate death and
did not linger alive under the debris.
1--WE then left the ruins of Mr.. Cheney's
home. We had done everything In our
power. Mr.. Lupton went on board the
steamer Chesapeake. where we remained
for the rest Of Monday. We transferred
afterwards to the British ship Minorca-
Mr.. Lupton was al xious TO communicate
with the department at Washington, and
he managed to get a wireless message
through Malta. (This message was duly
received. Since this lime all communities
tien from Syracuse or the peninsula has
been practically impossible.
Later Mr.. Lupton and i, together vita
a party OF English sailors, went ashore
again. Mr.. Lupton was anxious to learn
il there had been any American victims
of the earthquake. I was able to reassurs
him, as, having lived in Messina for forty
years, in constant touch with the American
consuls. I never knew of a single Ameri-
can resident. Furthermore, few American
tourists come to Messina."