New-York tribune., 1909-01-01
REFUGEES FILL NAPLES
THOUSANDS BADLY HURT.
Fire of Peirce Family Deod-Rus-
sian Captain's s Story.

Naples. Dec. 31.-Naples is rapidly being filled
with refugees from Calabria and Sicily, many of
ubon AZ the least noise rush screaming from
their rooms TO the streets.
The Russian batt!eship Slava arrived here to-
dav from Messna with 500 persons grievously
injured. The steamer Semitic, which was an
chored outside of Messina at the time Of the
catastrophe. also arrived here to-day with 900
Injured. of whom 100 are soldiers Of the garri-
son The Duchess of Aosta visited the hos
pitfalls comforted the sufferers and led three
orphans to the Royal Palace A number of
women of the nobility went to the arsenal and
assisted personally in the debarkation Of the
refugees
Miss Peirce sister of Joseph H. Peirce, the
former American Vice-Consul at Messina. said
to-day that as far as known, only five Of her
family We're killed. The fate Of the others was
uncertain and she entertains hope that her
brother IS still alive.
Major Francis Metcalfe who was a surgeon
I'm the United States navy in the campaign in
Cuba is among those who volunteered to join
the medical expedition which under the direc-
ton OF Deputy CasteIlino will leave here to-
morrow for Sicily hospital ship.
The commander of the Russian cruiser AdHli-
raj MakarOff. which arrived here yesterday
with refugees from Messina, has given the fol-
lowing account of the disaster:
Hearing at Agoata, Sicily. Of the disaster.
hurried TO MeSsna. The city Is heap or
ruins. Every building there has collapsed but
I'm many cases the outward shells remain stand
ing and as a result the general contour of the
city is less changed than might be "Npectea
This is particularly true of the sea front IN
spite Of what has been said, the form or the
Strait Of Messina shows little If any change
The harbOr is filed with refuse of every kind.
ar,H lies he
steamer !.
1t is impossible to give even faint idea Of
the desolation of the scene Every now ana
then we heard the crash of falling floors ana
walls This constitutes the greatest danger 10
the rescuers 1t is not safe TO approach any
standing masonry. Men from my vesSel had
many narrow escapes. and l saw several terri
BILE accidents to the brave Italian soldiers VINO
were doing more than their duty
We lost no time in setting about the Work OF OF
rescue We established an open air hospltaI oI
the shore where We received ana tredted q
thousand people men. women and chlIdr'i. We
also saved the safe of the Bank Of Sicily Win
its treasure weighing two tons
II estimate the deaths at Messlna corserVd-
.i.a1,, ar SO 600 The mind shrinks from con
ten11Iation of the present condition IN tIte
etricken Citv-that there are thousands OF per
sons still alive in the ruins. and that couhtie''
The tidal wave lasted much longer than the
earthquake. During all the time w. we w i+er
,7a harhOr of MeSsina our vessel shlVered lilteI
mfttentIy as though shaken by some huge Hia
rine monster . . t -;-bO,,. nun1-
I could relate patnetlC STORIES I-;r6
her Under some wreCkage. inclosed III NJ MI
oF c,,bbvhoIe and protected by two heavy peaii,S'
I discovered two babies uninjured- 1hey VIZ
comfortable as possible. and were lausnuls o.
nIaving with the buttons on their cIolheS.
couId find no trace of their parents "lIo -
doubtedIv lost their lives. 1t made te. I IIDlo
' IMPRESSION to see the bereaved chlldreh- 49,
nf the little ones live while their paIeu'S t,I
=, dead while we many mothers WIN W,,niv III,
ha fies in their arms. 1t was also inuesCr ,
painful TO see the many who had sole 80,
from grief They searched and searcheu am,
Iesslv for their loved ones, even keepILs ~
the quest after they had been oroush' q"
board our ship.
Russian sailors dug out s4.00o0Oo from the
ruins Of the Bank of Sicily. and handed the
treasure over to the Italian naval COMMANDER
Two Russian sailors alone, at the risk or theT
own lives. saved 10 persons.
A custom house officer at Messlna has become
deaf and dumb as a result of the shock
Sailors from the foreign warships had gather
ed together 800 wounded and were caring for
them in the public garden Messina- Sud
denly the improvised hospital caught nre-
The sailors with difficulty saved zoo OF their
patients but it is feared that the others per-
ished.
Sfgnor Birot. the Mayor of Brescia in Lom-
hardy. was at the Hotel Trinacrta- In Messlna-
He was buried under the ruins of the building
for five hours screaming himself hoarse. Sev-
eral persons approached the place where he. lay
n prisoner, but at that moment fresh shock
nut them to fight. A body of sailors finally ex-
trcated him unconscious and took him aboard
the ship Signor Birot dined Sunday night
with a party Of English, French and Germans
at the hotel, all Of whom perished.