The Ordway new era., 1909-01-08
CITY OF PELLARio HURLED INTO
THE SEA AND HUNDREDS
DROWNED.
FIGHT WITH L00TERS
AMERICA LEADING IN WORK OF
CARING FOR EARTHQUAKE
SUFFERERS.

] ROmc-The entre populallon VI
/ Pellario was precipitated into the
ocean Sunday by n terrible earth
! quake. and many hundred lives were
| lost
\ violent earthquake shock, running
nurth-southwest and east-northeast,
/ lasting three seconds, and during
which the Stromboli volcano began
eruption. occurred on Stromboli island
/ today.
The phenomenon was accompanied
] by prolonged rumblings. The houses
on the island were badly damaged,
and the population fled to the streets
In panic. but no one was hurt. The
weather is intensely cold on Stromboli
island
All left alive in Pellario by the first
quake were hurled into the sea with
the bodies OF the dead taken from the
ruins.
Il is believed that there was slip
ping OF strata, causing a landslide at
the surface. The sea rose in a tidal
wave TO meet the catapulted cliffs and
rocky reaches OF Pellario.
Within a few minutes after the
first earth tremors the men. women
and children of the town were strug-
Cling in the surf with horses. cattle
and dogs Fortunately. the tidal wav"
did not extend far inshOre. and hun.
drcds in the shallower part OF the surf
were able to scramble upon the dis.
placed cliffs and rocks. %
How many perished will not be
known for several days. AS all tho
wires are down and the survivors are
in the utmost terror.
The problem Of burying the dead
was serious one in Pellario. and was
solved TO some extent by this marvel
GUS catastrophe. Many OF the corpses,
however. are being washed ashore.
One OF the most heaTtrending feat
ures Of the disaster was the helpless.
ness of those injured in the first cata.
clysm. All OF thew We're cast into the
sea. and few OF them were in any con
dition 10 struggle for their lives. As
result, most OF them were drowned.
From Calabria and Sicily come
stories OF ruthless pillaging and battles
between sailors. gendarmes and res
cuers on the one hand and the ghoul-
ish robbers on the other.
Both at Messina and Reggie the
guards are having difficulty in pro.
tccting the survivors and the vast
treasure in the ruined buildings from
the bands Of fugitives that are swarm
ing everywhere.
Ambassador Griscom succeeded in
finding an Austrian Lloyd steamer of
5000 tons. capable of carrying LOO
passengers He has chartered the
steamer for two weeks. and It is being
loaded with medical supplies and pro-
! visions This will cost sl5O.OO0. This
sum was cabled here today by the
American Red Cross.
II is expected that the steamer will
| sail from Civita VecchIa. about fifty
miles from Rome. on Thursday 1t will
| be placed under the orders of the ltal.
ian government.
/ Ambassador Griscom today drew on
/ the State Department at Washington
/ for $4,000, and paid the equivalent
to the Italian Red Cross in two sums.
one of s50.000 being made up OF con.
/ tributons from the American Red
| Cross and the other 1000 consisting
Of contributions collected by the Chris.
tian Herald
In addition to supplies. the Ameri.
can relief vessel will embark six doc.
tiers and twenty nurses. three of the
latter being American girls from New
/ York who volunteered their services.
American energy has been strongly
manifested in the work looking to the
relief OF the earthquake sufferers. Am.
bassador Griscom and the members of
the committee have assumed personal
responsibility for the expenses of the
expedition. relying upon the American
| public for funds.
The King and Queen have returned
to Rome.
Official figures give the number of
injured transported from the earth.
quake zone to various ports up to Sat.
urday by the Italian warships at TO-.
80; by the English warships, 1.2O9:
by the German. 900, and by the Rus.
! sian $50.