The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-01-16
Eyewitness Tells of Death and Suffering Following in Wake of Italy's Great Disaster
| AVEZZANO HAS CEASED TO EXIST;
 FEW SURVIVE
People in Despair Power less to Aid Those En- tOmbed and Organized Rescue Is Impossible

Rome, January l5.---Milliam Marc0ni who returned here today from Avcx- zano on board the train with King Vic tor Emmanuel. said words could not describe the horrors he had witnessed. The town had been wholly Ieveled, he said, and residents who escaped death were destitute.
 King Victor Emmanuel told me-" said MT. Marconi, that he had visited the scenes of all earthquake disasters in Italy since he was a child, but that this sur passed all, including Messina. The King said survivors of Avezzano were only be- tween and per cent of it's population, while in Messina one third escaped
 Describing the damage in Avezzano, MT. Marconi said:
 "Avezzano has ceased to exist. In Mes sna some buildings give one the impress sion that they are still intact their fa- cades having survived the shock. Not so with Avezzano. No wall there remains erect It seemed as though the town had been ground to powder by some ggan- tic machine"
 Trying to Rescue Living
 The people of Avezzano, according to MT. Mareoni. have abandoned efforts to take bodies from the wl,eckage,, and are trying only to rescue the living wlio are prisoners in the debris. The catastrophe was of such vast proportions. Mir Mar conf added. that no organization of men could possibly have done anything to give spair at their powerlessness to render aid to those cntombed. VI
 During the first day of the disaster'' Mir. Marconi continued, ''the rescuers were so few they could not even attempt to excavate at places from which cries of distress came and they planted poles here and there at such spots, hoping to return later with adequate forces of men to re- lease the imprisoned persons. When would-be rescuers did arrive, however. most of the voices were stilled and the poles merely were markers of spots un- der which lay the dead. lsS 7
 Imploring Aid
 MT. Marconi personally heard coming from under the ruins of the girls school In Avezzano theevoices of two pupils inn ploring aid. The girls said they were unin1ured. They were protected from injury by a piano under which they had fallen, and which became wedged in tie wreckage and served as screen from the tuniblinE walls Chol<ed by dust and later numbed by cold, they had remained for two days without nourisIlment. and in spite of strenuous efforts to release them the girls were still prisoners when MT. Marconi left Avezzano. D Prior to his departure. Mir. sMarconi said he endeavored to organize small parties of men to attempt to extinguish fires which had broken out at several points among the debris. and which. he declared, undoubtedly had burned to death some pinioned victims The difficulty of fight ing the flames was almost insiirmountable because water was almost entirely lacking in the town. MT. Marcon left Rome to- night for London.
 Physicians engaged in rescue work formed an organization, established two field hospitals. and arranged for medical and surgical work day and night.
 The work of rescue is more difficult than 1t was at Messina, where the houses for the most part were built from large stone blocks. which. in falling, often lodged in such a way as to protect those imprisoned. Tho house 5 of Avezzano are of less stable construc- ton and crumbled almost into dust.
 One detachment of firemen from Rome worked in the ruins for 20 hours ct a stretch.
 Many senators, deputies and ,ther prominent persons came to Avcxzanc today and placed themselves at the disposal of military authorities to rem
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