The farmer and mechanic., 1915-03-09
A GRAPHIC DESCRIPTION OF
THE EARTHQUAKE IN ITALY
Mrs. D. G. Whttinghill, Of Southern Baptist Mission
Tells of Heart-Rending Scenes-Baptist Union If
Chi]e-Faith of an African Courier
(By Southern Missionary New, p,.
reau-1da Clyde Clark. Editor


reau-lda Clyde Clark. Edif.r
Mrs. D. G. Whittinghu1. al ..
Southern Baptist mission, ln uafv
gives this graphic account Of the ~.
cent earthquake in Italy:
"A week ago Rome was shake ~.
an earthquake. Since then the shock.
have been coming frequently. f,t
much slighter. The walls or .~~
rented house swayed and rocked m.
beams of the ceiling moved. and thsr
with a grinding noise. Slid into place
Everything seemed to be swjnst-e
back and forth. My husband ana
thought every moment that the wha'a
building must go. To leave the fftb
sible The square below us was Gned
with whole families moving up ana
down to keep warm. We alone re-
manned in our fiat, in spite of cracks
in the walls and sagging doors AS
soon as my husband realized the ex-
tent of the damage and the need ~
help in the villages in the Abbru1zo
he decided to go at once.
Finding to reach Avezzano by mo.
tor was out Of the question on ac.
count Of the snow and expense. IA
organized at prayer meeting at 0lr
little chapel q party of men to go by
train, carrying bread. first aid II tbs
injured, Stimulants, etc. Among oth-
| ers were DR.. Gill and son. the Pas
| Ghetto brothers, and some masons
who could help dig out the poor slf-
| ferers from the ruins of their homes
| Several of the brethren came that
night to our home, where spirit
| lamps, coffee. tea, and shaWls W re
| gotten in readiness for the early
morning start.
| "When the party reached the sta
| ton it was found that S. Benedetto
del Mersi was in great need of imme-
diate help, and little or no succor had
reached the town, so they decided to
| go there.
1.-The party returned yesterday.
weary Of limb and sore at heart az
all the sights Of agony seen-the
! dead. the dying, the manned, yet
happy to feel that help had been Civ
en- by them to the needy Some were
dug out from the ruins wounded ana
carried to medical staff; hungry feo
pie were fed; one group of wound 9
placed on fresh boards with straw
and them again covered with straw
SO that the poor creatures actually
declared that they had gotten warm.
Words fail to describe all that they
saw. The return trip, which should
have been made in three hours ot
the train. lasted twenty hours.
"At Tivoli, just before reachin2
Rome, there was a committee Wh.
came on board the train Of IA.
wounded, saying to each one: 'Wha
can we give you? Some women
nearly naked, were clothed; other
received shoes, etc. One poor Wo
man with a nursing baby, who h1t
both arms broken, begged for soup
hoping that she could again nurs
her child
Zone kind lady said to DR.. Whit
tinghill, What will you have AMI n
begged for a piece Of bread, as h
had given away all his food say
some cold tea
, To-day DR.. Gill and Dr.. Whittine
} hill left for more remote villas
t Friends sent in shoes and va
skirts; to these were added new f@H
nels socks stockings, and funds
, | piled by the Americans, through TIL
. ambassador
= Rome has done much, and yet ta
q | suffering and need is still very grea
G | The aristocracy have lent motors an
given money and time lavishly. ft
cay all through the great city gr6
: wagons have been going, followed N
an escort Of red-capped student
= blowing horns and beating drut
and the people would look out
their windows and throw out blarA
/ cts, old clothes and anything VII
y they could give The wagons ar
y trimmed with Roman and Italia
> !ags, and little boys run in front
, the wagons with boxes to collect pe.
MES. It is a picturesque way 10 i
0 charity