The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1915-01-18
10000 DEAD IS
LATEST ESTIMATE.
Neither the Number Killed Outright Nor the Num-
Der of Towns and Villages Destroyed Is Known
Accurately Only Eight Persons Taken Alive
from Ruins in a Day

ROME, Jan. 1S.-Ihc latest accepted I
estimate of the number OF dead from the |
earthquake is 10000. Undoubtedly il j. |
conservative, and il may be found in thc |
end to be considerably Of an undcrcsti- |
mate.
While the earthquake area is now be-
ievcd 10 have been delimitcd, the truth
appears to be that neither the number of
people killed outright nor the number OF
towns and villages destroyed is yet known
accurately. The published estimates are
approximate and certainly not ezaggerat-
cd.
The authorities are working feyerishIy,
trying TO feed all the starving survivors.
ATTENDING the injured and rescuing vic
tins still alive under the ruins The
work OF burying the thousands of sadly
crushed bodie, Is in itself great task, and
1t has been hampered by almost unsur-
mountable difficulties While the inevit-
able delays are criticised and tie seeming
dlsorganization and confusion are de-
plored, praise and admiration are not for
gotten Tor the 10000 soldiers who are go
ing almost without food in order that they
may give their ratious To the starving
These soldiers have been working, many
| of them, day and night since Wednesday.
the day OF the disaster.
! The ruins OF Avezzano are now silent
Throughout the hong day Of the disaster
the ruins echoed and re-cchocd with heart
rendIng cries of those appealing for help
from beneath the wreckage. The most
Ipitiful were the shrill infant voices. which
Were mingled with the wailings of women
and the iameHations OF men. it was like
one great subterranean voice, hopeless.
sobbing, calling dear ones by name.
When the first resgue parties began
their work the de~pairiug voices were so
loud and insistent and came from 50
many places that the bewildered rcscuer-
did not know where to begin their at
tempts to save life. These terrible voices
eontinued throughout the night. Rem.
iforcements of reSeuers We're sent aud the
work went ON everywhere by torchlieLt.
For Gods sake. save Us, save US" va,
the constant cay. The soldiers. with SIl
IItlh'lhai energy, removed with tHcII
bleeding hands immense heaps of debris
The work has continued uuabatcd ever
since. In the meantime the voices has,
become fainter, and many have been 81
lenced forever.
It happened not inlrequently that sol
diers found victims who had lust died
Some victims who otherwise were tuin
inred starved to death. Five girls. an I'm
lurcd, were rescued from the RUNS oi tn,
boarding school on Friday. Hearing th,
. voices Of other girls becoming fainter. In,
lrcscucrs FASTENED their work and aud ob
tanned rclniorccments, but when the ne
; naming girls were found all were dead.
The result Of the work Of the 5000,
soldiers Saturday Was the saving of onb
eight lives, Three babies We're foun,
p alive. clinging to their dead mothers
Four girls, the eldest only eleven. oontiu
o ued. although exhausted, to encourage th
soldiers to hurry. and refused TO b
dragged out Of the ruins Of their hom
until assured that their sister had beer
rescued.