The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1916-12-15
THE STRAIT OF MESSINA.

.THE STRAIT Of MESSIhA.
And the Ancient Legends Of ScyIIa and
Charybdis.
The Sicilian and Italian banks which
border the strait Of Messina for nearly
twenty-five miles to the east and west
are among the most ]uXuriant to be
found in a cruise of the Mediterranean.
Magnificent golden groves Of lemon
and orange and orchards Of pomegran-
ate, with their brilliant red fruit, con-
trast wonderfully with the flowers of
the almond trees which perfume the
whole region.
The strait is entered from the Tyrrhe-
nian sea, ON the north, at the narrow
est point, the distance between Punta
del Faro, on the Sicilian shore, and the
mainland lighthouse on Punta Pezzo
being not more than two miles. The
whole of the Calabrian coast is thickly
sown with villages, some clinging to
the beach, while others Chamber up the
sides Of we'll wooded hills which cul-
inmate in the towering Montalto, ris-
ing to an elevation Of more than mile
above the sea. Beyond the strait to
the southwest looms ever threatening
Etna, the highest volcano in Europe.
The most important city situated on
the strait is the once magnificent sea-
port of Messina. which boosted a popu-
lation of 10000 inhabitants before
1.-THE worlds most cruel earthquake Of
Dec. %, 1908, tossed nearly 100000
lives away.
The harbor of Messina is the largest
and safest in the kingdom of Italy.
with depth of more than thirty faith
oms. Before the great calamity it was
visited annually by more than 5000
vessels, which brought cargoes of
wheat, cotton, wool and hardware and
took away in exchange lemons. or
anges, almonds, wines, olive oil and
silks. Much Of it's commerce was and
still is carried on with the mainland of
the kingdom by means of a ferry line
to Villa San Giovanni, only four and a
half miles away, while Reggie, the
chief seaport on the Italian side of the
strait and also the chief earthquake
sufferer next to Messina, is ten miles
to the southeast. Ferryboats ply be-
tween these points too. Scilla, Fare,
Catona, Pellar0, Scallita and Galati are
minor towns on the shores of the strait.
Homer did not accord definite habi-
tation for his terrible sea creatures,
Scylla and Charybdis, but mariners ia
miliar with the perils of the rocks on
the Italian side of the strait and with
the strong eddies near the harbor of
Messina saw in the mythical monsters
an explanation of such dangers. Scylla
was supposed to be horrible creature
with six heads and dozen feet, who
barked like dog. She dwelt in
lofty cave, from which she rushed
whenever a ship tried to pass beneath,
and she would snatch the unlucky sea-
men from the rigging or as they stood
at the helm endeavOring to guide their
vessels through the perilous passage.
Charybdis dwelt under a rock only a
bowshot away, on the opposite shore.
The second creature sucked in and
blew out sea water three times day,
and woe to the ship caught in the
maelstrom of it's mouth!
Poets who came after the great
Greek bard embroidered the legend to
suit their fancy. Ovid, for example,
described Scylla as the beautiful
daughter Of a sea god who incurred
the jealousy Of one of the immortals
and who was changed into a sea mon
ster. A second transformation made
her a rock perilous to navigators. Some
poets described Charybdis as an old
woman who seized and devoured the
cattle Of Hercules, and in punishment
for this act the demigod's father, all
powerful Zeus, cast her into the sea,
where her appetite persisted, but her
tastes changed from cattle to ships and
seamen.-National Geographic Society
Bulletin.