Evening star., 1943-09-02
BY THOMAS r. HENRY,
Star Staff Correspondent.

MESSlNA. aug. Il. .lBy MAIL -
The gate of Hell" was closed with
stout brick barricade today, seal
ing forever in the black depths of a
cannon-scarred mountain the moi
some odors, the hordes of vermin
the awful memories.
The 5000 lost souls hidden in the
fetid darkness with bars of fear
stronger than bars of steel were
forced, protesting and weeping with
terror, into the bright sunshine of a
world they had left behind months
ago. Once they were men, women
and children. Probably in few days
they will be men. women and chill
dren again. But as the bleached
skeletons in filthy rags came out of
the mountain today they bore little
resemblance to human beings. It
was like the rising of the dead in
their grave clothes on earth's last
morning.
The tortured populace of this in
ferno were ordered out and the bar
rlcade put across the entrance by
DR., Anthony Pine of Bridgeton, N. j.,
well known American orthopedic
surgeon, now captain in the army
medical corps, who undertook the
role of the archangel after going
from one end to the other of this
fearsome hole tunnelled into the
base of high mountain overlooking
Messina.
Outside the stricken city itself was
rising from the dead and stood try
ing to shake off the torpor of its
long, cold sleep. The hellhole was
a terrible menace to the health of
the native community and the
American and British soldiers sta
tlnoed here. 1t could not be toler-
ated any longer, DR.. Pine said, after
he had once compromised with the
fear-stricken population and al
lowed them to stay In the inferno
another night.
These refugees did not rise 10y
fully from their titanic grave In
three months Hell" had become
home. For few hours, blinking
in the sunshine, they were like
exiles in an alien heaven.
He'll was the largest air-raid
shelter In the world Over the en-
trance its capacity is stated as $500.
Ever since the bombing of Messina
on large scale started it has housed
continuously between 1000 and TO-
600 human beings. They were
gathered in little family groups along
the walls, each group with its fetid
pile OF personal belongings. Inside.
with the sun high over the noun
talntop at MONDAY, there was inkv
nlackness in the depths lit wierdlv
mere and there by Pickering candles
Even near the entrance where most
OF the people congregated in day
time, there was smoky dusk such as
one would associate with Hades.
Was Well Built.
The great shelter was well inten-
TONED. The Messina city fathers
contemplated a haven where a va ast
number of people could find safety
during air raids. The place was
well built. 1t was fitted with a few
toilets and half dozen medical aid
stations where doctors and nurses
would be on duty. But the planners
never imagined that it would be-
come permanent home for a vast
nofoe OF persons-nearly half the
total remaining population of the
city when the American Sd Division
infantry made its first entrance.
A curious thing happened which
could not have been foreseen-ex-
cept perhaps by skilled psvchj-
artist. Air raid after air raid terri
ned the populace. Under the noun
TAIN there was safety. Outside there
was only constant terror for these
llhterate peasants. Many of their
MONIES were destroyed. They be-
came conditioned to the darkness
ana the stenches. They got to know
each other and little communities
evolved within the great cave, They
came to like the life in the dark
Where all the moral and social con-
Ventions of civilization were sus-
pended.
Feared New Raids,
AT first the men used to come ont
III the daytime to work and the
women to cook meals on open fires at
the cavern entrance. Then the
heads OF the families became too
termed OF the bombs to work and
tnere was no food for the women to
COOK. Lice, filth, starvation and
complete license became the estah-
>