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Show MESSINA AND RECCIO HAVE '-?.. ; PRACTICALLY CEASED TO EXIST l First Reports of Destruction Caused by Earthquake and Tidal Wave . Were Not Exaggerated Suf- -.J , ferings of Survivors. nomo. As reports como from southern Italy ami Sicily of the dam-ego dam-ego tlono by earthquako and tidal taye, tho world stands aghaHt at the 'horror of tho situation. Messina and Regglo havo practl-cally-ceased to exist. In tho ruins of tho former city two-thirds of tho Inhabitants In-habitants Ho hurled, whtlo at Regglo one-half tho pcoplo lost their lives. Messina counted 150,000 and Regglo GO.000 souls. Messina Is to bo ovacuated entirely as soon as possible Tho disposition of tho dead Is ono of tho greatest problems confronting tho authorities. Two days spent amid tho rulna of Messina and Ilegglo bring convincing ovldcnco that tho horror of tho situation situa-tion In tho Straits of Messina has in no senso been exaggerated. Messina and Iteggio wero not the only towns visited by tho torrlbio earthquake Pnlml, Cosonza, Cas-i Cas-i . anno, and Rngnara, suffered terribly, and in tho Montolcon region, DIposa, Semlnara, San Giovanni, Scllla, Lnz-tj Lnz-tj zaro and Cannltcllo and other vll- "V logos aro in ruins. " Tho radius of ruin and death ex tends back with decreasing Intensity fcr forty miles on tho main land and lor thirty miles In Sicily. 'Tho accounts of all survivors ogreo that tho devastation was accomplish ed In less than ono minute. The ntrata below tho strait slipped along tho lino of a fork, then i tidal wave rushed in and out, and all was over. "Tliero is reason to believe that tho devastation by carthquako in Calabria and Sicily Is not yet at an end. Several minor shocks wero experienced experi-enced Saturday and many tottering walls wero thrown down, but it is not $ linown that any persons wero killed. The new quakes aro starting tho fires afresh and tho pcoplo aro In a condition condi-tion bordering on panic. , During tho first few dnys such bodies as wero recovered wero laid out in long rows for possible idqntlfl-cutlon, idqntlfl-cutlon, but as thoro wero very fow cases whoro any of tho dead were recognized they aro now being covered cov-ered with qulckllmo whon this ma-ttirlal ma-ttirlal Is available Othcrwlso thoy aro being left to decomposo whero thoy aro found. Now all tho efforts f oro being directed to gottlng tho survivors sur-vivors away. i Exports who nro in Messina study- "r ing tho causo of tho carthquako gen- orally agreo that It was tho result of a fault in tho gcotoglcal formation under Messina which constituted n lino of concerted volcanic action between be-tween Mount Vesuvius and Mt. Etna, ond that a slip occurred similar to tho ono which detached Sicily from tho main land. Surroundings of tho channel In tho hnrbor show that in Boiiio places tho surface has rlson and in othors subsided. Tho British battleship bat-tleship Exmouth, near Reggto, found only fifty-eight fathoms of water whoro beforo tho earthquake thoro wero 283. Arthur S. Cheney, American consul at Messina, Sicily, and his wifo, lost their lives in tho disaster which do-vastatcd do-vastatcd tho city. Just how they met death has not been learned, and probably prob-ably novor will bo. Bayard Cutting, Jr., American vice consul at Milan, will tako chargo of tho consular sor-'vlco sor-'vlco at Messina. It has been learned that tho Capu-clno Capu-clno monks at Hcgglo escaped, and fjk. cild bravo work In rescuing tho less fortunate Of tho twenty-ono nuns at tho convent of Can Vlncenzo dl Fnola, only sovon remain nllvo. Thoy cro now engaged in nursing tho wounded. A naval obsorvor of tho destruction cf Mossina says thoro woro four tidal waves, ranging from twelve to thir-ft) thir-ft) ifi teon foot high. Thirty minutes ! elapsed between tho rolling in of tho .,Vt. , . first wavo and tho destructive on-'III'" on-'III'" slaught of tho last. I Refugees from Messina and Hogglo aro pouring into Catlnla, and tho, city ' f is ono vnst hospital, with each house J" In It a ward. Thousands of half nudo Individuals of both soxes havo gathorod along tho muddy boachos on either sldo of i tho ruins of Messina, seeking food. or trying to got away by sea. Many children havo died Trom exposure, ex-posure, and tho caBes of madness aro ! increasing. Tho sufferings of porsons still l burled in tho ruins of fallen build ings, who nro slowly dying from hungor, Is awful to contemplate. Dead bodies have been found which bty mute testimony of tho torture en-: dured beforo death relloved tholr" sufferings. Several of these persona havo died from tho gnawing at their arms and hands, evidently doltrlous from pain and hunger. Other bodies brought from the ruins had portions of shawls and particles of clothing In tho mouths, and ono woman had her teeth firmly llxed in the lex ot a dend baby. Tho archbishop of Messina has been found still living in tho rulna ol his palnco. Messina, next to Palermo, tho chief commercial town of Sicily, with upward up-ward of 00,000 Inhabitants, is situ oted on tho strait of Messina, and Is overshadowed by a range of russed, rocky peaks. It has experienced many vicissitudes. It was founded by Cumnean pirates and Chalcldlaua about B. C. 730. About 493, fugitives lrom Samos and Miletus took ponies-slon ponies-slon of tho city, and It was Blvon tho name of Messina. It was an inipor-tant inipor-tant placo in the tlmo of tho Romans, and boro a part In tho naval ward of Oacsar and I'ompey. In A. D, 813, Messina was taken by the Saracens, who, in turn, wore dispossessed by tho Normans in 1002. Messina has been tho scene of many battles and clcgcs, and has been ofton dornfr tatcd. There aro no Important rollos of nntlqulty. During the eighteenth century Mossina Mos-sina was overtaken by two overwhelming over-whelming calamities a fearful plaguo in 1740, from which 40,000 persons died, and an earthquako In 1783, which destroyed almost tho on-t'ro on-t'ro town. Messina lies on tho lino of contact of tho primary and secondary secon-dary formations, on which boundary earthquakes between Etna and Vesuvius Ve-suvius are always most violent. A severe bombardment In September, 1848, by tho Neapolitan troops also caused great damage, und In 1854 tho cholera carried off no fewer than 10,000 victims. Tho eurthquake of November. 1894, nlso left many visible vis-ible traces of Its destructive force. Regglo, across tho strait from Me3-slna, Me3-slna, whoro tho full forco of tho carthquako carth-quako was foil on tho Italian side, Is also nn old city, Its origin lost in trndltlon. Frequent mention is found of it in tho works of Latin writers. It wns captured by the (loths in 409 and was rebuilt by Charlemngno In tho ninth century. It becamo n part of tho Italian kingdom In 18C0 and nt tho tlmo of tho earthquako earth-quako was a thriving little city. It was noted for Its churches, works of art, and for an insano asylum, ono of tho best managed philanthropic institutions in-stitutions in Italy. Taormlnn, another city that has flgurod prominently in tho dispotchea since tho earthquake. Is down tho coast of Sicily from Messina. It has In recent years becomo a popular resort re-sort for tourists. At tho tlmo of tho disaster thoro wero many Americans and English thoro. Its scenery ia said to bo unsurpassed anywhere in tho world, and its climate, in the season, is perfect. I.lko nil other Sicilian cities, it Is noted for lta churches, convents and works of art. It was founded 735 years beforo Christ, and has had nn eventful historical his-torical career It was tho football or warring monarchs ror centuries. Tho American nmbnssador, Lloyd C. Qrlscom, has appointed a commit-tco commit-tco of Americans, to which will be entrusted tho work of utilizing tho monoy received from tho United Stntcs to tho best advantage of tho enrthquako sufferers. Tho United States la far ahead of other nations in the roller. Ambassador Ambas-sador Grlscom has succeeded In finding find-ing an Austrian-Lloyd steamor of 8,000 tons, capablo of carrying 1,200 passengers. Ho has chartered tho si earner for two weeks, and it is being loaded with medical suppllca and provisions. This will cost $50,000. In addition to supplies, tho American Amer-ican rollof vessel will embark six doctors doc-tors and twenty malo and fomalo nurses, threo of tho latter being American girls from Now York, who voluntored their sorvlcos. American energy has been strongly strong-ly manifested In tho work looking to tho rollof of tho earthquako sufferers. suffer-ers. Ambassador Qrlscom and tho irombers of tho committee have assumed as-sumed personal responsibility tor tho oxponscB of tho expedition, relying upon tho Amorlcnn public for funds. Curious freaks of tho earthquako wero ovorywhoro to bo obsorved. Standing walls had fallen out exposing expos-ing ono tier of tho rooms abovo and In which nothing seemed to have been disturbed. Pictures hung straight on tho walls, lamps wero on tables and vases and (lowers on mantel man-tel pieces. |