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Newspaper
New York Tribune
Location
New York, New York, United States of America
Date
Dec 30, 1908
Page
17
A towering sea wave wrecked Messina, sinking hotels and offices and killing many. Sailors from the Sappho led rescue efforts while bands of robbers looted wrecked homes. Fire raged from the Trinacria hotel and other buildings as police faced a collapsing city.
Reports from Gerace Mariria describe widespread destruction across Reggio di Calabria Messina and surrounding towns. Earthquakes lasting twenty three seconds unleash fires looting and thousands of deaths with rails stations destroyed and refugees streaming toward Catanzaro. International relief efforts involve Italian navy Britain and Rome authorities as martial law spreads and a tidal wave devastates Riposto.
Four thousand men from the Rome garrison march to the scene by land and sea. Steamship companies offer vessels for transport and the wireless system is expanded. The Interior Minister reports 70 English and 30 German victims buried under ruins at the Trinacria Victoria and Bellevue hotels in Messina.
Refugees arriving at Catanzaro confirm the devastating quake at Reggio and nearby Messina. They describe the lower city vanished, churches, barracks, and city hall reduced to ruins, with many homes destroyed and a rising death toll. Refugees also report half of Bagnara destroyed as fires rage in Messina.
Monte Leone Calab ria December 29 Palmi and Bagnara have been practically destroyed. The death toll in Palmi is 1,000 with numerous injuries. Bagnara also suffered heavy casualties and many wounded. Details are scarce. A tidal wave flooded a villa at San Giovanni 2,500 feet offshore. Palmi has about 10,000 inhabitants and Bagnara around 7,000.
Philadelphia observers report a huge sunspot seen around the time of Monday's Italian earthquake. They caution no proven link, but note simultaneous solar and terrestrial disturbances. The spot appeared Monday and should be visible for about ten days, arising from violent internal gas outbursts obscuring the sun.
Refugees from Messina report nearly all 100 foreigners in the Hotel Trinacria on Via Garibaldi killed when the building collapsed. Descriptions tell of a convulsed Strait of Messina with villages and lighthouses swallowed by the sea and ships shielding survivors amid wreckage.
Refugees flood into Catania by train and boat after Messina’s devastation. Survivors recount terrified crowds, collapsing buildings, and tidal flooding. Reports describe two hundred customs agents killed, damaged stations, looters shot by soldiers, and a gas works blast. Mount Etna shows activity but no major eruption expected.
London reports John Milne says the Italian quake was the severest in Europe for years with potential vast loss of life. John Milne compares shocks to San Francisco and Valparaiso. Johns Hopkins professor Harry Fielding Reid explains the event as sinking of the earth in southern Italy. Edward Suess cautions the Calabria Sicily quake stems from crust subsidence rather than volcanism and may trigger further volcanic activity.
Messina and Catania in Sicily are the largest cities struck by the quake, with populations near 100000 and 140000. Reggio di Calabria and other Calabrian towns are also noted. Messina’s ancient history traces from Zancle to Mesanna, with repeated disasters shaping its decline and limited sights.
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