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Newspaper
New York Tribune
Location
New York, New York, United States of America
Date
Dec 30, 1908
Page
5
A great wave swept the Strait wrecking Messina and sinking the hotel Trinacria. Sappho sailors led rescue amid fires, looting followed in ruins as prisoners escaped and robbers sacked homes. Police chief slain. Messina’s barracks demolished. hundreds dead or missing.
A pivot was seen from a window at Hotel Trinacria overlooking the public square in Messina facing Via Garibaldi. Nearby observers reported a quick movement and relief among onlookers as the scene drew attention in the city.
Reports from Gerace Marissa describe a catastrophic earthquake and fire in Messina and across Reggio di Calabria. Five shocks toppled houses, killed hundreds including policemen and soldiers, with thousands more injured or missing. Destruction extended to Palmi, Catanaro, and Cantanzaro, while looting, fires, and a vast rescue effort overwhelmed fledgling authorities. The Pope, Roosevelt, and foreign navies were notified as martial law and widespread evacuations began.
Four thousand men from the Rome garrison march to the scene by land and sea. Steamship companies have offered vessels for government use and wireless systems are being expanded. The Interior Minister reports telegram from Messina about seventy English and thirty German victims buried under ruins of the Trinacria, Victoria and Bellevue hotels.
Refugees arriving at Catanzaro report massive destruction in Reggio Calabria and nearby towns. They describe the lower city erased, public buildings and churches ruined, and fires seen in Messina. Death toll is as yet unconfirmed amid widespread devastation.
Monte Leone Calabria Dec 29 The towns of Palmi and Bagnara are practically destroyed. Palmi reports 1000 dead and many injured with large numbers killed in Bagnara. Details are scarce as the tidal wave inundated a villa at San Giovanni 2500 feet offshore. Palmi has 10000 inhabitants and Bagnara unknown.
Philadelphia reports a huge sun spot visible for about ten days, tied to violent gas outbursts from the sun's interior. Local astronomers caution no proven link to the Southern Italy earthquake, noting simultaneous but independent solar and terrestrial disturbances.
Refugees from Messina describe a city obliterated by the quake and a thirty foot tidal surge. Relatives and officials recount dozens killed, including a deputy and his wife, with widespread ruin along the strait and surrounding villages. Ships bring wounded and evacuations proceed to Catania and beyond.
Refugees flood into Catania reporting Mes sina devastation and mass panic. Witnesses describe collapsing buildings and tidal floodwaters, with thousands displaced or dead. Survivors recount waking to crashing ceilings and streets filled with screams and ruins.
London reports John Milne says the Italian earthquake is the most severe in Europe for years and may cause greater loss of life than early estimates indicate. Other experts Johns Hopkins Reid and Edward Suess attribute the quake to subsidence of the earth crust with possible future volcanic activity.
Messina and Catania, Sicily’s largest quake victims, show long histories of disaster and rebuilding. Messina, near the Strait of Messina, alternates between ancient seaborne raids and later calamities, including a plague in 1743, while Catania endures volcanic eruptions and major earthquakes. Reggio di Calabria, Bagnara, Consenza, Cassano, Palm, and San Giovanni are noted for population figures and proximity to Messina. The region’s historical pattern includes Punic, Roman, Saracen, Norman, Spanish, and Garibaldian upheavals shaping its fortunes.
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