OLD MESSINA.

Auckland Star, Volume XLIV, Issue 277, 20 November 1913, Page 8

OLD MESSINA.

TREASURE IS THE RUHTS. \ K.THED CITY AND ITS GLORIES. I ■ I 3.300 VICTIMS IX ONE TOMB. A fascinating story of thr- wreckage ' and desolation that r-till remain at Old j Mesaiaa. once the rivaesi and mo=i ! re-intitui c;ty oi Sou'.nPru Italy, which ' i-i.JI lies in tb«* ruins tj \v!ii«-h it was ; ::\:i:z by ;he gfai eartaquak. , ;;; Dccem- ! her,'l9o.*. > to!J a* foilmv= by Mr. ; Austin West, in t)ie "Daily Chronicle":— ! "(Ivcr four ypara have flO'A'll .-inre I■' f.eamcJ up the-e c!a.-.-ii: <r.iii, iMr=.-j EIEJ.I on the morrow or the mo.-t ; sppa'in; ratasirripac in hiim.m ii ; -tory. I ]:: ;■:;= iLan half a. minute a : tin: dn'.i ! dawn, what the v.-orl i rf to-ibv | talke of as "The Mr&sina Karthquakc" iui shat-tpred into daft, no fewer than tweaty-four tows* alon; the >ic-uIo-Ca;a-bruin seaboard. The devastation causrd i by ?hovks. by rida.l wave am! devouring • iiaae exipnded over an aroji oi 100 ; n:iies. With ja-t ntff -wipe o: j hi? scythe the rut!il-»s i;, ;l :.,r whose ' name U Dcatli had :_,'>wi>. lu'.vn nigh j upon a-cnar'.er of a million members ; v; humanity. ,

"Now 1 am hero to ,-urvoy til" stvne, to note the change limo and industry have Tvrougnt. J.rt u.i> ?ay something of the prP.-ont .-tate of Liie Old Messina— the City of t he Dead.

"Here, banned by mount.-.ii , .- and lvin;; <=Tru:r bvf-veen t "::<■■ fiery ;>p\i.-ts of Etna and Vesuvius, -■iuml>pr.= the new twentieth century l'orapvii.

"On approaching its magnificent -i.kiesruped harbour —-u_'_-->!ive of Mi'--ina's ancient name of Zauklf —our .-""- th.it •.-■■ long, stately sweep of palatini faoadee alomr the Marine, nh:ch formerly .«.-»-:n-'-i to be pia;- ing n hideous jo';.- in bflym; tbe utter i;e«triK'tiou hidden behind, ha- li:el\ liei-n in part de-rrobi-hed. f-i^-.- : n; • i-;<:'y to view that <Tiimb>i edifice i.- .it ole ;-r. allar an-1 .< tomr-. T';- hir!>our work.-, winch <'i.';2t, li have been ami)!:? the very •:r.-t mwrj: in rr w -nn.-t nirtion. ar<-ii--tead liie tro.-i nrp.'i'ripd. The liovfriirrvni o;it of r"pnir work ~"arly :i tnelve-mnuth ago. but the ron'ractons have not y. t ?:irt"i oil the job. Tar Me.«ine.-e ÜbourT dem.in-1- .i mminnnn wage of <<, S a day. and until ""> ceto ;t bends his PiH'r.'irs to tliwart outside attempts at competition. Kx.-ept lor a ne.w basin to a ••.■omnodate th? ferry boat, w'.ii -'i c.-.rr: « the iuier r.aiiona! express — ~i,' ,i!! —.i.-ro , -' Th« straits ..■ twern Sicily and tit.> mainland, I found the port mu'h as 1 had left it. Vet sci lucky is Medina by virtue of its natural position ihat. despite ail drawback-., the world's .-hipprefer dropping anchor here in increasing numbers, and irs port trade is greater than beiore the disaster.

ILLXDnvOKK OF DtilOXS. '"Littered about the quays and float- \ ing in docks 1 noticed score; of Royal Customs-house registers of the earthquake days. Wavelets rippln over tlie sunken wharves, the quayside and adjacent streets remain rent asunder in mighty gap.-: lii. Parade all aphoven, smashed, and encumbered with rubbish a- -.Then the tidal wave. 150 feet in height, retired after its vent oi Hercti•fan castigation. ('tic , object rirets attention- The giant form of Neptune, iri irr.l 3n hand, smrveys the scene serenely iruiu the summit of his superb fountain. The sea. had respected its god. Pious folk pnin-ted to mc the survival of this and like pagan memories, in contract with tie annihilation of their own sacred serines, as proof positive that the quake «as the handiwork of demon*. "Among the most artistic tunes of Old ■Messina w»i the fourteenth century I Church of San Nieoolo. Several months "nf'icre tlie calamity a. commission of civil .-ruineer- reported the, building to the authorities a3 being in an exceedingly ••largi-rou--; condition, and .in order ih; -relied for its immedia-ie closure to public worship. San Xiceolo is the one solitary church whi.-j the great earthquake fpareti: "The grand old Norman cathedra] which bravely withstood the upheavals of SOO years presents an unforgeFUbla appearance. Cleared of its mountain or debris, the interior—3os feet long and 143 feet across— looks as though it had iiiipn prey to the iconoclasn-. of a barbarian horde Sculptured fragments of its glorious baptistery, pulpit, and royal Tombs are piled in the nave. Twentytwo gigantic pillars or granite that upheld the derestory lie smashed and tumbled about the pavement in impre*-£n-e chaos.

STATUE OF APOSTLES. "What a wonderful history has br.Ti theirs! Centuries before Christ trod the earth these ■.•oionins reared ikeir heads aloft in the famous Temple of Xeptmie alongside ( horybdis 3.x. the northern extremity of the Straits. .From their niches :n the massive outer Tails, which, to an unequal height, are ali that i., left standing .if tie hoiy place, mutilated statues of a.posrle- --..are around, som- in amazement, some in unconcern, or as if pointing oul is mute melancholy the havoc en° comparing liiorr,. ] n a corner by th» ; west, .-ntranefl lies the great peal of ' quaintJy-insr-rib«2 belli, encrusted with ! Several of the smaller onps are uncr-icked. (.rasa has grown thick on the mined wall-tops, over which it is proposed to expend a roof of light materia.!, and to preserve the relics a* a. mtioru! monument. "The art treasures in this cathedra! i -•rere v-alaed it two million sterling. The ! gcmladen high altar—erected iv 102.S for ' '.nslmmas a letter said t , have r*vn ' sent oy the Virgin Mary to 3! people ! «t ----.-.ni through St. "Paul, promising ! " i e!r ,-.' : ' l PVerla ' lill protection against ! '■'' /i" J ™. ltw : v ' a pc-rhsp?. the co.'tiie-L ! - • nnst-ndom. foi ;],, hilis recently i ™£*V£n°m th;; buried arc-hives show I 1 ,-;„%? T ■£ paid wai 3.500000 lire, or j _'_■-«'. iae sanctuary. with ;- s rem . ! wmm

"A stones a Way , in the midd , | -- V" L " li "' 'nur-ftoteyetl Vi» for 5.00(1. II:.;, „.. 2 in, ttrT

, " Long traine of iron truck;, drawn by . t-oy-like locomotives, arc busy at. clearI age operations in the heart of Old ilesj -sina. At the present pace, however, it may be reckoned far certain that generations yet unborn will enjoy excellent ! ocular opportunity for estimating the I effects of what befell this region on December 38, 1908. Block after block of office and dwelling-house property, four and five floors 'high, and in most rickety ! condition, line the narrow central streets I and square*. From the upper 'balconies : streamers of linen sheeting, whereby the ■ fugitives lowered themselves to earth. j cti'l dangle in the breeze. The ground ; ftnor? are occupied as workshops and provision stores, or serve zn refuges for surviving families who disdain the wooden homes. The Italian Government has promulgated *-»vcro threats to proceed against private owners who procrastinate in demiTlUhing ruinous property and in clearing i-itn? for future use. It has even declared its intention of blasting such buildings with dynamite. However, the Municipal Hall and much other towering perilous property belonging to the Commune and to the State are as yet untouched. It is not. therefore, matter for surprise that lazy landlords content thrm>e!ve- with grinning bnvk their best sardonic smile at those whose precept outruns their example.

! ASTONISHING WEALTH. i " The. astounding , wealth of Old Me.=J >ma cam? as a revelation to the Italians I themselves. for it turned out to 'be the ■ richest city in ail Italy—Rome alone exI cepted. It is estimated that G.~>o million '.'.to in treasure ( £27.500.000) have so far . been recovered from the wreckage. Few ! Sicilian* bank or invest: they conceal ; their hoards. Sack "ills of Bout!ioii coinjacre. Oriental hnnri; of every sort, cx-jqui.-ite jewellery ari costly peaTls— the ! favourite form of Sicilian birthday- gift — j filled .-rveral storerooms A small "local ! Sni—the Fratelli Ines—had no less than , CSO.rino in ,-,i~li (in their premise* the I nijrlit. of the disa.-ter! The discontented ! popular? allege th.it Crovernment has ! seized all treasure trove and u.-oi it for i it.- colonial w.it in Tripoli. Alter mo.-c I caref'.il inquiry from disinterested per- • eon.- in a position to knov.\ I believe such ; allegations to be wholly unfounded, and ; that the .State Iris truly restored recovi ere.l vaJu:U)ies wherever a reasonable ; claim oould lie estabH^hed.

•• Thoiieanda upon thousands of the - : iii:: have in the intervals been dislnteired frnm the improvised graves where Nature flung thorn. But beneath t-he wreckage of this city of twenty-six centuries, where, according to the late .Mayor of Me>-in.iV estimate. 10S.0O0 lost their lives, there still lie =-ome 30.000 unrer vered bodies.

! " Many disintcrre.l ones aye found j shnekinsiy carbonised by tie fires that 'followed the fatal cra.-h: others are i !.-.-ked fast together in a la.-t inextrrci able e-nnrace: while in the oth-er vases i there were unmistakable signs that the victims had survived on chance food for days and weeks in their eu-btcrranean I prison ere Death, weary with his harvesting, had had time to glean them. One mammoth tomb. 100 ft. long'by 30it. wide. I holds all that is mortal of 1,300 victims!

"■ He who winders about the Dead City may better appreciate the fervid imagery of the old HeJbrew Psalmists and prophets of the Exile, inspired as they were by somewhat similar scenes, as they mused on like piories faded and memories past -on the sites of cities overthrown and fande laid desolate. I met many tearful- proups of pilgrims, gathered i>er<> and there, bewailing and oom- . memorating the loved ones that sleep 1 where their doom overhelmed them. Kiosks of sheep and herds of goats pasture placidly am-nng the ruins; wild cats dart hither and thither among the gloomy solitudes."