THE EARTHQUAKE DISASTER.

Otago Witness, Issue 2862, 20 January 1909, Page 19

THE EARTHQUAKE DISASTER.

WO: JEN AND CHILDREN RESCUED. SHOCKS CAUSE A PANIC. WOMAN'S TERRIBLE EXPERIENCE. ROME, January 11. A woman and a child -were rescued alive at Messina yesterday. A party of bluejackets, under direction of the British Military Attache at Rome, extricated the body of Mts Ogston, wife of the British Consul. \ January 12. A boy five years old was rescued at Messina yesterday. l The shocks are now less frequent, and j efforts aie b&in.g Tnad« to resume business. January 13. The Telief committees in the Italian earthquake zone distribute rations daily to 64,000 persons. Shocks of earthquake at Genoa, Milan, Venice, Florence, and Padua did much damage^ and a panic broke out ajt Imola ! and Bologna. ! January 14. Further stocks have been felt at Ravenna, Pisa, Lucca, Pistoja, Perugia, Ferrara, Verona, * Reggio neJ Emilia, Belluna, and Rimini. There was much alarm,- but little damage was done, though the- shocks lasted from eight to ten seconds. The Florentines abandoned their houses, and the Venetians fled to the piazza of St. Mark. The Duke of Connaught, who lias visited Messina, considers that the destruction has surpassed anything imaginable. It seemed as if the city had passed through a sieve, like ground wheat. Light shocks were experienced early on Wednesday morning in Vienna and many points in Southern Austria, extending from Sarajevo to Trieste. Among the places affected were Botzen, Meran, and Pola. The Pops has directed that prayers bs offered in all the churches of Italy for a cessation of earthquakes. January 15. King Victor Emmanuel has, expressed j his highest appreciation of Victoria's gift. He thought it most touching that people so far away should participate in Italy's grief. The troops at Messina worked for three days fruitlessly over places wheie cries for help could be heard. After that there was silence. Three millions' sterling worth of property ■> has been recovered, also Greek sculpture and pictures from the museum, and the duplicates of the civil register. January 16. While the rescuers were carrying on operations at Messina they found under the ruins yesterday a boy aged nine i years. He told th«m that his sister.*, aged 20 and 12 years respectively, were also alive. Both the girls were forthwith extricated. All had subsisted for 19 days on onions, wine, oil, dried figs, ar.d ■water. Their mother vag cruehed to death. Their father is in America. Many bodies aie still lying unburied in the streets, and the odour is terrible, though an immense quantity of disinfectants is arriving daily and is actively January 17. A woman, aged 70, was found alive at Messina, She was in a terrible plight, acd speechless, but is expected to recover. Rations are distributed daily to 64,000 people. LONDON, January 14. Signor Giolitti, the Italian Premier, has cabled Captain Collins, the Commonwealth representative, the thanks of. the Italian Government for the Commonwealth's conspicuous contribution to the earthquake fund. The Italian Aanbassador in London al^o expressed the gratitude of lus .Sovereign sod the people. The Mansion Houee fund Intb icllikl «93,000. China has tent £6250, tbe

Transvaal Government £5000, and Spain £7000. January 15. The Lord Mayor's Mansion Hou.^e fund has reached £100,000. NEW YORK. January 17. Half of the sum voted by Congress to the relief of the sufferers will be spent in building material and in the construction of 5000 frame houses in the earthquake district. AUCKLAND, January 14. In view of the disastrous earthquakes in Italy, more -than ordinal y interest attaches to the report brought by the steamer Lord Sefton, which arrived from San Francisco last night, that the volcano on Savaii Island, Samoa, was observed m violent eruption on January 3. emitting flame and steam, which ascended about 1000 ft. The sky for miles around was a canopy of fir*. CHRISTCHURCH, January 13. . The sum of £200, which has been lying to the credit of the Cheviot Earthquake Fund for some years, is to be devoted to the relief of the sufferers by the recent Sicilian earthquake. The members of the committee connected %with tlie fund agreed to this step, and the Prime Minister cordially approved of the suggestion. The Acting Consular Agent for Italy acknowledges with thanks the_following further contributions to the relief fund: — Already acknowledged . . .. £98 12 6 Dunedin Hospital Nursing Staff 3 16 6 Mrs Ewea 10 0 0 John Reid and Sons 3 3 0 "Ulises" 5 0 0 £120 12 0 We have to acknowledge receipt of 2s 6d from " W. M." towards the Earthquake lielief Fund. We have received £5 5s from the District Grand Lodge of Otaa^o, English Constitution of Freemasons, in aid of the Earthquakp Disaster Fund. We have received in aid of the Earthquake Fund £2 2s from H. E. Williams, and Is from Sympathiser.