The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-09-02
THE EARTHQAKE IN JAPAN.
Vivid Description of the Eruption by
the Secretary of Legation.
From the Ne,o York Graphic

Vivid Description of the Eruption by
the Secretary of Legation.
From the New York Graphic.
WASHINGTON, Aug 29.-Hon. Richard
B. Hubbard the United States minister to
Japan, has transmitted to the state depart
ment the report of the secretary of lega-
ton, +. S. Mansfield, whom he sent to the
scene of the volcanic eruption of the Noun
tain of Bandas san on Sunday, July Is. The
Geographic accounts of the terrible affair
were somewhat meager, therefore the &C
count OF Mr.. Mansfield will be of interest.
The first disturbance noticed" states the
report, occurred at Z o'clock a. m. and was
followed by three earthquake shocks at
intervals of ten minutes apart, when a loud
explosion took place. the noise of which the
people compared to the report of thousands
of cannon discharged simultaneously. This
was accompanied by another terrible earth
quake shock, which so frightened the people
that they attempted to escape. Reaching
their doors they saw a thick black smoke
arising from the principal kpeak of Bada-
isan, and found themselves at once enveloped
in the darkness of night, while the air was
filled by a shower of fine black ashes and
suffocating sulpAurous dust. The violence
of the earth tremors made it impossible for
them to stand, so that the only way left
them to escape was by crawling on their
hands and knees.
"As soon as il grew light enough to see
and the earth tremors had ceased sufficiently
to allow them to stand upright, they fled
down the valley amid the dust and ashes
and falling rocks, some being killed or
wounded bY the way. So great was the
terror which affected the people that they
came running from the district around the
mountain, and even from places miles
away, to points of safety, many of them
naked and bleeding, and all almost in
despair. The ERUPTION reached its night at
10 O'clock a. m. and at o'clock p. NJ. had
entirely ceased.
"When reached Inawashiro, at the foot
of the northwest slope OF the mountain,
most of the people from this town had re-
turned to their homes. many of them only on
the day before my arrival. The imperial gov
ernmeut had set up a hospital for the treat
ment of TIE wounded, and had organized a
relief committee to look after the homeless
aud to recover the bodies of those who had
been killed. Nothing indeed had been
left undone by the imperial government TO
alleviate the sufferings of the people so far
as it lay within their power to do So The
number of lives lost, according to the Off
cial statement, was 5l8 and the number of
bodies recovered up to that time seventy,
while eorty-one persons were then in the
temporary hospital at Inawsshirc under
treatment for injuries received at the time
of the disaster
THE eruption occurred from the eastern
side OF the principal peak of Bandaisan, the
first discharge of which was evidently
thrown directly across the summit of the
smaller peak of the same name, carrying a
portion of the latter away with it, and leav-
ing the altered contour of the smaller
mountain covered with mud and fine ashes,
which also found its way over the sides aud
between the slopes of the 80 on the north
ern and eastern exposures a1d running
down in stream to the valley below
There were two separate streams, the east
ern and northern. The main eastern stream,
divided about half way up the mou ltain by
ridge, came down in two separate volumes,
the one continuing eastward, while the
other descended on the iiortnern side of the
mountain and stopped at very small ham
let called Mino-inura, which was partly de-
stroyed by the mud which completely COW
cred the houses within its reach.
The amount of mud thrown out by the
the volcano is simply enormous, as all the
streams reach from the top of the noun
tain, distance Of four or five miles, and
at the southern and eastern sides, which
visited, half mile wide at the base; the
breadth of the stream on the northern side
being, lam told, larger. The greatest loss
of life occurred at the hot springs on the
northern side, where the first discharge took
place, thus giving the people there little or no
opportunity to escape. At Inawashiro, at
the foot of the southwestern slope of the
mountain, and the principal town in the
vicinity of the southern side of Bandaisan,
no houses were destroyed, as it was just
beyond the reach of the stream of mud,
although some thirty persons, while at
tempting to escape, were killed by falling
stones
"At Shibatani, two miles from the foot
Of the mountain on the east, nearly every
house was thrown down by an earthquake
shock, the stream Of mud not reaching that
far. IL was noticed, however, that the roofs
of the houses as well as everything else for
some miles east of the mountain. were COW
cred with fine dust and ashes to the depth
of about inches. At Nagasalu, a small ham,
let farther to the east, the loss of life was
very great, although not single house was
destroyed.
at seems that the water of stream fiow-
ing within a hundred yards was diverted
from its course, and augmented, it is sup
posed, by large volume OF water from some
other source, swept down the narrow val
ley In which the town is situated, carrying
with it those VINO rau out Of their houses at
the sound of tho explosion. A pond was
formed at the village OF Nagasalii, out of
which thirty corpSes had been taken up
to the time of our arrival The total num-
Der of deaths at this place was about 1870.
"A curious feature of the eruption appears
in long embankment evidently thrown
up during the earthquake in the vicinity of
the allowed named village, and extending
some distance beyond it. 1t is sur
missed that this formation may have
some connection with the extraor-
binary foods of water which proved so
disastrous in causing the loss Of life. Be-
sides the great loss of lifo and the in
jury TO dwelling almost irreparahle dam
age has been done TO the rice crop and cul-
tivated grounds for miles on the east of tho
mountain, some of which land will never
be. fit for cultivation again.