Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1889-09-19
JAPAN DELUGED.
A FrightfuI Cataclysm in the
Mikado's Dominions.
FIFTEEN THOUSAND LIVES LOST.

II lbbN lnOUChnD LIVES bOOI.
scores OF Towns Swept by n Raging Tor
rent ana the People Left Dead Dcsti-
tute--rhe Loss of Property Estimated at
$4,000. ooo-soms Places wiped Com
picteIy on the Face of the Earth-The
Conemaugh Horror Outdone-A Noun
tain Overwheims n Village.
SAN Francisco, Sep. 19-Provinco Xii,
In tho southwestern part of Japan, has been
visited by one OF the greatest disasters in
the history OF the country. Probably more
than I5 COO people have been killed, several
towns having been wiped completely off the
face Of tho earth, and others have been near
ly demolished The catastrophe was occa-
stoned by foods in the western part OF the
provinces, and by the crumbling OF a noun
tain, which buried six villages under huge
mass OF rocks and earth in the eastern dis
trcts
Like the Conemaugh Disaster.
The early part Of August Was remarkable
for its rains, aud the rapid rise of rivers
soon became alarming The banks OF the
kinogawe river, a stream over 100 miles in
ength, broke near the town Of Yokohama
on the 10Th, and "a mountain of water like
that which swept through the Conemaugh
valley rushed out upon tbs fields and towns
wrecking houses, bridges, fences, and tenn
Piles, and all things in its path Ia this dis
I-trict 200 houses were carried ava and s. 900
ruined by water. leaving $1,000 people de-
pendent upon local officinls for food Lower
down the entertainments of the Hdakayown
were.destroyed, flooding the cultivated fields
rnd adjacent towns Out OF sixty houses at
Wakanomura but two remains standing,
and more than fifty people lost their lives.
Dozens of Villages Flooded.
An official OF the Nlshmura district, who
| arrived at Wakayama on the evening of
Aug. %, reports that at about p H. on
the 18th an inroad of water took place at
Tanabemachi, and in few momen Is the floors
of buildings in the vicinity were covered
Many houses in the district were carried
away, and "a out 200 persons are said to have
lost their lives All the villages within an
extent OF ten miles are more or less sub
merged. In Choraihomura several hundred
houses were washed away, leaving only
eleven buildings standing Many persons
are reported TO have lost their lives in this
district also.
Covered ny Raging Waters
The volume OF the River Kinokuni, an
adjacent stream, swellsd to an extraordinary
extent, the rise being in some places rs much
rs thirteen to eighteen feel above the normal
level. No bridge over the stream coull
withstand the force Of the food The river
steadily rose from about q o'clock in the
evening until at last, near midnight, it began
TO overflow its emhankments. and about
four miles from the city of Wakayama its
banks at the village of Iwahashi were
washed away Immediately the village and
Its whole neighborhood, including about
forty-eight other hamlets, were covered by
the raging waters The depth OF the flood
il stated 10 have been from five 20 fifteen
feet
Further Details of Havoc.
The neighborhood Of Osaka has also suf-
fered very severely. The embankments on the
Yodogawn and Inkedapaigawn were broken
at several places on the 2lst, and considera-
BILE damage was caused TO farmers. while
many houses were swept away or otherwise
injured. In Hongumura $50 houses were
washed away and thirty persons were
drowned. In Higashipmurogori and Nsship-
marogori several hundred houses we're de-
ported Ia Hidakagori $40 houses were
carried away and seventy others were more
or less damaged, while 10 persons lost their
lives and tifty others received more or less
severe injuries About 5000 persons mar.
rowly escaped death.
Rough Estimate OF the Money Loss.
Other villages suffered much by the floods,
and the number OF the dead cannot be ac-
curately determined; but for the province Of
Xii ID IL will not fall below 10000 Bloated
bodies and wreckage Of all descriptions cover
the fields for miles around, AMI twill be
months before the survivors can proceed
with their work The loss in money is
roughly estimated at 81, 0OO, 900 Relief has
been sent 70 the ruined district, but made
quate facilities for collecting and distribut-
ing provisions will make the suffering in
tense, and in the outly ing districts many will
die of starvation.
Singular and Terrible Catastrophe.
The same rise which ruined the western
part Of the province of Xii by food also
wrought a most singular and ruinous disas-
ter in the eastern section. A newspaper
published ut Osaka gives a clear account. 1t
says:
"Since the 18th inst the Iotsugua-Go dis
trict has been visited with heavy rains,
and at dawn ON the 18th il was dis covered
that the rivers were rising rapidly. People in
the neighborhood of Amanogawa, fear
ing an inundation, made preparations for
the emergency. While they were thus en-
| rssd the mountain suddenly crumbled
| Tsujidomura and Sakamotomura, ana the
| waters Of the river, which rose in conse-
quence, covered the houses in Tsujidomura,
the people fleeing TO a temple situated on an
elevated piece Of ground. There, however,
they we're not fated to he safe, as Sugitama,
| n high hill, which is situated at the back of
the temple, suddenly came down on the viii
lage in an avalanche, burying the entire
town under ground, only half Of the temple
being left"