The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1889-09-26
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HORROR IN THE ORIENT.

HORROR IN THE ORIENT.
Japanese Provinces and Towns Wiped
from the Face Of the Earth by Land.
slides and Fi0ods-The Loss Of Life
Estimated af 14.OOO-Property Valued
mt s6.OOO.OOO swept Away.
Ban FRANCISCO, Sept. l9.-Province XII,
In the southwestern part or Japan. has
been visited by one Of the greatest disas-
ters in the history OF the country. Prob
ably more than 5000 people have been
Killed. several towns have been wiped
completely Off the face OF the earth
and others have been nearly demol-
ished. The catastrophe was Occasioned
by floods in the western part OF the
province and by the crumbling Of a mount
ain, which buried six villages under huge
mss OF rocks and earth IN the eastern dis
tricts The early part of August was re-
markable for its rains, and the rapid rise Of
rivers soon became alarming The banks
OF the kinogawa river, stream over 100
miles in length, broke near the town Of
Yokohama on the 10Th, and mountain
OF water like that which swept
through the Ccncmaugn valley rushed
out Upon fields and towns, wrecking
houses bridges. fences and temples and all
houses were carried away and 500 ruined
BY water, leaving $1,000 people dependent
upon local officials for food Lower down
the embankments 81 the Hidakagown
we're also destroyed. flooding the cultivated
fields and adjacent towns. Out OF. six
ty houses at Wakanomurn but two
remained standing, and more than fifty
people lost their lives An official OF the
Nishimura district who arrived ut Wakay.
ANA on the evening OF August 20 reports
that ut about p m. on the 10th an inroad
of water took place at Tanabemachi and
in c few moments the floors OF buildings In
the vicinity were covered. Many houses in
the district were carried away, and about
30 persons are said to have lost their
lives All the villages within an ex.
tent Of ten miles are more or less sob
merged In ehoraihomura several hum
dred houses were washed away, leaving
only eleven buildings standing. Many per-
sons are reported to have lost their lives
in this district also The volume of the
River kinokuni, an adjacent stream.
swelled to an extraordinary extent, the
rise being In some places as much as
thirteen to eighteen feet above tho
normal level. No bridge over the stream
could withstand the force Of tho
Hood The river steadily rose from
about q o'clock in the evening until
at last near midnight. it began to over
flow its embankments, and about four
miles from the city of Wakayamn its banks
at the village OF Iwahashi were washed
away Immediately the village and its
whole neighborhood, including forty EIGHT
other hamlets, were covered by the raging
waters. The depth of the flood is stated to
have been from five to fifteen feet.
III - - -
fered very severely. The embankments on
broken at several places on the 2lst, and
considerable damage was caused to farm
ers, while many houses were swept away
or otherwise injured In Hongumura 1SO
houses were washed away and thirty per-
| sons were drowned In Higashipmurogon
and Neship Marcgori several hundred
houses were demolished and considerable
loss OF life is reported. In HidakaUori $50
houses were carried away and seventy
others were more or less damaged, while
10 persons lost their lives and fifty others
received more or less severe injurieA
About 5,e0o persons narrowly escaped
death. Other villages suffered much
by the floods and the number of dead
can not be accurately determined;
but for tho province of Xii II will
| wreckage of all description cover the
fields for miles around and it will be
| months before the survivors can proceed
with thail work. Tie loss in money Is
roughly est laeted at ST. .oOO, COO Relief has
, been sent 10 tn ruined district, but made.
4uate facilities tor collecting and distrib-
uting provisions will make the suffering
intense, and in the outlying districts many
will die OF starvation.
The same rise which ruined the western
| part OF the province OF Xii by Hood also
| wrought a most singular and ruinous dis
aster In the eastern section. A newspaper
| published at Osaka gives 3 clear account.
| Il says:
"since 18th inst. tho Totsugua Go district
has hee.- s'<.:st By very heavy rains. ana as
dawn on the lath it was discovered that the
r.vers were rising raiidly peop'e in the
| neigh htorhocd OF AmaaGgayn, fearing an inuE-
| cat on. made rrerarat ons FOR the emergency.
! While tSey were thus employed tue mountains
| suddenly cramb.ca ..aS, obs. nctng com
mrn.caiion between Tsui domura and Saka-
/ moiomnra. and tic waters Of the rveTs. which
| rose N consequence. covered the houses ln
Tsulidomura, the Ieople ieeieg to temple
situated on an elevated riece OF ground.
/ There, however, they were not fated to be
safe, as Sugitama, Q h gh hill wh ch 10 stu.
nied AZ the back OF the temple, suddenly came
4
ihs entire town under ground, only halt OF the
temple being left"
A correspondent who made his way
laboriously over the ruins says:
The villages Of NasatoEomura, Tanscmura,
4 Uyencikemura nnd Hayash mura, along tho
course OF the river Totsugawawoc. are all
/ buried under the ground by the crumblinR
/ away OF the Cm;yabara mountain. All the vi.
| lagos CT u. Naga,oao. Numata. .Hara and Asahi,
| al The entran ce OF the Totsugawago face each
other and can be seen across the river, but iher0
| be ne no boats between these places no help
| could Q rendered. The villages OF Cyeno.
i Chi. Takatsu. kawatsu and several others wero
/ all either swept away or buried under ground.
| The number Of fatalities in these villages has
not Yet been ascerta ned. hut rs all outlets
were blochadei the deaths must have been
considerable. The villages of iiaseahaya,
| Uch hara. Takigawa, Nolri. iamasaki and
| Taana were also entirely swept away or buried
| by the overflow of rivers ard the erumblinG
nounta.hs. Tho damage along The lower course
of the river and the villages sk.itin, it has not
yet been aseertaned hut it IS SUI posed that
out OF fifty villages comprising Totsugawa TO
all have suffered more or less from disaster,
and II is doubtful II one has escaped In all
these villages farms, rice fields and houses
are supposed TO have suffered The exact
number IS lot yet known. but district officials
place the number OF deaths at between 3,0f
and $500
About go houses of tho villages close
to the Tamisagawa were swept away, and
over 80 persons arc reported to have losl
their lives According to investiga ion.
made up to August u, the total number
OF houses carried away in Nishi Murosor
was tor. while 5Os others We're demolished
| 40 being more or less damaged. The mum
Der of deaths was ST..