St. Paul daily globe., 1891-10-29
Three HUNDRED DEAD
Two Large Cities Of Japan
Crumbled by an Earth
quake Shock.
Thousands Of Buildings Are
Destroyed and the Streets
Full Of Victims.
Wires Down and the Ill-Fated
Towns Cannot Be
Reached.
Widespread Damage Caused
by Fires in Various
Places.

LONDON, Oct 2S.-Dispatches were
received here this evening from Japan
announcing that the telegraph wires
beyond Hiogo and Osaka were down.
1t was added that there had been an
earthquake at Hiogo and Osaka, and
the rumOr is current that great
amount of property has been destroyed,
and that the loss Of life will be appall-
ing.
A private telegram dated HiOgO, re-
celved in this city tonight, confirms
the report conveyed III former telegramS
that disastrous earthquake shock has
occurred in Japan. This telegram says
that a severe shock was experienced at
Osaka, and that the destruction both of
life and property was very great. So
severe was the shock that q number of
houses were thrown to the ground, and
many of the occupants were caught in
the falling buildings and crushed to
death.
A large number of persons succeeded
In escaping from their totterIng homes
only to meet death in the streets. to
which they had fled for safety from the
falling debris. There is no means at
present of estimating the total loss of
life; in fact, the details of the cataStrO-
phe are very meager, as all the tele
graph wires are broken in the districts
affected by the falling of the poles,
which were thrown down by the seis-
mic disturbance.
300 Dead ia One City.
The aforementioned private dispatch,
however, states that it is known that in
Osaka alone the death list contains tn e
names OF 800 of the residents of tha t
city.
Hiogo is a seaport town of Japan, on
the island of HOndO. and is situated
about twenty-five miles by Iail from
Osaka. Hiogo Is fiue harbor at the
head OF the gulf OF Osaka, and is ad-
jacent to Kobe. 1t Is lighted with gas,
and has a number of fine public build
ings, including a town hall, custom
house and government machine shops.
The seaport referred to has an eXten-
Sive foreign and cOaStWise trade, and a
population in 1854 of about 40, 900 souls.
Osaka is also on the island of HondO
and on the sea, thirty-SeYen miles south
0Nol VI 1AiclO- " hlilSIl DilCNs 40 NCll
to Iliogo and Kobe, railways have been
built. Osaka has large foreign trade,
arsenals. great castle. machine shops,
a city hall, mint, a college and an
academy, and is traversed by canals,
over which there are more than LOO
bridges, some of them of iron. This
city has many theaterS and other pla> )
of amusement. and it also has 1000
places of worship. In point of size it is
the third or fourth city in Japan, but
in social affairs, fashion, commerce and
industry it takes the first rank. Osaka
has five newspapers, hundreds of
schools and population, according to
the census Of 1854, of about 100000.
WAsHINGTON. Oct. 2S.-Neither the
state department nor the Japanese le-
cation here have received advices of
the reported earthquake shock in Japan
to-day. The Japanese minister said TO-
night that the last earthquake in Japan
which resulted in great loss of life and
property occurred about thirty years
ago at this season of the year, and in
the same locality as the one mentioned
to-day.