The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1891-12-01
JAPANS GREAT CALAMITY.
DETAILS OF THE RUIN WROUGHT
BIZ TIE EARTHQUAKE

DETAILS OF THE RUIv WRoUGB
BIZ THE EARTHQUAKE
Houses Shaken Down Upon Thousasds .
Inuntcs--Many People swsiIoweA Up ii
Ynwnins Crevssses - whole Tow
sinks Over 200 feet--A Raiircaa o.
itulns-Fire Adds 10 the Horrors OF th,
Dny-FtJiynna Loses Its syametry.
Correspondents In japan OF the san Francisco
newspapers hnvo sent them long accounts o
the appalling earthquake shocks that killed a
least $1,000 people and destroyed thousand.
of houses on Oct. %. Here 10 n part OF the Es
a,nincr correspondence letter:
Tonight Nugoja is in ruins The town Il
strewn with tho dead. and the hospitals are
overrun with mangled victims OF the most
terrible calamity the country has known with
in the memory OF foreigners.
During the week preceding the great shock
there had been felt all over central Japan.
every morning and evening. slight shocks OF
earthquake. shocks which now seem slight,
but many Of which were then regarded as I'M
usually sharp and severe. But these harmless
shocks are so frequent throughout the empire
that little import was attached to them. though
. many Japanese felt that the time had ut last
come for the great earthquake.
On the early morning Of tho 28th Of October
the country was awakened by the growing Of
the impending calamity. after few moments
OF which the full fury Of the historical calamity
wGo on. The surface Of the earth for hundreds
. and hundreds Of square miles was shaken like
n carpet. was ripped. torn. bounced up and
. down. and twisted In every direction. After
minute or two IL subsidized. and only an iupa-
tient scrunching was felt as the earthquake
, monster growled on. Then again and again
the intensity increased. and through the great
crevices where the earth had split open was
spurted sticky mud. hot salt water. and sand.
These volcanic fountains would mount to the
height Of eight and ten feet, and then as the
Garth settled back the crevices would partially
close their cavernous Jaws. In more than one
instance on human prey. The action OF the
ground was exactly as II the earth's crust vas
thin scum over q boiling. seethinG caldron.
and yet here ut Nagoia the sticky mud omitted
is found only 500 feet below tho surface.
The earthquake did not start from an earth
wave centre. 1t was wicked shake. jerked
from ono side to another by an awful force.
first one way. then across. ind up and down.
and then all three motions combined. result
ing in n pnuseating motion worse than that OF
u choppy sea. 1t was impossible 1or Il man u
In some localities it was hardly possible for
a man to crawl on al fours. IT were as wei 70
build one to survive such an ordeal as this.
Tie houses whose roofs are mingled with
turn. the majestio temples whose graceful sa,9l
curvcs are distorted and whose gildefd bells
ana n
in a moment too short to allow tho escape Of
sT es t hs.ss Rn Sa ssp5
quake drew no invidious distinction, shint9-
ist Buddhist. Christian; all were alike made
'. At Najoya the crumbling walls of church
fell on the head Of Christian aH oanEre9as12in
and IT, ees the Of Whose
itual light came from heather gods.
Ths sr wHrs sSd
The face Of vast fields =, were completely
some Useless e II. By the work Of fear
irl hand which has now apparently made
eH Gsmi 2u through the streets Of Naroja be-
fore dusk. fearful devastation was to pc
seen ct every block. The greatest wreck Sl,i IN
10 height. with q tower in the midiie Of the
i ish' It one ona next tho rooms:
n lofty inokestack. In these mills from zoO
W Vas sog mpaPy Beginning Known as one Of the
nSs! hsas each other
and In the various departments Of the mills.
Al 6:37 came tho awful rumble Of the earth.
sr as; i dow, with mishty roar. which even
tho earthquake rumbles could not droY9. AZ
Tie TIE sMia nSse dwnled away into the
Filled on;ysns By x the
cd, some Of them pinned down undor tons Of
scratch. The escapes from violent death were
almost miraculous,
9as at sv MnS IN
sarthquake came. and she fel! hea tIi with
The railroad line from ,Nagoia to ditp and on
While II other spsts. where the rails were more
seSes are bsaa aax Crooked Wires
In places tho eurth has sunk lar below the
former level and Great bi2 St OF fse riGsr
would certainly Hood the whole Nago'a dis
Gitu, Spawned by iron bridges, supported by
stone piers and On holow Iron ss allied With
S ss@sns rss and aNfi The 1t issawa w
Acr9ss the hae Io1 rse nas
heavy iron iron girders. and these on hollow iron
piles. In some instances these thick piles, |
some Of them ret tb lonS hav9 been
on the river bank. where they resemble huge |
carrots broken in pieces ,.. ,,....
work. this earthquake is said by y celebrated |
engineer, Mnjor-Gen. Palmer Of the British |
Il mankind. i II must take SIX or eight months.
ut the very least, to repair tho damage done to |
to beors
q DEAD Bodies are piled near the Kalzenil tenn;
:-s"sSt with eri.f at the loss II their ehii;;