News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1892-01-14
A VERMONTER
TELLS HIS EXPERIENCE IN THE JAPAN
EARTHQUAKE.

TELLS HIS EXPERIENCE IN THE JAPAN
EARTHQUAKE.
Claude NJ. Severance, a son of Rev.
M. l.. Severance of Bennington, and a
Congregational missionary to Japan
writes thus to New Haven Palladium
from Tottori, Japan, under date of
| November 10:
While it falls to your lot to give
news of railroad disaster, again a
university episode or the ascent of
some political balloon, we out in ia
pan have to write down in our Jour-
mails the rumblings of earthquakes,
the eruptions of volcanoes, the sub
sidence of hills, the formation OF hot
springs and lakes, the opening of
| assures in the earth's crust and de-
struction of thousands of human
lives.
Coming to this country last year
as missionary of the A B. G.. F, NJ,
it was my fortune to be here 365 days
without experimenting a single earth
wave but on October Is last, while
at morning prayers with the Row.
lands, we were swayed in our seats
and given a dizzy feeling, the timbers
of the house creaking and the door
bell ringing a dirge. We were forget
ting this earthquake, when about II
days later, at about 6 40 O'Clock in |
the morning, we were startled by a |
violent undulation that set the door I
bells tolling and drove US all out
doors, where, fortunately, it was not
too cold for Pnjamas and the like.
Houses in the .neighborhood We're
swaying and we feared our chimneys
would come dOwn-you know athed
Japanese do not build chimneys for |
their houses-fer the ground beneath !
US was moving i'll distinct uhdula-
ton. How grateful we are that it
was not the vertical motion, that it
was not the still more dreadful whirl-
ing movement. The first shock was /
long and was followed by slighter
ones oft repeated for days. Even vet
there are small waves felt at times.
The sky was very oddly colored ;, a,
smoky mist seeming to be blended
with the gorgeous red of the rising
sun. In this city'it was said at once
to be the most violent shock in the
of thousands, and yet
as far as one can see not a wreck
marks the scene of commotion. We
We were not at the center
Of the greatest activity. 1t was in
the vicinity of Gifu and Nagoya that
one had to go to see horrors and dis /
pair.
The magnitude of the disaster seems I
to grow on one rather than to di- !
mlnish. Land opened andswallowed !
men, closing again so as to leave !
only their hair visible The courses !
Of rivers were changed Towns were 9
destroyed by fire following the shocks. :
The suspense of those livingis beyond $
for when their turn should
come they could not guess. Rail +
Dad communication has stopped for o
he winter between Kyoto and Nago- +
"a, it is feared, and they do not yet
now just how much money has been
contributed by foreigners alone tore I
leye sufferers. Physicians from lead \
ng cities were promptly on hand v
where there was the greatest distress, b
nd tents were put up for the home ]
ess and wounded. DR.. John Berry O
# the Doshrso hospital, Kyoto, re- t
elved- a passport at short notice n
nd went to the spot where, for b
all week, he was able to bring his d
sympathy and recognized C,
MEDICAL skill to bear upon the afflic- C
ed Japanese