The evening times., 1896-07-09
OVER FIFTY THOUSAND DEAD
Details Of the Japanese Tidal
Wave Coming In.
LOSS UNKNOWN
1t Was the Most Fearful Calamity of
Modern Times-SurvivOrs Of the
Stricken District Are In a Terrible
COpditiOn-Dead Bodies Lie ROtttng
In Heaps.

Victoria, B. c.. July 8.-Additional de-
tails Of the Japanese tidal wave OF last
month were received by the United Press
today on the arrival of the steamer Brae-
mer from Yokohama. The adviccs are to
June 22, and show that the disaster was
probably the most fearful of modern times.
The death list has been greatly augmented
since last advices and will undoubtedly
gofar beyond 5000. The distress among
the survivors of the terrible visitation is
appalling. Thousands of injured are dying
from lack OF medical assistance and many
are upon the verge of starvation, subsist-
ing on fish, washed ashore by the waves
and eating them raw, having no cooking
appurtenances.
The wave originated not far from the
japanese coast and appears to have visited
an extent OF over 800 miles of coast line.
Even in Hokkaido it wrought destruction.
The most souterly limit OF its ravages
appears to have been just little north
of the famous archipelago of Matsush-
ina.
WIPED FROM OFF THE EARTH.
In Miyas Gi prefecture 14,7SO people
persisted and 1856 houses were destroyed.
In Iwate pre- lecture 22 ,1S6 persisted,
1,2i4 were inj ured aud o ,030 houses were
destroyed, making total for the two pre-
lectures OF 81, 1855 killed, PA injured
and s, g houses destroyed. The number OF
deathsin A Aomori prefectureisn notknown yet.
In Miyas Gi prefecture the villages OF
ShiZukawa, Otani Otatsu and karkuwa,
in Iwate prefecture. kesen-Nuu.a, Sakari,
ture Mnatok, Hachinohe and Miyako were
severely damaged a dispatch from Morika
dated June ~. states lhat over $4,000
people were either killed or injured by
the recent calamitolS wave.
In the Kesen CiisSrict Of Iwate, one large
town and eleven villages were destroyed,
5000 persons perished and l, 400 houses
were swept away. In Minami Hei dis
trict three towns and eight villages were
overwhelmed, 5 627 persons we're drowned,
3S2 were injured and l ,237 houses were
destroyed.
LOSS NOT YET KNOWN.
A full investigation will probably double
these figures. The folio wing figures re-
rer to the Kesen district. 6,009 dead, 313
injured and 3,5ls houses destroyed
The japanese papers are occupied in
constructing theories as to the cause of
the sudden ocean disturbance. Some sUg
gest that volcanic eruption took place far
out In the Pacific.
Another theory is that a huge cave-in
occurred in the southern part of what is
known as the Great Deep" beginning
off lshiuOnaki and stretching over 700
miles nortiiward and eastward. A Hach-
inoe telegram states that many bodies
and wrecked houses were washed ashore
in the district of Kamikit of the Komorito
prefecture, from which the conclusion is
draw wn that the wave Travelled southeast
and northwest.
DEAD LAY IN HEAPS.
The Jill says referring to the Motishi
district that though the bodies recovered
had only been five or SIX hours in the water
the ylooked as il they had bee Dtossed by the
waves several weeks.
Thebodies Were laldin heaps in many cases
with nothing 20 cover them. A telegram from
kataaishi states that only 1000 out of a
population of $500 were saved at that
place. Those who escaped were more
or less injured
Able R,spal. French missionary, was
among the drowned at Kamaishi. A great
many Japanese shng boats were destroyed
by the wave. No damage to European
vessels has been reported. The 0shromira
and Yoshima post and telegraph offices.
with The officers and families, were swept
away by the wave.