The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1896-08-21
Courtesies Shown by imperial
Japanese Government.
MABEL LOOMS ToODs LETTER.
Changes in the Country-More En-
gIish spoken in Yokohama Than
Formerly-PoInt Selected for OBJ
serving the Eclipse, Etc, Etc.
Yokohama Harbor, July 8, 1896
Yacht Coronet


seem to accompany the Amherst /
Eclipse Expedition upon its travels.
Tales OF the mighty eruption of Mauna |
Loa, just ending, greeted US at the |
Hawaiian Islands. Upon the arrival
OF the Coronet in Japan on June %, /
il was learned that an enormous tidal
wave had recently devasted more than
thirty towns and villages in the north,
washing away over five thousand
houses and destroying nearly thirty
thousand persons. Detailed accounts
OF this appalling disaster are still
hard TO obtain, for the few survivors
in the devasted districts are even now
too daZed to give clear description of
the horror which befell them But it
is known that a seimic wave, rising to
a height OF almost sixty feet. swept
across the land, earring everything in
its course with irresistible force
Along a coast line of It's miles in one
province alone the wave overwhelmed
the seaboard of three districts-Miva-
81, Iwate, and Aomori, extending from
Hachinoye on the north to Kinkasan,
an island at the mouth of the bay of
Sendai. on the south. Several shocks
OF earthquake were felt during the
few hours preceding, and shortly be-
fore eight o'clock in the evening of
June 10. a terrifying noise was heard
like the boom OF gigantic artillery,
black wall of water was seen advancing
from the ocean with fearful speed, and
in less than two minutes whole towns
were swept away and thousands of
human beings persisted. Their Majes-
ties the Emperor and Empress have
come nobly to the rescue with gifts of
Il, 1000 yen, and the Tokyo journals at
once opened subscriptions for the re-
lief of the starving survivors, the Jill
collecting in a few days over 10000
yen. and the Nichi-Nichi more than
5000. while the Iwate branch of the
Red Cross Society has established a
temporary hospital among the suffer
ing people.
And still the pleasant life of the for
eign residents in Yokohama goes on
much as il did nine years ago; men-of-
war of many nations lie at ease in the
beautiful harbor, now smooth and I'M
ruffed behind its superb new break
water, and astronomers of several ma
lions are on their way to lie in wait
rushes across the Hokkaido on the
9Th of August. Once more will our
satellite circle around US in her celes-
tial pathway before she slips quietly
in between US and the sun to shut off
his light in Yezo for two precious min
utes and half.
a new system of meteorological OBJ
seryations made before an eclipse and
with special reference to it was inau-
gurated for that of 1898. Taking the
exact track as soon as published in the
Nautical Almanac, and having careful
observations made at the best and
most accessible points, gave excellent
results on that occasion. AS the Ep-
hemeris is issued about four years in
advance. this insures three complete
series before an eclipse Noting the
general meteorological conditions of
the heavens is not sufficient, for the
sun is in a particular part of the sky
at a given hour. so the observations
must be of a special character. and
with distinct reference to the position
of the sun, season of the year. and
hour of the day when the eclipse takes
place The tabulation of this informa-
ton assists greatly in selecting best sta
ton for eclipse observation. Those who
followed the indication" as to clear
ness of sky in 1893 achieved the best
results.
In that year Prof Todd wrote TO
the Director of the Imperial Japanese
Weather Service, requesting obserya-
lions similar to those he had obtained
for 1893 at different points in the Hok-
kaido. and his suggestions have been
carried out in every particular. Prof
Nakamura, Director of the Central
Meteorological Observatory at Tokyo
has had printed and distributed to the
different legations pamphlet for the
information of eclipse students, con-
tanning not only all the observations
referred to, but a sufficiently minute
discussion of them to enable all the
astronomers 10 weigh most inuelli-
gently the probable chances of clear
skies at every available point in the
path TO totally. The establishment OF
any station is thus made with full
knowledge of whether it is best OF
worst in probable clearness; and il
obliged to plant himself in some less
hopeful location, the intending obseT-
yer takes his OMn 44ShSs WIN OECs
wide open to the law of probabilities
The three provinces of Yezo in which
the shadow falls are Kushiro, Katimi
and Nemuro, each containing several
towns. most of them, however, small
and but little known TO foreigners. Tri-
daily observations were made from July
p 10 August % during three years, al
two o'clock, half after two and at three
o'clock, at a number of these villages
in the eclipse track, the results being
carefully compared and comparative
tables shown. From the percentage Of
cloud at the observation hour itself
Akkeshi, on the southeast coast, comes
first in probabilities of clearness, and
Esashi, or the northeast coast, second;
but from the point Of its constancy
thirty minutes before and after the
eclipse, Ssashi presides over all the
others, as shown by the full tables