Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1905-08-21
EHE EARTH
SHAKES
In JAPAN
hissiOnairy Writes the De-
| tails of a Severe ''Trem-
lOr'' In the Island


New York, Aug. g1.-From Hiroshi
Ia. Japan, a city on the inland sea
there are situated I'M of the Japa
.ese military hospitals, comes to tn,
Presbyterian board Of foreign missions
Rom Rev. w. b. Langsdorf the report
A severe earthquake which occurred
few weeks ago. Mr.. Langsdorf says
IL was the worst ver experienced in
his part of Japan. The natives say
hat about 30 years ago much damage
gas done and many people injured, but
his shock was the worst the city has
experienced. Many persons were killed
br injured, houses collapsed or were
brown from their foundations, and
arge assures appeared in the earth.
"There were two shocks on Friday,
eix on Saturday, two on Sunday, two
bn Tuesday, and another Wednesday
hight. Many people refused to sleep
n their houses and camped out in the
fields three or four nights notwithstand-
Ing heavy rains. When the first shock
lame I was at n Of the military hos.
pitals trying to help some Of the wound
I'd soldiers. / was talking to a poor
yellow when the whole building sudden.
ly began to rock like a ship in n storm
st sea. My soldier friend had to
clutch at the sides of the bed to keep
himself from falling out. / shall never
forget the sight as / stood in the center
Of the room with feet braced, just as
on a pitching vessel. One Of my help
ers was on the floor beside a bed with
his hands over his head; another was
disappeared at the door followed by a
bong line of white ROBBED figures, who
suddenly seemed to have pressing bust.
ness in that direction. All the while
the building was creaking and groan-
Ing, tables were being overturned, and
aOwer.pots were crashing to the floor.
"If you take a pasteboard box and
push it first at one corner and then at
the other until you think it will fall in,
you will get some slight idea Of the
way that building looked. After help
Ing to make some Of the poor fellows
O~Omfortable, ] fastened home. The
streets were filed with panic-stricken
people and on all sides could be seen ev-
licences Of the visitation. You can im-
'agne by great relief at finding our
house standing and all the family unin-
jured, though greatly alarmed. When
/ examined I found how marvellous
had been our escape. The earth, houses
and all, presents the appearance Of hav-
ing buckled up, bumped like a camel,
and parts Of the ground appear to have
jumped by way Of variety.
can the chimneys on both houses are
cracked, and in one Of them the chin
ueys crashed through the roof and cell
ings to the ground. Not a room in
either house escaped A clock and
book case were hurled 10 the floor, china
and glassware crashed, our whole house
was moved from it's foundations and a
number Of the main beams and braces
supporting the roof were left in danger
Gus condition. One of many peculiar
things that happened was this; One
Of my large bookcases was overturned
and sent flying across the room. The
bwer shelf was filed with large books.
These were left in perfect order and up
night OF the floor, just as if the floor
had been the shelf. The bookcase,
shelves and all, were three feet away
from these books. II seems incredible,
but it is the fact.
SIN less than an hour / was getting
estimates on the repairs, realizing that
Immediate action was necessary 10 save
the house from complete loss. / did
he best 1 could and consider the
amOunt l have to pay TO be cheap for
Japan, and in America the same amount
Of work could not be done for five times
the amount. On the next day it rained
very hard, but 1 kept the workmen at
y working with them on the top of
Tie houses, between shocks Of which
here were that day six. Naturally the
"Fain has been great upon us all, but
We are devoutly thankful that We have
al escaped injury. But wen yet we
70 not know when there will be a rep
eli'lOn Of what we have gone through.
let We believe there is work here for
s' to do and that the Lord viii spare