The Ogden standard. [volume] (Ogden City, Utah) 1902-1910, 1909-08-16
FIVE SQUARE MILES
OF OSAKA BURNED

Victoria, p. c.. Aug, 15.-When the
Empress or India, which reached port
Yesterday afternoon. was leaving
Kobe, sufferers from the FIRE that
swept over five square miles OF Os-
AKA, were strung out over the main
road around the bay and making their
way by junk and Sampan to Kobe FOR
succor The death list numbered
thirteen and three hundred persons
were Injured.
Tho fire started AT n hosiery fac
tory in Nichomo. North Ward. short
~ before daylight on July 81 and
spread rapidly, licking up the waffle
and bamboo houses, across six streets
while the flremen from Osaka water
works were using water drawn with
buckets from wells until the soldiers
came from osaka garrison and began
dynamiting houses in the path OF the
fire.
Great Temple Saved.
The main building OF the great Ten.
noji temple was saved. and the SUI
persutious Japanese declare that this
was due TO miraculous Intervention
The flames reached the temple At
10 30 a m While the crowds OF
priests were scurrying to rescue the
art treasures. remarkable scenes were
witnessed in the temple grounds.
Finally. when the rear gate was burn
ed. a priest called upon the spirits OF
the dead 10 stay the flames.
Soon afterward the wind veered I'm.
creasing in force and diverted the
flames toward Horikawa. a wide canal
InI v,,tf1 -.
either side OF which Osaka is built
The Shinto priests were all garbed in
their ceremonial white robes and were
assisted by three hundred troops of
the osaka garrison sent to aid them
to convey the temple treasures TO an.
other temple at Nakakoshia Park. on
an island In the middle OF the river
Engineers Dynamite Houses.
II was hoped that the 0pmes would
I be STAYED at the Konawa canal
where a great fight was made. but al
1870 the fire leaped tho canal and
spread towards the Ume Dai station
| the great station on the TokkaidC
road. Thence ii pursued ITS course
southeasterly to the commercial mu
scum and still further westward
burning the museum. the Osaka court
of appeals tho North Ward district
Office. a newspaper office, a rich eX
| change, commercial school. a girls
high school. the meteorological station
the governors official residence. the
Kaisei hospital and the northern Mo
shiwara beside very large number
of private dwellings.
Field hospitals were established by
L.
brought in for treatment The pro
prietor of the hosiery factory where
the fire started, and his wife were
stopped by the police from throwing
themselves into the flames, shouting
| that they did so to atone for the catas
| trophe.
In the afternoon four batteries o
| engineers came from Takatsukim. {
suburb, with dynamite and beear
| blowing down the houses in the north
| ern Yoshiwara on a large scale. Il
try to stop the FIRE, but they were
driven back Their efforts had the re
suit of splitting the path OF the
flames.
The street cars on Dojim were stop
ped, passengers were ordered to allght
and the cars were rushed through Tho
burning area TO the car sheds.
Failing utterly with the Scant
water supply, the troops toward even
ing. devoted all their energies to aid
ing citizens save goods and to assist
ing children and the old and feeble
TO places Of safety.
Large Factories Saved.
Most OF tho large factories, which
are in the suburbs, escaped The
Nippon and Fulushima cotton mills
were endangered but were saved
The fire destroyed In all about $1,000
buildings.
Osaka is divided into four wards
with very narrow, but regular streets
| Kitah-Ku, the north ward. which GOV
ers four and a half miles. being al
most wiped out. The east ward. which
escaped, is the richest, containing the
residences Of the upper and middle
classes The offices Of the banks and
of the leading commercial companies
were located there and most of these
were saved
The Tokyo Minichi says various
fire insurance companies have lost
so heavily that they will not be able
10 make payments.