Evening star., 1914-04-25
THROUGH TO NEW YORK
BY THE PANAMA CANAL
Japan to Subsidize Steamer Line for
Benefit of Her
Commerce. d:
: Lamine-Stricken District Visited by
Earthquake-Some Villages An
INITIATED, 100 Persons Killed.
TOXIC. April l. 1914.


Notwithstan ndine the failure of the Jap
anese diet 10 agree upon the budget.
which was the immediate cause of the
fall of the Yamamoto cabinet the gov
ernment will advance funds for the sub
sidy OF tiweekly steamship service
through the Panama canal to New York.
feeling sure that the next session of the
diet will ratify the acton.
Latest plans provide that the new line
shall start from Yokohama and procec,;
to New York via Seattle. Panama and
Colon. On the return trip the steamers
will touch at New orleans. Panama and
Seattle. The original idea to make Bos-
ton the terminus has been abandoned for
the present. Arrived a. Yokohama. the
steamers will continue on to Hongkong
via Kobe. Moi and Shanghai. On the
way back to Yokohama they will call at
Manila and Kobe. Japan considers the
Chinese and Philippine connections nec-
essary to make the venture profitable.
The Nippon Yusen Kaisha. which prob
ably will receive subsidy of about $780,
600 annually, will place nine 10.000-ton
steamers in the Panama service. The
government has selected Seattle as the
Pacific port of call, because it finds coal
cheaper there than at Honolulu. and
some port is considered necessary on the
Panama. The voyage from Yokohama to
New York. via the Suez canal, takes over
eighty days. but the Panama route will
require but forty-two days.
Earthquake in Famine District.
The plight of poor japanese in tho
north who have been suffering from fam
inc has been increased by the disastrous
earthquake of March. which caused great
devastation in zone of about twenty
miles square around Akita on the Island
Of Hondo. The city Of Akita was dam
aged only slightly, but in the country
nine towns and fo:ty-one villages were
seriously damaged. some villages being
entirely annihilated. About 1000 houses
were completely destroyed, and about 100
persons were killed, according to the
latest reports.
The earthquake came at dawn. The
motion was horizontal at first. but after
twenty seconds turned into a violent per-
pendicular movement greatly increasing
in velocity until it broke the seisme-
graphs. The upward movement, which
is Particularly feared in japan. caused
hundreds of houses to collapse and scores
of people were crushed 10 death having;
no time to escape. The affrighted peo-
pie who succeeded in getting out rush
escape from the earthquake belt. but
found the rails blocked with stones AMI
earth. Dangerous holes and tren, hes
were opened in the streets f9en which
rose cloud of dust and debris.
Several thrilling tales were told nv
survivors At YodokaE-a the housa of
wealthy resident caught fire ard the
family OF seventeen people as well as
two-storied house of Santaro Sa.to at
Arahamura was razed 10 the ground.
His family of five and three Others were
lrNCs ire he 1,triil linz foil
ing the men upstairs managed to crawl
from the debris and began to search for
those below. Five We're taken out in
jured. but three others. Including the
master of the house. his son and servant
We're found dead.
Rescues Imperial Flag.
Faithful to the memory of the en-
peror. one of the first acts of the mayor
of Kowakubi. which was wiped out by
the disaster. was to rush to the hilltop
and recover the imperial flag floating
a shrine that had been dedicated to the
late emperor Mutsuhito.
A Japanese reported who made a trip
through the devastated district found
erected huts in the roadway where the
mud was knee deep. He found the viii
lage of kowakubi in absolute darkness
except where a few struggling lights
feebly showed a scene of destruction.
Not one of the 40 houses remained
intact, a score OF people had been
killed and eighty were more or
less severely injured The postmaster
had gone mad from seeing the violent
death of his wife.
A few days after the earthquake the
long extinct volcano on Mount Chokai
became active. The mountain.
which Is near the coast and overlooss
the sea of Japan. is known as the Fuji
Of Akita. Its summit is covered with
snow even in midsummer. A great mass
of smok and fire suddenly burst from
ward.