The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1914-04-27
JAPAN TO ADVANCE
 MARINE SUBSIDIES
Government Will Aid Com merce In Spite of Fail
 ure of Budget

Tokio, April 2S.-Notwithstandin the failure of the Japanese Diet tp agree upon the budget, which was. the immediate cause of the fall of the Yarnamoto Cabinet, the government will advance funds for the subsidy of a trt-weekly steamship service through the Panama Canal to New York, feeling sure that the next ses- sion Of the Diet will ratify the action.
 Latest plans provide that the new line shall start from Yokohama and proceed to New York via Seattless Panama and Colon. On. the return trip the steamers will touch at New Orleans, Panama and Seattle. The original idea to make Boston the terminus has been abandoned for the present Arrived al Yokohama. the steamers will continue on to Hong kong via Kobe. Moji and Shanghai. On the way back to Yokohanla they will call at Manila. and Kobe, Japan considers the Chinese and Philippine connections necessary to make the venture profitable.
 The Nippon Yusen Qaishay which probably will receive 8 subsidy of about $8O0s000 annually, will place nine 10,oe0-ton steamers in the Pana- ma 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 voyage of s7, ,66e miles from Yokohama to Pana- ma The voyage from Yokohama to New York, via the Suez Canal, route will require but AZ days
 The plight of poor Japanese in the north who have been suffering from famine has been increased blythe dis astrous earthquake of March which caused great devastation in zone of about 20 miles square around Akita, on the island of Hondo. The city of Akita was damaged only slightly but in the country nine towns and forty one villages were seriously damaged, some villages, being entirely annihilat- ed. About 1000 houses we're com p1etely destroyed and about 100 per sons were killed, according to the lat est reports.
 The earthquake came at dawn. The motion was horizontal at nrst, but af- ter twenty seconds turned into a vio- lent perpendicular movement greatly increasing in velocity until it broke movement, which is particularly fear ed in Japan, caused hundreds of houses to collapse and scores of peo- pie were crushed to death, having no time to- escape. The affrighted people who succeeded in getting out, rush.
 
 escape from the earthquake belt, but found the rails blocked with stones and earth Dangerous holes and trenches were opened in the streets from which rose a cloud. of dust and debris.
 Several thrilling tales were told by survivors. At Kodokawa the house of a wealthy resident caught fire and the family of seventeen people as we'll as two visitors were burned alive. The two story house of Santaro Saito at sArahamura was razed to the ground His family Of five and three others were asleep on the first floor with four guests upstairs. When the building was falling the men upstairs managed to crawl from the debris and began to search for those below. Five were taken out injured, but three others, including the master of the house., his son and servant. were faund dead.
 Faithful to the memory of the enn- peror, one of the first acts of the mayor Of Kowakubi, which was wip- ed out by the disaster, was to rush to the hill top and recover the imperial flag floating on a shrine that had been dedicated to the late Emperor Mutsu- hito.
 A Japanese reporter who made a trip through the devaStaled district found misery and pathos. Some vic tins had erected huts in the road way where the mud was knee deep. He found the village of Kowakubi in ab- solute darkness except where a few struggling lights feeblyS showed D scene. of destruction. Not one Of the one hundred and forty houses re- mained intact. score of people had been instantly 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 suddenly became active The mountain which is near the coast and overlooks theAsea Of Japan is known as the Fuji of Akita. Its summit is covered with. snow even in rnid-sum- mer. A great mass of smoke and fire suddenly burst from the southwest