New-York tribune., 1918-12-08
Fires in Japan Cause Great
Loss of Life and Property
Entire Villages Have Been Wiped Out-Blocks of
liny Wooden Houses i'm Toxic Consumed-Pict-
uresque Description of Japanese Fire

TOXIC. Nov. 1 Correspondence of
The Associated Press).- ).-Freouently
fires throughout Japan, attended by
considerable destruction of property
and some loss of life, have urgently
called the attention OF the Japanese
authorities 20 the necessity of improv-
lrg the means of fighting fire. In
some cases entire villages have been
wiped out, and in the city of Toxic
blocks of tiny wooden houses have been
consumed with amazing swftness.
A Japanese fire is different from al
most any other fire in the world. I
had an opportunity Of observing that
TACT when fire occurred some time
ago near the headquarters of The AS
sociated Press and seemed for time
to threaten it's destruction.
Foreign style houses in Toxic are
grouped in compounds-tha is, three
or tour structures are contained in one
large area, or garden They dot here
and there the great Oriental metropo-
lis, which stretches out for miles-a
mass of lowbuilt, tile rooted, paint
less wooden houses, the streets bor-
dered by lines of wooden telegraph
poles carrying their burden of wires
In the same compound with the CORES
pondent lived an American military at
tache, and an American business man.
The mellow notes of a Japanese gong
pealing through the night awoke the
sleeper. AS he turned uneasily there
came discreet knock on the door.
"Danna SAN" said the "boy." "Danna
san speak like see big fire. Big fire
come. Please get up; please CO." A
nf irbt oh 4, !.
windows The fire was near and the
correspondent went with his COM
patriots.
Fires Picturesque in Japan
In the United States a big fire ap-
spectacular with the picturesque and
the artistic added. The "boy" was
wrong in one particular; it was not a
big fire as Toxic knows them--only 80
houses-but it afforded dramatic in
stance of the Toxic fre-hghters in ac-
ton. The Americans Joined the throng
of hurrying, murmuring, kimono-
wrapt, clog-shod Japanese which
choked the narrow street leading to
the scene of the fire which loomed up,
angry and menacing, an eighth of a
mile away. Masses of sparks scared
heavcnward and clouds of luminous
smoke rolled upward and beyond.
toward the center of the great city
whose greatest scourge had ever been
fire.
'It is spreading" a Japanese friend
said, gayly. "The gongs are sounding
far away to call reinforcements. Let
us hurry; we must get good view"
The crowd was becoming almost i'm
possible in density, and almost all the
men composing it bore aloft exquisite
To, 10y,
tinuous, singing lane of fantastic deco
ration that wound onward until it
ended on the borders of the conf1agra-
tion itself. AS the crowd increased
the noise grew in volume until it be-
came a roar of sound Everybody
seemed excited. Nothing seemed sys-
tematized False appearances, both.
Here Comes Hand Pump
Now great shout arose, and men
waving huge lanterns forced a passage
way in the middle of the street. A
hand pump on four wheels, drawn and
pushed by perspiring men, toiled up,
followed by q hose reel, similarly pro-
PEELED The firemen had strange Jap
anese lanterns and designs on their
floating garments; their heads and
faces were shrouded in helmets of
some thick stuff that resembled oil
cloth The children had gone to bed
and seemed to have stayed there, but
men and women, talking and gestjcu-
lating, stood outside their tiny wooden
houses, casting glances Of anxiety, first
at the advancing flames and then at
their own endangered homes. Was it
time to flee? 1t appeared not. Capable
policemen were pressing back and
FORTH seeming to write the Japanese
characters of calm in the air, as they
thrust the omnipresent lanterns back
and forth.
Still nearer the flames rose up the
rhythmic chant of men swayng at the
pumps, cone two; one, two; one, two. >.