, 1923-10-31

letter from Mrs. Cyrus E. Wood, wife
of the American ambassador, to her
cousin, Mrs. j.. A. Roeschlaub, of
Powell, and printed last week in the
Tribune. 1t is so interesting that it
it well worth republishing:
Dear Minerva:
"We are all absolutely well and un-
touched and so proud of be Americans
that l have not words to express it.
"Cyrus was the only chief of mis-
sions who remained in Toxic for every
minute of the time and every mar of
his staff put his shoulder to the wheel
without though of self. The Asiatic
fleet was to the rescue with supplies
in so short a time that it seemed a
miracle and so tactfully and carefully
has the situation been handled that
everyone says that no event in history
has so strengthened the relationship
between u country and Japan. This
is n of the good things that has
come out of the horrible disaster.
But l will begin at the beginning
for l know you are all interested. The
first of September, warm and lovely,
with my little Japanese maid, Mother
and myself making curtains for the
embassy. The quake came about
noon. l was on the stairway and at
first l thought l was dizzy. Cyrus
and the military attache were in the
chancery and Mother in her room.
Col. Burnett, military attache, realiz-
ing the danger soon had US all out of
the house into the garden of the en-
bassy. Just after that the side wall
and cornice collapsed on the very
place where Cyrus and the colonel had
been sitting.
"Three children belonging to the
servants were gotten out of the room
just before the chimney and roof of
the servants quarters fell.
Next scene in the picture was the
fire, most horrible of all. The water
pipes had burst and a high wind was
blowing, but it was so far away that
we never dreamed it would reach us.
However, one of the assistant mill
tary attaches came up about the mid
die of the afternoon and suggested
that as the fire was gaining great
Roadway, hat we had better gather
some of our things together. Our
trunks were only partially %unpacked
so we decided to have them carried
to the far end of the garden, as for
eign clothing is so difficult to buy in
Japan. At first the servants were
afraid to go into the house but Cyrus
and / went in with them and we saved
nearly all of u clothing. We could
have saved more things, but as the
ground continued to quake intermit-
family we were afraid that if another
shock would come the house
would collapse and we did not like to
take the chance.
1--WE also saved quite a good supply
of medicine most fortunately, for all
such had been destroyed in Tokyo.
The servants served us with q deli
cious looking lunch and dinner in the
embassy garden, but of course we
could not eat, but constantly kept
rushing to our big iron entrance gate,
(the only place for a peep at the out
side world) as the darkness came the
wind veered toward our compound,
the streets wre n seething mass of
japanese refugees, burned out of
house and home, with their little scat
tered possessions on their backs, the
most pitiful sight you have ever seen,
all the time the flames chasing and
driving them on, next an attache came
rushing up to tell us that the flames
had leaped the last barrier and he
feared the embassy was doomed, and
we should have to move to his house
some distance from the fire zone, but
even so we could not bring ourselves
to leave.
FINALLY the whole street across
from us was in flames and the garage
at the one side and quite near to the
first house in the compound was blaz-
ing and we decided we must go be-
fore the one and only exit would be
cut off, while at this moment one of
the language officers from the Hol-
land legation came TO offer us his lit
tie house about three miles away and
quite out of danger. We accepted
gratefully and fortunately l had
thought to get out blankets as our
clothes we're thin and infamable and
we wrapped ourselves in these and
80 left our embassy compound. Even
the people around us were clapping
their hands to their heads TO stop
their hair from catching fire from the
sparks that were showering down
around Us.
"We started on foot, without bag or
baggage, but about a mile on the way
we succeeded in getting a rickeshaw
for mother. Cyrus and | passed the
little Dutch garden that night hoping
against hope that u embassy would
be spared by some miracle. Mother
rested as best she could. but never
for one moment lost her nerve. As
o MS IL was daylight came our Jap
unono nla..Mo..u .u.Il l..l.a.I. -