Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1923-09-06
WORD PICTURE OF JAPANESE
DISASTER; DEATH STRUCK IN
MIDST OF HOLIDAY THRONG
no means of combating the rapidly
spreading Conflagration.
Cabinet Is Formed

Premier Yamamoto was meeting
with those he had called to form
new governme..t. The. city was be.
ing shaken down, or burned about
them, but the cabinet was complet.
ed and the task of rescue immediate,
ly taken.
The Union station withstood the
shock, but as thousands poured in
that direction they found there were
no means OF, leaving the stricken cap.
ital.
Railroad tracks were torn up. All
telegraph wires were down. Toxic
was isolated.
Indescribable terror gripped the
city. AS night came on the great
fire spread, sweeping through ward
after ward, destroying such houses
as remained standing and turning
the debris into a great field of
flames.
The military took control. Wild
animals, liberated from the zoo,
were shot. Some looting was report
ed. Suspects were killed.
The imperial palace was badly
damaged. The military rushed to
save the prince regent. Buildings,
which it was feared might commu-
nicate the fire to the palace, were
dynamited. The roar of explosions,
the din of collapsing buildings, the
rush of flames, added to the terrors
of the scene. The heat of the burn.
ing city became all but unbearable.
Hundreds Leap Into River
Hundreds, crazed by terror, leaped
into the Sumidi river. Others died
in their homes, or their bodies,
streWing the streets, were thrown
into the flames. Burial was irnpos-
sible.
Buddhist and Sh;nto priests. clad
in their heavily Urocaded or white
and purple robes, chanted prayers
for the dead as they were consigned
to the flames or piled in the streets.
From Kahagura came word of
Prince Matsukata being badly crush
ed when his house collapsed.
At least three members OF the
royal family were killed or injured
and in addition to royalty, 1apan's
merchant princes and others of
means who escaped death or injury,
became helpless refugees along with
the humblest of the poor in the face
of the disaster.
The entire working forces of
many industries were wiped out.
Numerous incidents are reported OF
mills and buildings-such as the gov
eminent printing office-collapsing
and crushing practically all occu-
pants to death.
Roads Impassable
Roads connecting Toxic with out
lying points were torn up. Trees
were felled. Then airplanes were
pressed into service to fly over the
stricken city. But so dense was the
smoke arising that they were forcd
to fly high above the scene of the
catastrophe and the aviators could
determine but little of what was
transpiring beneath them.
At Yokohama the scenes of Toxic
were duplicated. The destruction
tnel e, however. was accentuated by
an even more devastating fire. The
great wharves Of the Japanese port
were destroyed, Shipping in the har-
Dor took fire The Iquake was fol
low ed by tidal waves. Ships which
might have escaped were hurled
back upon the shore. as the giant
seas arose and flooded miles of the
coast line.
Even after escaping from the burn +
ng capital refugees were not safe. !
Ten thousand of them took refuge /
in a great military compound south /
Of Toxic. The compound, no longer |
IN use by the army, was surrounded |
by deep water and access to it was
by means of wooden bridges.
10000 Burn to Death
Fire, having no connection with
the confla grafton they had left. be-
hlnd, broke QUIZ consumed the