Evening star., 1923-09-10
CRASH LIKE TYPHooN ROAR.
French Consul Fatally Hurt in
Yokohama Catastrophe.
By the Associated Press.

by the Associated Press. -.
KOBE September 10.-Marshall
Martin. a British refugee from Yo-
kohama- describes as follows the
death Of NJ. de Jardin, the French
consul general there:
Il was in the consulate with him.
together with NJ. Bickart, a French
attorney. The first shock threw
where the air seemed filled with yell
low acid dust which made breath
ing difficult The sound of crashing
buildings was like tn roar of a
thrown to the ground. When we
finally recovered ourselves We rushed
back into the building TO find that the
consul had been crushed under the
heavy timber.
During our frantic efforts to rescue
him other shocks flung us aside
We finally managed to extrieate NJ
de Jardfn, but he was fatally in
1ured and died while l was search
ing for medical help. 1 put the body
on a stretcher' and hurried to my own
home. -, =,
House Lying on Side.
The fires were spreading, necessi-
IT was to find the house lying on it's
side. AS / was considering whether
10 attempt to save any valuables.
three nearby dwellings burst into
names. ! ran towarJs the British con-
sulate. but found 1t encircled. by
flames, then took refuge in the
naval hospital compound, but this
soon became untenable.
me road from the summit of the
blum was crowded with japanese.
some of whom frantically hurled their
children over the cliff, following them
selves with such reckIessness that
they were often crushed at the bot
tom.
When / reached the seashore the
dead and injured We're all along the
foot of the bluff. 1t was CHASTITY,
Many of the Japanese swan out to
launches and other small water craft
] finally managed to get a small boat
ana went aboard the Dongela."
Happened in Minute.
George Firth of Samuel Samuel &.
Company, Ltd, of Yokohama, who
was i'll in his home beyond the bluff.
said that one minute the city was in
tact and that the next il was dis
, solved before the eyes of observers.
"Fissures opened in the earth,". he
said. "and it seemed as If the whole
foreign district on the bluff above
would come sliding down on U.S.
On Sunday morning" he continued.
there was beautiful sunrise and the
flames of the burning city seemed 20
be subdued, but they suddenly started
afresh and within an hour the air was
full of flames and smoke again.
Mrs. Firth, who was away from
home when the shock rocked the
children struggling through the ruins,
(, many of them bleeding from their in
/ juries.
Children Did Not Cry.
Strangely, few of them were cry
ing" she said. 81 wanted to reach
home and the children started climb
ing the bluff to get away from the
4 flames, which were unspeakably awful.
/ cannot describe. my feelings, but my
chief aim was to save the children.
passed the American Hospital.
which was totally destroyed. but did
not notice any of the patients. My
hands and face were scorched, but 1
climbed past a tumbledown house
underneath which several Japanese
were pinned One mans head was
| sticking out. His neck was caught
and he could not move.
Finally / reached my collapsed
house, where 1 found the children
safe. The first thing I did then was
to have my entire wardrobe emptied
into the street for the naked and half
naked women and children"
How Hotel Burned.
! Loui Jederkin. an agent for Swiss
| watch manufacturers, one of the ref
| ugees from Yokohama, gave graphic
description of his escape upon his
arrival here. The Grand Hotel. he
said. did not completely collapse as
| result of the shock, but he saw it
/ consumed by fire in less than ten
| minutes. Jederkin himself after the
shock thought first of his wife; and in
| his search found numerous other
foreigners likewise engaged.
las the heat from the fire mounted
| he. said. great crowds rushed into
the sea. Thousands were in the
water, some swimming to various
| boats, some lying at the edge and
some in up to their necks with their
hands over the faces as protection
from the heat of the burning city.
Covering my face with my coat /
l finally came out of the water and
continued to search for my wife.
| II met George Komor of Kuhn and
Komor, Limited. standing opposite
the ruins of his house near what had
been the Grand Hotel Standing
waist deep in debris and dust, and
| pof-tfag to a wonian's head, which
appeared high up In the pile of
timbers. he was shouting: 7 offer
10000 yen to whoever rescues. my
wife
"Her body was pinned by the tim
bers so that she could not move and
her husband was unable to get near
II 60 81