Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1923-10-03
DODGEVILLE MAN,
QUAKE SUR VTVOR
TELLS EXPERIENCE

MADISON, Sept. 27.-SHll haggard
and nervous and showing plainly the
effects of narrowing experiences,
Thomas w. Patterson of Dodgeville,
the first survivor of the recent Jap
anese earthquakes to reach Madison,
described the horror visited upon the
Nipponese Empire by the disaster
which killed hundreds OF thousands
and almost completely wiped out the
cities of Tokyo and Yokohama.
A fortunate circumstance kept Mr..
Patterson out of Tokyo on Sept. l, the
day of the first quake, and probably
saved him from the fate met by other
foreigners, he declared. He stopped
this morning at the home Of his cous
in, Mrs l.. E. Jones, 451 West Main
street, where he met his wife and lit
tie son for the first time since depart
ing for the Island last March.
Was in Osaka.
Mr.. Patterson, who was represent
ing the F. D. GUNNER company Cleye
land, manufacturers of asphalt road
machinery, was in Osaka about 200
miles from Yokohama, on Sept. 1. He
had planned to leave for Tokyo tho
preceding night, which was Friday,
but had been persuaded to remain and
aid a Japanese firm repair some ma
chinery.
At noon on Saturday, he said, the
earth started to rock and the building
in which he was working trembled.
He rushed out of doors, and found
people pouring out OF the houses. The
quake produced a sensation of nausea,
similar to that brought on by sea sick
ness, he said, and he felt as if he
would be unable to stand up. Loss of
life in Osaka was small, only a few
buildings there were destroyed, Mr..
Patterson stated.
Mr. Patterson sailed from Kobe on
the Empress of Asia on Sept IL. The
ship stopped for three hours at de-
vastated Yokohama, he declared, but
the stencil was so extremely dis
agreeable that the captain refused to
remain. "Yokoham is completely de-
stroyed," the Dodgeville man asserted.
mot single building remains in
what was a month ago thriving city
of more than half a million people.
One can hardly think Of the conditions
there. Corpses were still floating liz
the harbor when l last saw the place,
and the canals which are Japan's
commercial arteries were choked with
hundreds of bodies"
Pictures of the horrible scenes Of
suffering and wreckage were brought
back by Mr.. Patterson.
The area of the devastation in To-
kyo is seven miles long and four miles
wide, territorially equal to that cover
ed by the entire city of Madison, ac-
cording to Mr.. Patterson. Press re-
ports of the number of people killed
have been entirely too conservative,
he claims Without exaggerating at
all, it is safe to say that between 250,-
600 and half million people were
killed." he said. 81 know it to be a
fact that $4,000 bodies were burned in
one huge pile in Tokyo"
Tells Interesting Details.
Interesting sidelights on the situa-
ton following the first large crashes
are given by Mr.. Patterson. The I'm
perial hotel, built by Frank Lloyd
Wright, formerly OF Spring Green,
Wis, was the only building in Tokyo
which withstood the shocks, Mr.. Pat
terson declared Railroad rails were
twisted out of shape and often lifted
so feet from the road bed, the bottom
of the ocean in the harbor was
changed and the entire topography of
the country was altered, he said.
'The Oriental hotel was literally
swallowed by the EARTH" he stated,
land | heard that not single occu-
pant of the building escaped. The
Grand hotel, three stories high, met
with the same fate. The roof was left
above the ground, and one man, the
only survivor, climbed out through a
hole
An engineer of the Steel Voyager, a
ship anchored in the harbor, had a
miraculous escape, Mr.. Patterson
averred. The engineer was going
back to the ship in jinrikisha when
the earth opened ahead of him and
swallowed the man pulling the car
riage. Engineer jumped over the head
OF the Japanese to solid ground ahead.
Japs Helpless.
The Japanese men did not lift a
finger to save anyone" Mr.. Patterson
SAID, IN speaking of the rescue work
Americans and other foreigners did
what they could to save people from
the burning houses, but the fire gained
such Roadway that they were forced
TO stand by helpless and hear the
cries OF dying women and children.
The Japanese are egotistical and
selfish, and will not accept relief un-
less they themselves are allowed to
distribute the money and food. They
are wonderful imitators, although
they seldom have original ideas.
There is not and never was yellow
peril state Journal.
A Tennessee woman, 116 years old,