The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1923-09-13
Daughter of Argentine
Envoy Relates Horrors
of Quake at Yokohama
BY EDNA LEE BOOKER,
international News Service.

DIV EONA lAk&E EDOOAAIN.
international News Service.
OSAKA, Japan. Sept. 13.-With
her brown eyes lighting exquisltely,
beautiful Maria Luisa Del Corril.
daughter of the Argentine minister
to Japan, today told international
News Service the dramatic story Of
her narrow escape from death in
the Yokohama earthquake.
Maria Luisa, together with her
father and mother. was entombed
for five days and nights, with
hardly any food or water, when
the Yokohama station collapsed
over them on that fateful first OF
September when japan was visited
tby the worst earthquake, tidal
wave and fire disaster Of all his.
tory. The girl. who 10 a rare
beauty, with features resembling
delicate cameo, IL one Of the
most popular young women Of the
diplomatic set at Tokyo. Her lovli-
ness 10 known throughout Japan.
Suffered Tortures.
Mr.. and Mrs. Del Corril and their
daughter reached q relief ship in
the bay Of Tokyo after five days
Of living horror. buried underneath
q huge mountain Of debris. with
threatening suffocation, starvation
and thirst adding fearful torture
to their misery. Every minute
they feared would be their last.
With tears in her eyes at times,
Maria Luisa told the following
story today:
With my parents was waiting
on the platform Of the Yokohama
station for q train that would take
US to Tokyo. All of Y sudden,
without the slightest warning, a
horrible shaking Of the grouHA
literally threw US off our feet. The
whole depot building crashed to the
grounds In one moment the whole
scene was one weird inferno.
The shock knocked us clear off
the platform on the railway tracks.
The earth kept on vibrating so
ftercely that we could hardly stand
Up' Miraculously. neither one Of US
was struck by any falling wreck
age. We managed to crawl to a,
clear space amid the ruins over us
ana about US and there remained
trembling with fear as the terrible
earthquake continued knocking with
what seemed to be undated vio-
lence.
Priests Shared Food.
When the earth shocks ceased
we discovered we were prisoners in
the desolate ruins Of the station
building, and that immediate escape
was out Of the question. In an
other clearance near US was a
Rll6dhiGt
ed to the horror Of the situation by
chanting mournful prayers. They
kept this up continually.
These priests could reach over
their wall Of ruins and hand US
things. but there wasn't a sufficient
opening for US all to get together.
In this manner they generously
shared with us their pitifulIy mea-
ger supply Of rough rice and dirty
water, which was hardly enough to
keep body and soul together.
! Through openings of our fear.
tul tomb We could see the city of
Yokohama being devastated by q
horrible sheet Of flame. The ghost.
~ glare of the fire combined with
the shrieks Of dying hundreds al
most drove my mother and me 10
madness. Even now can hear
those awful groans ana cries of
agony.
Father Stands Guard.
my father stood guard over
mother and me during the aigl,t
time, with a revolver in his hand
in case vandals should succeed in
reaching US through the apparently
sky-high ruins.
After five days of horror I shall
never forget, searching party
finally reached us and found us
more dead than alive. We were
carried to a ship anchored out in
the harbor.
ION the way to the ship we saw
hundreds Of dead bodies rotting and
decaying- right in the streets Cv'ne
scenes were so unnerving and the
| stencil SO nausenting that my moth.
er and / tainted In our stretchers.
1T seems almost incredible that
such condition as that which we
| witnessed in Yokohama should rot
Immediately develop an Overwheln:-
ing plague of yellow fever and
cholera. There will be just suc.i
pestilence breaking out II those
rottlng corpses are not soon buried
or burned.
THE ship we succeeded in reacl-
ing was filled with 1900 refugees
the majority of whom were CT inese.
Babies Born at Sea.
Five babies were born during
the two days our ship was at sea,
| travelling from Yokohama to Osaka.
This 10 about all have to sal
regarding our horrible experiences.
hate to think we have been
through such a CHASTITY adventure.
1t will take years before can
talk about 1t without suffering
nervous breakdown"
Miss Maria LIlisa and her mother,
Mrs. Del COrril, are in a serious
condition at the home of friends
here. However. both of Them are
expected to recover within few
weeks.
Minister Del Corril, in spite of his
weakened state, after seeing that
his wife and daughter were prop.
erly cared for. rushed on to Tokyo
to lnVeStjgatS the Ritua tiom fhNre