Perth Amboy evening news., 1923-10-06

thousand places at once. Fires
Were burning all around MOTEL site
but had not yet reached the wreck
age, as we were situated right ON
the edge of a bluff, so we mad time
to escape the fire.
As far as we know there were
three foreigners and about four Or
five japanese killed in the hotel.
we made u way to h small park
about half a mile from the hotel
and there spent the afternoon. We
had been unable to secure any food
but did get a niphon of soda which
was very useful. Theirs were about
thirty foreigners and several nun
dred Japanese taking reruge In the
park, which by this time was sur
rounded by fire. We were kept busy
fighting the fire which was falling
aoou. us and about dark we decided
to get back into some burnt area
as the park seemed unsafe.
About the time of the first big
shake the wind was blowing a hur-
ricane and we found out afterwards
that a typhoon struck us about the
same time as the earthquake. The
WING continued strong all afternoon,
boh NR 1'AA'hAAAAAAT AttaiioAi6 oAANGN
ticn, so that the fire swept back and
forth until nothing was left to burn.
just as we We're leaving the park
a man arrived from town saying that
the road was open and hat people
were going on board the ships in
the harbor. We had a badly injur-
ed woman in the park so made a
crude stretcher of some boards and
carried her through the wreckage
to the ship. The lady weighed con-
siderably more than 200 pounds and
the road was full of stones from
ws.lls, poles, trees, wires. fences. etc.
but we finally got her through.
The park vas about two miles
from the Bund but we made the
journey in about one andone-half
to two honrs and taken on board
the Empress of Australia, which was
to have sailed for Vancouver at IL
o'clock that day. We were taken
are of and stayed ON board the
Australia until Tuesday morning,
when we went aboard the President
Jefferson which had arrived in the
night from Kobe.
When we got aboard the Austria
liza we learned hat she was crippled
and could not move, n OF her pro-
pellers had become entangled with
the anchor chain of the steel Nav
igator which was lying at the same
pier. We also learned hal there
was great danger of fire as the oil
tanks along the shore had burst and
the oil was burning on the water.
Sunday morning the oil fires were
very bad, flames and smoke rising
hundreds of feet in the air, obscur-
ing the sun. Towards moor the fire
was getting close to the ship and H.
nall we were pulled out a little way
by the Steel Navigator the anchor
being still fastened to the Austria
las propeller. A little later they
managed to get the chain out after
working all night and day on It, and
we were able with M propeller 10
NOV the ship. She is a large ship
yer 600 feet long an dwas headed
toward the fire. which Dy this time
vas quite close, but by very skillful
-manoevering we were able TO get
clean of the pier and fire Just IN
time to save the ship. The fire
reached the pier a few minutes after
we were away and burned with
gref intensity.
They moved the ship outside the
breahwater, or rather what was left
of the breakwater, n anchored.
Next morning we wenI aboard the
Pres. Jefferson and left that after
noon (Monday) for Kobe, where we
arrived about noon the next day. We
went to the Oriental hotel headquar-
ters for refugees and registered our
James and afterwards sen a tels-
gram to you advising of u arrival.
| had only a few yen in my pock-
ct. We have bought q few necessary
articles to get along with and will
try TO replenish our wardrobes some
other time, There Is very little To
be had here in the way OF clothing
and the price of everything Is very
high,
Yokohama is completely wiped
out and about half of Tokyo. Tokyo
will, probably be rebuilt, but l do not
believe that Yokohama Will ever
again be as important a city as 1t
was before. However Kobe and
Osaka will benefit.
The loss of life will probably run
up to 100000 in Yokohama and
Tokyo. or maybe more.
We have lost everything we had
here with the exception or the few
clothes in which we escaped and
have mostly been discarded since so
If we have to go to another point
we will have to re-outfit. In case we
have to go. i would like 10 go 90
Shanghai where clothes are cheap
err and more plentiful.
FRANK J. BALLINTINE.