Perth Amboy evening news., 1923-10-06
Former Resident Writes
About Earthquake in Japan

An interesting letter telling in de-
tail of the earthquake that visited
Tokyo and Yokohama on September
/, has been received by friends ar
the Barber Asphalt Company's
plant in this city from Frank }.
Ballintine, a former resident here.
Mr.. Ballintine and his wife werc
trapped in their hotel room in Yo-
kohama when the earthquake &C.
Cured, and both had miraculous
escapes from death or serious in
jury when the building collapsed.
Making their way from the wreck
az with no personal possessions ex-
cept the tattered clothing they wore
Mr.. and Mrs. Ballintine helped the
other survivors fight the flames
which broke out in all parts OF the
city Immediately following the
shock.
The couple managed to get aboard
q ship which had been crippled by
the typhoon that accompanied the
quake and was in danger of burning
because of the large amount of oil
burning on the surface OF the water.
With the assistance of another boat
the ship moved from the pier 10
which it had been moored, just as
the pier caught fire. In a few min
utes the dock was burning with
great intensity, but the ship was
towed to safe distance. Finally,
with other refugees the Ballintines
We, taken to Kobe on another ship
and it was from Koke hat letter was
written by Mr.. Balllntine.
Prior &c his marriage Mr.. Balm
IT,. e stayed at the Perth Amboy Y.
NJ. c. A.. He was sent 10 the Far
East by the Barber Asphalt Com
PAN. to take charge of some road
work and upon the completion OF
this contract he was assigned to as
sist the Japanese government In its
road building program.
His letter follows:
Kobe, Japan,
September ~10,1923.
Now that things are quieted down
Il little | will try and tell you m
thinf of our experience during and
since the earthquake.
1 had gone to Tokyo as usual on
the morning of the list but as the
morning had been rainy, | returned
to Yokohama early, arriving at the
hotel about 1880 a. m. l had taken
off my coat and had finished read
ing a letter when the first and
grea. shock came. We have had
so many earthquakes in Yokohama
that often times we would only run
to the door and stand there as that
was considered a safe place IL any
thing should fall, but this time
both Mrs. Balllntine and myself
started to run as fast as we could
for the exit. We felt that this was
more than the usual quake and that
the only thing to do was 10 get out
side.
The building we were in was a
three story frame covered with
plaster in imitation or stone, ana
room was on the second moor Ut
the extreme end of the hall and
farthest from the stairway which
was a winding affair. We ran as
last as we could the building sway
ing and jumping all the time and
making it almost impossible 10
keep on ones feet, and finally al
most reached the bottom or the
stairs when the building came down
with u crash, buryh.s us under
meath.
l was completely closed in, but
w is free to move as something was
holding the weight off me. l real
lied thai l must get out so began
breaking the boards THAI were over
me until finally l made a hole ana
managed to crawl out on top of the
wreckage. ! knew that Mrs. Balm
tine was somewhere Close wnen we
weni down and she heard me break
ing my way out and called 10 me.
| found her pinned under some TIM
bers by one foot and could not
move, but | managed 10 break an
orening in beside her ana rlnally
succeeded in releasing her foot and
getting her out. The quake was still
going on, but we paid llttIo attention
TO / as there a nothing left to
fall on us. We managed to reach
a small open space ana then TOOK
stock of ourselves. We were alive
and with no bones broken and felt
very thankful. Mrs. Ballintlne has
a sprained ankle, cuts ABOUT both
feet and legs and many a bruises,
but / escaped with oniy Il Few
scratches and one parked knee and
a lame back and sore chest. What
few clothes we had on were badly
torn and we were black from head
to foot, etc.
Thu first bad shock happened
Just a few minutes before IL O'CLOCK
when most people had a fire going
in their houses and when you con-
slider that all Japanese houses are
built of pine lumber and that most
of them fell down with the first
shock right on to an open fire (the
usual means of cooking is over an
open charcoal fire in a box of sand
or earthen pot), you can under
ga -.rfL