The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1923-12-03
THE HORRORS OF
JAPANESE QUAKE
FORMER MOSCOW MAN WRITES
INTERESTING ACCOUNT OF
CATASTROPHE

MIR. and Mr-. Martin s. Mickey of
this city are in receipt of a letter from
Ross E. Humphreys, former we'll
known Moscow boy, which gives first
hand, a most interesting and vivid
account of the Japanese earthquake
and the conditions which followed
Mr.. Humpresy is second assistant en-
gineer on the steamship West Jessup,
owned by the Columbia Pacific
Steamship company, of Portland, and
landed at Yokohama two months af-
ter the earthquake.
The following interesting account
of conditions as he found them, is re-
produced from the letter:
"Came in through the harbor yes
terday morning. Old snow capped
Mt. Fujis doomed up in the purple
hay distance, a silent seminal over
the ruined city of Yokohama, in all
it's desolation. 1t have covered some
260, 600 miles on land and sea since
1916 and have seen many places that
had been visited by destruction,
thxopgh fire and earthquakes and
war, but l never saw destruction so
terrible and complete as here. I acn
hardly believe that this was the same
w. WALL VI OO,OO
or more of people that 1 sailed away
from, but two and one-half months
ago.. You see, L left Yokohama for
Portland but So hours before the
earthquake. Only a rush order routing
us direct to Yokohama from the
Philippines instead of our coming
back by way of Hong Kong, China,
which is two and one-half days farth-
or steaming, prevented up from being
hepc at the time of the disaster.
> e3he harbor breakwater, which
formerly stood several feet above the
water, is nearly all beneath the water
now, and the entire harbOr is five
feet deeper than it ever was before.
Yesterday was a national holiday,
being the Emperor's birthday and SO
work was lone aboard ship. Some
of us went ashore and looked over
the ruined oity. All that is left of
the American consulate Is the steel
flag pole that stood in front, while
now a little hut built from CORFU
gated iron roofing and a few army
tents erected on the spot suf-
lice to house the American consul,
The American marine doctors, the
Bank OF China and several other in
stftutions. OF the Grand Hotel Am
31tcdd anu EuTOpedn) winch WOulQ
very favorably with some of
Newn large hotels in Portland, |
and Spokane, hardly one brick
upon the other, the boilers
nd part OF the steel stack alone re-
naming above the debris, a mute re-
Of the once magnificent build
ag that formerly stood there. And E
t is said that beneath that tangled {
Isl of bricks and stone and steel /
hero are many charred bodies that {
ave not yet been recovered. L
often as I wandered about I could !
eject the odor of burned flesh-ttt
houEh there is practically no car Z
len odor present. Most of the build l
axs were leve1ed to the ground by q
hes combined elements Of 1uhke and 9
ire. but there ne q few skeletons Of =
lg ME11dings still standing, though Q
lobt OF them are shook on their I
inc Quilted by fire until '
by are beyond repair. I saw but s I
r 10 large buildings that appeared t.
be still standing intact upon their
and they had been Quilted d
' fire, though workmen are now o
usy putting them back into condi- o
~ for occupation. Just back of the 6
ala business section toward the res p