The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1924-03-18
LOCAL PARTY
SEES SIGHTS
IN JAP CITY
See Effects of Disastrous
Earthquake in Jap
Cities
FIND CUSTOMS QUEER

th' impression OF FlSltlng naVal
battle ground, according to TONY
flemcr, who with Spike" Thaycr
Archie McPhee and other Bismarck
boys Is on an Oriental tour on the
steamship President Madis son. fur
nishing music on board the liner. In
Il letter received by Ralph Trick,
Flcmer records the unusual scnsa-
tions Of the Bismarck, boys as they
entered the foreign port.
The first day on land in Japan
has come and passed it is a day that
! shall never forget, for it furnished
sights, the likeness Of which cannot
be beat" wrote Flcmcr
'As VIC entered Toxic bay we saw
active, too-smokc and ashes shooting
up about SEQ feet into the air. Prior
To the quake the entrance to the har-
Dor and mouth of the bay was well
fortified. Several islands in the bay
were just one mass of cement, iron
and gun turrets. These little islands
are only from 900 to 500 yards in
diameter. just enough to get bunch
of Notifications on and only few
feet above the water line. Now they
are all torn up. Cement and gun
h'""b< ard gun turrcts standing in
all directions. The bay had the APP
pcardncc OF IL naval battlefield. Three
or four planes, two balloons in the
air. battle cruisers, several destroy
crs, an airplane carrier, and all at
once Il submarine came TO the sur
ire not over 200 yards from the
ship. The bay was also just strHwn
with fishing boats and foreign pass
cngcr and freight boats. 1t surely
presented busy scene and looi:cd
so different from Scattlc's entrance.
Docks Repaired
"The docks in Yokohama have been
repaired so that we were able to
dock and il did not take US long to
get ashore. OF course the first thing
that looked so peculiar was the
clothes they wOre-no socks, women
and all, and shoes made of sort Of
straw, woven together; just soies
with "A couple of straps TO hold them
onto their feet and underneath this
n couple of plain blocks of wood
standing on end-in all raising their
feet above the ground above five
inches. ! don't see how they can
walk on them at all. bought pair,
paid so .cn--25 cents American
money. and I'll bet they last the JapS
a year, so they don't spend much
money for SHOES. Japs coming down
the cement walk sound like Il drove
OF horses.
"Thc town of Yokohama is all shot
10 pieces, not building in the whole
town but what was almost entirely
ruined. The buildings were mostly
of stone and brick and debris is scat
tered all over. Streets are very mar
row and some not yet cleared foi
traffic.
Many Modern Buildings
-Four and six story buildings made
of stone, concrete, brick and stee'
shook to pieces, with only one wal!
standing. as if they had been so much
paper But you should see these Japd
work-just like a bunch of flies
around barrel of syrup. Everytn 'nG
is by hand, pick and shovel, and they
haul debris away in cars. saw one
little Jap about the size Of l3-ytar-
old boyle was old of course but
small-pulling cart full of rocks
II bet he had ton in the thing. Hun
dreds of these fellows pulling every
thing Imaginable; one man pulling a
log so feet long and two feet in dla-
meter. Where horses are used they
are hitched singly with one man
leading the animal Horses are all
shall and seemingly overworked,"
The entire party, Femer said, made
n trip about Yokohama and then start
ed for Toxic a 50-minute ride. The
party had its first difficulty in this
ride-the boys paid for first Class
passage on an electric train and by
mistake got into third class car
which was filled with coolies. But
the Japs are not sleepy, the boys
found.
"Evcrything goes like clqckwo'k.
Flemer said, land if you don't get on
like you were trying to make touch
down you not only get pushed aside
but you don't get on
After seeing from the train green
fields--and not an inch of wasted
ground--the party arrived in Toxic
Talk about land, labor and capital,
observed Flcmer "about all I saw was
labor"
Five Buildings Escape
Toxic. Flemer wrote, was affected
by the earthquake in about one-hali
the city, the part which escaped de-
struction being very modern. There
are a number of eight. 10 and Ia
story buildings, he wrote.
"The people and the buildings did
not seem to jibe at ALL" he wrote,
Gas the people looked SO ancient and
the buildings looked modern
The party had wired the Imperial
Hotel and booked in there for their
brief stay. After seeing the manager
they went back to the ship to get
their orchestral instruments.
81 cannot describe the dance in de-
tail but there was plenty of liquor
and tea consumed" wrote Flemer
"Japs drink more tea than Russian
does vodka"
Flemer, who saw many things ia
amuse an American, found it would
not he difficult for an American &c
quickly attire himself in the Japan
csc mode.
tIf one wishes to be dressed in the
prevailing fashions just put on q
mir of wooden shoes. long under
wear. a bathrobe and wrap white
bath towel around your head and you
are ready for the street" he remark
ed "People look like they are always
~~I,x fnr hod