The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1924-02-21
TOKYO RESCUE.
WINS MEDAL
Of HONOR
Naval Officer Is Cited for
Heroic Action During
japanese Earthquake.
By SEARS TAYLOR.
International News Service.

The Navy Department has
awarded the Medal of Honor to
Lieut.. Thomas j. Ryan, attached to
the American Embassy in Tokyo,
for the part he played in the res
cue of stricken country woman
pinned in the wreckage Of the
Grand Hotel, in Yokohama, Japan,
during thesrecent earthquake"
Behind this cryptic citation lies a
story Of daring and courage that
rivals the romantic tales Of Dewey,
Farragut, Decatur and other navy
heroes.
Navy officers just returned. from
the Orient say young Lieutenant
Ryan was in the lobby Of the
Grand Hotel in Yokohama when the
first earth shock rocked the build.
ing's foundations. q
He leaped through a window to
the Bund, a street running along
the waterfront. When he reached
the sea wall second shock ,oc-
CURED, topping him overheard.
With this shock the walls Of the
Grand Hotel crumbled, and the roof
fell in. A third and a fourth shock
Of similar intensity followed closely,
and not alone the hotel, but the
entire city lay in ruins.
Safe In Water.
The air was filled with dust of
the mortar and plaster ground
fine between the bricks and the
heavy stone blocks in the surging
which finally dislodged them and
crumpled the walls Of the build
ings. BY staying in the water,
Lieutenant Ryan was safe, how
ever, but as soon as he was able
he crawled over the seawall. He
was joined by another escaped oc-
cupant of the hotel who told Lieu
tenant Ryan of a woman pinned i1
the wreckage Of a room In the
hotel.
Both went to her assistance, al.
though, whipped by a strong wind,
fires were sweeping rapidly toward
the hotel ruins. In the face Of
this they climbed through a win
dow and found an American woman
with one leg wedged in a mass of
debris and heavy beam across her
chest.
Near her was a section Of heavy
brick chimney. The beam was
rather easily removed but freeing
the buried leg involved removal Of
the surrounding debris, which would
allow the chimney to topple on her.
The only solution was to tear down
the chimney, brick by brick, and
this they started to do. Fighting
against time, the naval lieutenant
and his assistant worked frantically,
while shock after shock rocked the
earth, and fire filled the hotel ruins
with intense smoke.
Others had attempted to extricate
the woman, but had given up.
Realizing her peril, she begged the
two not to leave her, and they as.
sured her they wouldn't. As the
smoke became unbearable and the
flames drew rapidly closer, Lieu
tenant Ryan realized they must get
her out Immediately, even IL part
OF her leg had to be left behind.
With her arms locked about Lieu
tenant Ryan's neck, the woman
finally was wrenched clear. Nearly
blinded and almost overcome by
smoke, they were just able to carry
her to the window, from which all
three fell into a mesh of fallen tele-
phone wires. BY keeping their
faces close to the ground they got
fresh air to revive them.
AS soon as they were able, the
two men carried her to a nearby
where they rendered first
aid. The woman suffered several
broken ribs, both ankles were
crushed and her body was badly
bruised. After waiting in the sam
pan seven hours, Lieutenant Ryan
procured a launch and delivered
his charge to the doctor on board
the Empress Of Austria, Lying in
the harbor at the time.
Undaunted by the experience.
Ryan Immediately attempted to
leave the ship to render further aid
on shore, but the launch had left.
While thus held aboard he assisted
the refugees and finally secured
transportation to the shore, where
he again pitched into the rescue
work.
In awarding the Medal Of Honor
to Lieutenant Ryan, ecretary OF
the Navy DENLY said:
'The act was an unreasonable
display Of courage, a spirit of self
sacrifice and disregard of personal
danger to very marked degree
on the part Of Lieutenant Ryan
and his assistant"