New Britain herald., 1924-03-08
SWANSON DESCRIBES . JAPANESE 'QUAKESI
New Britain Sailor Was in Tokio
 at Yokohama

thousands of people in both Tokio and lokohoma, Japan, is told by ! David R. Swanson, second class 1 printer on board the L. $. s. Ten nt ssee. Swanson is tine son of Mir. and Mrs. Olaf Swanson of Ill shut tie Meadow avenue. this city, and is spending the remainder of nine G&ys' furough at his home here. He will leave Monday for New York. and from there he will go 10 Seattle to do duty with the navy OH the west coast of the nation.
 MT Swanson was 2 witness of the immediate after effects Of the earth quake because his ship was ordered 10 tl,c scene from its station in Man chuia. and the sailors aboard were engaged in *lief work and other du- tics in the Stricken city for three weeks
 It was only short time before the earthquake struck the two Japanese I cities that Swanson was in Tokio ris- ting for a few days. and at the time | os the disast CT his ship was stationed at Darien, Manchuria. about 500 miles away from the scene. This was in the latter part of August and the first Of September.
 The commander Of the ship reeeiv- cd orders to proceed 10 the stricken area and started for the city Of foko- hama. After a few days. the Ten ncsee put in Cheefu. China, to put on coal. stores and medical supplies with which to aid the victims. Then leav- ing that port the ship proceeded up the coast towards the earthquake area.
 Throughout the trip, tho ship en- countered the angry clements which were running wild from the effects of tho earthquake and the ship was forced to buck 50 mile an hour gale.
 The earthquake had started on Sat urday and had lasted until Monday. and although destroyers from the feet were dispatched to the scene with first aid supplies, the Tennessee did not reach the port of Yokohama until the Friday evening following. A strange thing in competitor with the movement Of the American ships 10 tho stricken ports, was the fact thai their arrival there was met with great suspicion by the Japanese and only short time after their advent. inc entire Japanese fleet had them sur rounded. waiting for the next move. The Japanese authorities soon found out, however. thai the Americans were there to neIp and their aid was received with gratitude,
 Finds ConS,,'s Family Dead. .
 A short time after the anchors had hcen dropped, the crew Of the ship was divided into working parties and dispatched 10 shore. Swanson was gent with party that was ordered 10 the ruins Of the American consulate, and he was among tho sailors who dug tho bodies of the American con snl. his wife and their child from the ruins,
 Other parties were sent in to moot inc American businessmen in the stricken area and they were engaged for q long time in opening safes with explosives and recovering papers money and documents from the ruins
 Swanson described tho condition of the streets as something frightfnl. They were filtered with dead and dying. Animals or all descriptions horses. cats. dogs and bcasts, wern intormingled with the bodies Of yic- tims.
 The stench was unbenrable and inc men of the parties were forced to re- pair to their ship and secure masks before they could continue with their work. Tho entire city was levcled, buildings being reduced to ashes and dcbrn clogging the streets and pas sa ageways making them almost impass- able.
 Piles or Bodies trcmated
 Tho American sailors set about the task of searching for and recovering the bodies Of any Americans they could find. All this time. the Japan csc soldiers md sailors were engaged in gathering the bodies Of their dead and placing them in piles sometimes SO feet high. These were then sat nratcd with gasoline and crcmated.
 Tn the course Of their work. the American sailors unearthed and rec covered the bodies of about so Ameri- cans who had lost their lives in the disaster These were also crcnlated because there was no time or place for burial. Walls were pulled down to prevent further injury and fires broke out here and there and many or the roscucrs were injured and some iusi their lives in the line of dgty
 SWauson and the rest Of his party remained working Jmong the ruins for three weeks. and during that time. Swanson says. hr was mortified by what h. saw. He tod about the treatmrH or th" Koreans by the Jauancsr. Al lie lime of the earth quake. thc Koreans vcr' holding m annual parade in protest against Iupaupse frils over that country. Thesa celebrations ~crc iyoing held in uoth Takio and YoEonar1a and V hen inc earthquake fit tI, titles. the Jap auea. cit zsns ~HO cscaped death. hunted th" kur,sna from their hid- ing places and shni theru down like 20 mart dogs. none .scaping except fh1sS HHo were fortunate enough 10 srrHrr a r.s,.,. on ship in the bar- Tor.
 An thr time thai sWanson and his bnddics from the ship were working among thc ruins. they felt earth trsmors. none sufficiently sayrfc 10 cause ary more Baf1ag'. .
 ln Yok kghafna ther' was aiI ArncT1- can naval hospital in which eight sailors log their lives in tis aarth- nuake. ptifcrs were badly injured. Many buildings were rHiued and few houses and husiu'ss places iB the city were left .Iarding. Ore. fne sprcies i hank sf YykohaIna. rrmgiued almost , .u.a.+ t,.si gsa wareoaF s-efe killed