Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-08-24

stand in the hotel lobby greeted me as
I went to get my paper with brisk
waving gesture of the hands. Every
body was asking, did you. feel tt?'
And everybody, with, so far as I know,
only one exception, did feel 1t. That
exception was Frank Clarke OF the At
lanta Constitution, who, when visited
fessed that he had never heard OF an
earthquake. He had slept throughout
the Jerking and rolling and sWaylng,
and was thoroughly disguised with him
self for so doing, as he has been hop
ing to experience a quake while out
here in the EaSt-a nice, mild, eXnlpl-
ton quake, of course.
We'll, all the others have had their
experience, and I for one do not care
for a repetition. 1t was all very gentle,
save for that first tug on the foot OF
INV he'd. and it was almost entirely
harmless. doing only a few hundred dol
lars in damage in the entire area al
fected of several hundred square miles:
But one has only to look around and
see the now fast disappearing souvenirs
of the catastrophe of six years ago and
to recall the tales that have been heard
of that awful visitation to be completely
satisfied with just one little tremor as
a personal experience.
SenSed Terror OF PeOpie.
As stood on my balcony this morn
ing watching the people running coulu
sense their terror of the thing mat was
happening and that might go on 10 pc
come a cataclysm. 1t is true that the
Toxic of today is stronger, stouter,
more resistant city than before the
quake of 1928. 1t is altogether unlikely
that such a horror will ever occur here
again. however severe may be the shock.
For there is infinitely less combuSClole
material here now, and Q great naay
of the business buildings are designed
and constructed to withstand the most
violent shocks. Nevertheless, there are
acres upon acres of temporary structures
vet standing, all under dennlte tlne
limit for replacement with flre-reSistlng
successors. Yet it is also true that
scores of narrow, crooked streets nave
been wiped out and broad straight ROADS
developed through the heart OF the CITY,
so that a disaster such as that OF 1873
is regarded now as beyond any degree Oh
likelihood.
But in the moment Of first shaking
these people, who have suffered SO UeI-
ribly, do not reason. Their instinct Is 10
get out from under the roofs, 10 get
clear Of the tiles, to reach. II possible,
station under a large tree or, In tne
country, a bamboo plantation. Tor the
sake of the security from earth open
ings and from falling materials:
Perhaps another generation OF Japa-
nese will have less instructive terror OF
the quake, those born since the disaster
of 1923. Yet that Is not certain. Ine[e
is seemingly something on the INSIDE
that causes one who feels the earth
quivering and Jerking ana waving W
''pet away from there" instantly.
The visitor to Toxic just at present IS
ant to find fault with the bad condition
OF some of the streets. Certainly there
is a great deal of repair and construc-
ton work in progress. But one mas only
to remember that for months after sep
tenber l, 1928, the streets OF the capita!
were in a chaotic condition, the ground
upheaved, the pavementS broken, tne
curbs standing on end, the car tracks
disiointed, to appreciate the fact that
wonderfully efficient and rapid work has
been done in reparation, and that the
few works still in progress are only the
finishing touches of one OF the most
gigantic operations of city reconstruc-
zion ever known. And moreover, most OF
these present street disturbances are m
cidental to the execution of the general
plan of broader highways and straighter
lines. In another year, prooapiy' tnere
will be no more Of these disturbing con-
4OhAS "AA w - ~-NS
broad streets.
That is to say, unless another violent
earthquake occurs. On this point pres
ent scientific testimony is reaSSurlng.
DR.. Akitsune 1mamura. mead OF the
chronological department OF the TOXIC
Imperial University, and rated as
Japan's foremost seismologist, Is thus
quoted today: .,.
ouakes. No such earthquake as that
which struck the Kwanto September i,
1923, will come, at least not for the next
100 or $50 years. There have been only
four earthquakes in Japan during the
last 1000 years that equaled or APP
the shock of 1928 in magn-
tude Japan may not be entirely Tree
from major destructive shocks In the
remote future, but we need not rear
quakes like that OF 1923, at
least while present-day people are alive.
Nevertheless. the people who survived
the quake of 1923 are taking no chances
that they can possibly avoid. They are
building better, as far as their clrcum-
stances permit And was told by one
of the largest bankers in Japan the
other day that they are no longer Keep
ing their securities and destructible
valuables in their homes, but are renting
safe deposit boxes at a rate never be-
fore known in this country.
So that the outcrieS of the workmen
across the street this morning were the
voices of quake-fearing japanese, and
very probably If I had had their ex-
periences I might have been yelling, too,
when that jerk sent me out OF bed.