Evening star., 1952-03-05
U. ). Forces Aid Japan
In Earthquake Relief
On Freezing Islands
BY the Assoeiofed Press

TOKYO. Mar. 5.-American
occupation forces and the Japa-
nese government today rushed
relief supplies to earthquake and
tidal waves victims in snowswept
Northern Japan.
Planes, trains and boats carried
blankets, medicine and food to
stricken areas Of sparsely settled
Eastern Hokkaido Island and the
more populouS sections Of North
eastern HonShu Island.
Thousands Of homeless suffered
from bitter cold and driving snow
storms which followed yesterdays
earthquake.
Americans Escape.
The official United States Army
estimate stood at 81 japanese
dead and ITO injured. Japanese
police announced they have recov-
cred 20 bodies. No Americans
were killed or injured.
Kyodo News Agency reported
the quake left a fishing village
submerged and pushed up new
40-foot hill. Both were on Hok-
kaido. northernmost island of
Japan.
A Kyodo reporter who flew over
Kiritappu reported, most of the
1851 villagers were marooned
atop their submerged homes. He
said a rescue boat was on its
way to the coastal town.
The news agency said the new
hill appeared near the village of
Niikappu. Inhabitants said a
lava-like substance flowed from
the hill and then hardened. Two
years ago a quake thrust up q
similar hill in the same area.
Damage Surveyed.
japanese government agencies
reported incomplete surveys
showed the quake and 1O-foot
tidal waves caused this damage:
l. Railway tracks were twisted
and snarled in places. One Sec
tion OF 500 yards of track was
swallowed by the earth.
2. An uncounted number of
fishing boats were sunk, A dam
aged and two piers smashed on
northeastern Honshu, main island
Of Japan.
3. Seven coal miners were killed
two in a mine cave-in and five
when their homes collapsed. Coal
mining operations in Hokkaido
were disrupted by floods and
broken power lines.
4. Tidal waves washed away 277
houses in Hamanaka village on
Hokkaido. leaving 1900 persons
homeless. Reports from other
villages placed the number of
destroyed homes at around $500.
City Returning to Normal.
Associated Press reporters flew
over KuShiro, largest city on Hok-
kaido suffering from the quake,
and reported few signs of dam
age. The harbor wall appeared
to have been battered by the seas.
The city appeared to be returning
to normal.
Noboru Saito, national rural
police chief, told Parliament that
casualties from the quake and
tidal wave were small considering
the quake was one of the most
severe in the world in the Goth
century. He credited Japan's
tidal wave alert system with
holding down casualties. Within
IS minutes of the quake all coastal
villages were warned of the i'm
pending tidal waves. 4
Chief Saito reported residents
OF the stricken area were calm.
Ridgway Offers to Help.
The Governor Hokkaido flew
over the damaged area in a plane
which dropped 900 blankets to the
homeless and leaflets to isolated
areas telling them help was on
the way.
Gen Matthew B. Ridgway of
fered all necessary aid from his
forces to Prime Minister Shigeru
Yoshida. He put his own plane at
the disposal of the Premier if Mr..
YoShida wanted to visit Hokkaido.
Gen. Ridgway expressed "sin-
cere sympathy for all Japanese
families overtaken by yesterdays
disaster" and told the Premier "to
let me know of anything I can do"
The quake, officially named
Earthquake Of Tokachi," was
centered 43 miles off Hokkaido and
some so miles below the oceans
surface.