Growing Pains

To young continents earthquakes come relatively more often than hic-coughs to children. Therefore, last week, Japanese seismologists prowled about the recent earthquake area (TIME, March 14) with the optimistic smiles of family doctors. They know that the Japanese Islands are still rising from the sea, like so many teeth pushing up through infant gums.

During the week famed Japanese seismologist Dr. Shinichi Kunitomi fairly beamed upon correspondents as he said: "We were very fortunate this time. The amplitude of the quake was such as to indicate a national catastrophe, but fortunately the centre of the earth movement was ten miles out at sea, off the Tango peninsula. That alone accounts for the present minimum of disaster."

Minimum. 8,237 houses shaken down, 41,190 injured, 2,484 killed, 88 missing.

One citizen of the U. S. was killed, Mrs. Glenn Schultz of Ventnor, N. J., a tourist on the Cunard world cruise ship California. The quake came as she was ascending the gangplank at Kobe, shook the gangway down, flung Mrs. Schultz into the water. Instantly Steward

George Prentice dived to rescue her, injured his head against an underwater projection, but dragged Mrs. Schultz to apparent safety. She died, according to physicians, "from immersion and shock."