Worse Than 1923

When a mighty, sickening temblor rocked the northeast coast of Honshu, main island of the Japanese Empire, experienced seacoast folk shouted not "Jishin!" (earthquake) but "O Tsunami!" (big tidal wave) and streaked for the hills last week.

Sure enough the quake produced a tidal wave. Thanks to the fleetness with which the Japanese ran and climbed, the wall of water drowned only 1,535, injured only 338, left only 948 missing. A grand total of 2,963 houses & buildings were swept away, 6,343 were inundated, 1,279 flimsy structures collapsed. As usual fire broke out, burned up 211 houses & buildings while sirens screeched, power lines snapped and a blizzard whipped the homeless.

Meanwhile the backwash of the tidal wave engulfed 1,533 small ships, damaged 85, sent alarming shivers along the steel spine of the liner Heian Mara, 400 mi. out at sea. Rushing on, the tidal backwash struck the Island of Hawaii (3,500 mi. from Japan) as a loft. wave which made things exciting on the beach. In Tokyo, while efficient Japanese clerks totaled up the disaster statistics. Director General Sinichi Kumitomi of the Central Seismological Observatory said: "I believe that this earthquake was more violent at its epicentre than that of 1923," which laid the greater part of Tokyo in ruins. Four relief planes, soaring to the scene of disaster, were beaten back by the blizzard, had to return to Tokyo. Ten Japanese destroyers tore through choppy seas, landed doctors, medical supplies and food at ports along the stricken coast where over 100 small towns & cities lay in sodden ruins.

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