tance,
making themselves felt in a neighboring island. In Tokio itself,
though 170 miles from the center of disturbance, it produced an
earthquake greater than any felt for nearly forty years, lasting
twelve minutes. Owing, however, to the character of the movement,
which was a comparatively slow oscillation, the damage was confined to
the wrecking of some roofs and chimneys. Very different were its
results in the central zone of agitation, concerning which a
correspondent wrote as follows:

"There was a noise as of underground artillery, a shake, a second
shake, and in less than thirty seconds the Nagoya-Gifu plain, covering
an area of 1,200 square miles, became a sea of waves, more than 40,000
houses fell, and thousands of people lost their lives. The sequence of
events was approximately as follows: To commence at Tokio, the
capital, which is some 200 miles from the scene of the disaster, on
October 25th, very early in the morning, the inhabitants were alarmed
by a long, easy swaying of the ground, and many sought refuge outside
their doors. There were no shocks, but the ground moved back and
forth, swung round, and rose and fell with the easy, gentle motion of
a raft upon an ocean swell. Many became dizzy, and some were seized
with nausea."

These indications, together with the movements of the seismographs,
denoted a disturbance at a considerable distance, but the first
surmise that it was located under the Pacific Ocean, was unfortunately
incorrect. The scene of the catastrophe was indicated only by tidings
from its outskirts, as all direct news was cut off by the interruption
of railway and telegraphic communication. An exploratory and relief
party started on the second day from Tokio, not knowing how far they
would be able to proceed by train, and the correspondent who
accompanied them thus described his experiences:

"Leaving Tokio by a night train, early next morning we were at
Hamamatsu, 137 miles distant from Tokio, on the outside edge of the
destructive area. Here, although the motion had been sufficiently
severe to destroy some small warehouses, to displace the posts
supporting the heavy roof of a temple, and to ruffle a few tiles along
the eaves of the houses, nothing serious had occurred. At one point,
owing to the lateral spreading of an embankment, there had been a
slight sinkage of the line, and we had to proceed with caution.
Crossing the entrance to the beautiful lake of Hamana Ko, which
traditi