MANY HUNDRED VICTIMS. The Long Roll of Suffering and Destitute.

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 304, 3 October 1888, Page 5

MANY HUNDRED VICTIMS. The Long Roll of Suffering and Destitute.

A telegram received at the Home Department from the Fukushima Kencho on July 26th says : The number of persons wounded, who are now uder medical athendance,is 18, of whom 6 are seriously and 12 slightly wounded ; fche total number of the population damaged by the late catastrophe, either directly or indirectly, is 2,447, of whom 763 are direct sufferers, and over 1,980 are indirectly injured and unable to provide for themselves ; of 760 direct sufferers 12 are now supported by the Kencho and over 700 are soon to be provided for. The larger portion of land damaged was in the uncultivated region and the land where the population i-* most numerous, and which was well cultivated, received hut slight damage. The matters connected with the aid of the sullorers are being satisfactorily attended to The inundation of the river Nagase is not so serious in character as was rumoured, but numerous comp'aints are made by the inhabitants in the villages along the lower stream of this river, owing t > the want of water for irrigation purposes. According to a telegram Mount Bandai again slightly groaned and trembled on Thursday last at 3.20 p.m., and from a few holes a fresh eruption stopped without causing much damage. A later telegram was to the effect that a survey on the inundations caused by the overflowing of the Nagase river had been made, and the surveyors found that there was no fear of the villages alone" the river being washed away nor do they anticipate much damage in any other way. ' Major-General Palmer left for Bandai-ssan on Saturday last to make an inspection of the recent eruption. The following account is given by a visitor who had been for some days staying at the Hot Springs resort, near the foot of Bandai-zan, but who escaped the catastrophe by having lelt a day or two before the eruption took place. His account, as published in the Fukushima 'Shimbun'is as follows :— ' Some four or five days prior to the recent eruption loudcriesand grievou* clamours of apes and monkeys were incessantly heard, which caused various , rumours to arise among the visitors in the hot springs resorts. He became alarmed at the rumours and immediately left the place, and a few days later the eruption took place.' According to an official investigation, the number of those who lost their lives by fche eruption of Bandai-zanwas 477, of whom the visitors to the hot springs resorts were thirty-three.