英語訳
**[Right Page, Upper Section]**
The floodwaters reached a height of ten shaku (approximately three meters), and the force of the current became extremely violent. Finally, at around 2 o'clock in the afternoon of the same day, more than twenty-nine ken (approximately 52 meters) of the Shinano River embankment at Ōaza Hara, in front of Yoita-machi—the seat of the county office—was breached. Muddy floodwaters inundated the farmland, and pitilessly, several hundred chōbu of green rice paddies were instantly transformed into a vast lake. In Yoita-machi's Honyoita, Ōaza Magoe, and Iwagata, floodwater reached from three to five shaku (approximately 0.9 to 1.5 meters) above the floorboards of homes, and the waters showed no sign of stopping. By around 10 o'clock that night, the water level had risen to more than fourteen shaku (approximately 4.2 meters). Furthermore, the Kuromizu embankment to the southeast of the same town was breached at two locations over a stretch of more than fifty ken (approximately 90 meters), and the waters converged upon Yoita-machi at the center, inundating more than eight hundred homes all at once, with water rising to between three shaku and six or seven shaku (approximately 0.9 to 2.1 meters) above the floor. The buildings on both sides of the town acted as natural embankments, and the overflowing water rushed and roared like a waterfall, spreading in all directions with such ferocity that rescue boats and rafts could not row close enough to help. As all this unfolded, dusk fell, and while some among the poor climbed to second floors or rooftops crying desperately for help, others jumped into the water to try to escape. At this moment, county office officials, police officers, and town and village hall staff, with no time to worry about their own flooded belongings, took every possible measure to guard against the feared collapse of the embankment to the left of the town. In particular, the town office established a relief station, equipped several boats and rafts, and dispatched them for rescue operations; however, the narrow width of water on the raging torrent made it impossible to maneuver long boats freely. They promptly improvised by floating door planks as makeshift vessels and exhausted every possible means, risking their own lives in the effort. They managed to rescue a great number of residents and drifting belongings, transporting them to evacuation sites at the upper-level and ordinary elementary schools and at Tokushō-ji temple on the hillside. That not a single person was injured was a blessing within the misfortune. At this time, Town Mayor Miwa Juntarō, Revenue Officer Ōhashi Kosaemon, and their colleagues provided rice from their own stores for emergency cooking and ensured that drinking water was secured first and foremost. Police officers were assigned to specific areas to oversee distribution, and the sick were examined by four Red Cross members—Imai, Shimizu, Wakabayashi, and Yoshioka—and every arrangement was carried out flawlessly. On this day, the water level did not decrease but rather rose by more than five sun (approximately 15 cm), and by around 8 o'clock in the morning of the 22nd, even the top of the water-level gauge post was submerged. The devastation of that day and the ferocity of the current were beyond description in words or on paper; it seemed as though even the horrors of a tsunami could not exceed this. The relief workers did not sleep a wink, working to protect homes, furnishings, and timber from being swept away, and managed to bring peace of mind amid misfortune to more than three thousand disaster victims.
In front of Nakanoishima Village, Ōaza Nishino, more than twenty-three chōbu of farmland along the Shibuumi River was flooded. Along the Kurokawa stream, the farmland of Yoshikawa, Ryōson, Yoita-machi and other areas totaled approximately two hundred or more chōbu. Near Takanashi Village, approximately four hundred ken of the Shinano River embankment was breached, flooding more than six chōbu of farmland. Near Ura Village, approximately two hundred and eighty ken of both banks of the Shinano River embankment were damaged. Near Nakashima Village, approximately two thousand ken of the Shinano River embankment was destroyed, flooding more than three hundred and forty chōbu of farmland and inundating three hundred and fifty homes. In the same village's Ōaza Michihalf and Miyagawa Shinden, one hundred and sixty homes were flooded and three were washed away; additionally, a fire in the floodwaters destroyed three homes. Near Ōshima Village, Ōaza Shimoyama, the embankment was breached for approximately fifteen to sixteen ken. In Fukazawa Village, Ōaza Fukazawa, the Shibuumi River embankment was breached at three locations over approximately two hundred and twenty ken, with ten chōbu of farmland and one house washed away; the Oyazawa embankment in the same village was also breached at four locations over approximately ninety ken. Within Nakanoishima Village, everything was washed away except for two storehouses (dozō) belonging to a certain Fujii. Along the Shimazaki River, approximately forty or more chōbu of farmland in Kita-Nishikoshi Village was flooded, and one house was damaged in Zenkō Village, in the area known as Karui.
**Report dispatched from Niigata Prefecture at 7:50 PM on the 29th:**
According to today's damage survey: 31 deaths; 2,100 houses lost or destroyed; 2,916 other structures similarly affected; 36,033 houses flooded; 23,452 other buildings flooded; farmland rendered barren measuring 3,287 chō 7 tan, with damages of 1,208,248 yen; flooded farmland measuring 47,514 chōbu, with damages of 6,428,445 yen; national road damage extending 41,709 ken, with repair costs of 138,969 yen; bridge loss and destruction totaling 1,500 tsubo in area, with reconstruction and repair costs of 75,680 yen; old third-class and above embankment breaches extending 9,796 ken, with repair costs of 712,512 yen; collapsed embankment extensions of 83,328 ken and 5 bu, with repair costs of 583,299 yen and 50 sen. These figures are rough estimates and are expected to increase further.
**○ Report sent at 8:40 PM on August 2nd from Niigata, submitted by Secretary Ōta to the relevant authorities:**
A summary of the inspection of Naka-Kanbara County and Nishi-Kanbara County follows. In Naka-Kanbara County—