From: [email protected] (Gary S. Trujillo)
Newsgroups: alt.activism,soc.culture.japan
Subject: Hiroshima Survivors' Accounts (3 of 16) [was Re: Universal Peace Day]
Date: 4 Aug 90 20:58:05 GMT
Organization: gst's 3B1 - Somerville, Massachusetts

90/07/30 10:37:00 SYSOP    HIROSHIMA_WITNESS_No.1-2


    Next is Mr. Yosaku Mikami.  He was 32 years old when he  was
exposed.  When the bomb was exploded, he was on a streetcar which
was running in Sendamachi, 1.9 km from the hypocenter.  He was  a
fireman.  On the morning of August 6, he was on his way back from
the  night  duty to Ujina going to his home in  Sakaemachi.   The
rest of his family was all evacuated one day before.

    I was stationed at Ujina fire station.  Our duty was to work
24  hours  from  8 o'clock in the morning to  8  o'clock  in  the
following morning.  We were divided into 2 groups for the shifts.
On that day, August 6, I was just about to leave work and go home
at  8 o'clock in the morning.  Shortly before it, the  all  clear
was  sounded.   So I started to go home to  Sakaemachi.   When  I
reached the streetcar stop, I found out that I had missed the car
by  just a few minutes.  So I had to wait about ten minutes  more
before  I  got on the next car.  The car  passed  through  Miyuki
Bashi  and was approaching the train office, when I saw the  blue
flash  from the window.  At the same time, smoke filled  the  car
which  prevented me even from seeing person standing directly  in
front  of me.  In about half an hour, I went out of the  car.   I
noticed  that the fire was burning everywhere.  The sky was  dull
as it covered by clouds.  I decided to go back to work and I  ran
back  to  the fire station.  There was nothing to drink  at  all.
Can  you  see  there  is a streetcar over  there  near  the  fire
station?   When  I reached that corner, I jumped  onto  the  fire
truck with my colleagues who were on duty on that day.  I  joined
them.  We drove along the trouble way but we had to return to the
fire station soon because there was too much fire and we couldn't
do anything at all.  When we were on our way back to the station,
and  approaching  the  office  of the  Tobacco  and  Salt  Public
Corporation,  we  found that the warehouse was on  fire.   So  we
stopped there and went inside to put out the fire.  When the fire
had come down, we decided to go to the main fire station to  find
out what had happened.  We passed by the Miyuki Bridge. It was so
hot  as  the  result  of the heat  produced  by  the  fire.   The
electric-light  poles burned down.  All of us wore  raincoats  to
protect  us  from  the  fire.  We also wore  caps  for  the  same
purpose.   Using buckets, we threw water over ourselves  when  we
reached  the  water  tanks.  Finally, we reached  the  main  fire
station.   I guess that about 5 or 6 of my coworkers  were  there
already.   Then  we  were  told to take  care  of  the  seriously
injured.   We  drove  a chief to a hospital  and  then  we  drove
towards Miyuki Bridge and Takano Bridge, where we found a lot  of
people dying.  There were about 4 or 5 firemen on the fire truck.
The  men in good condition were clinging to the side of the  car.
We  heard many people swearing, screaming, shouting,  asking  for
help.   Since our order was to help the most heavily injured,  we
searched for them.  We tried to open the eyes of the injured  and
we  found out they were still alive.  We tried to carry  them  by
their  arms and legs and to place them onto the fire truck.   But
this was difficult because their skin was peeled off as we  tried
to  move  them.  They were all heavily burned.   But  they  never
complained  but they felt pain even when their skin  was  peeling
off.   We carried the victims to the prefectural hospital.   Soon
afterwards, the hospital was full, so then we carried the injured
to  the  Akatsuki Military Hospital.  On the  following  day,  we
decided to visit the small fire stations throughout the town.   I
believe there were about 20 or 30 small stations with only 7 or 8
firemen  each.   Those small stations were temporary  place  near
police  stations  and city halls during war  time.   The  workers
stationed at the important places were all killed.  I visited one
of the fire stations and inside the burned fire engine, I found a
man  who was scorched to death.  He looked as if he was about  to
start  the  fire  engine to fight the fire.   Inside  the  broken
building,  I  also  found several dead men.  I  guess  they  were
trapped inside the building.  Many of my colleagues who  survived
on  that day died one month later.  Some of them lost their  hair
before  their death.  Yes.  There were lots of firemen  who  died
one or one and half months later.  I feel very sorry for them.  I
also  feel  deeply sorry for those who lost  their  families.   I
sincerely hope that there would be no more nuclear war.
--
Gary S. Trujillo                              [email protected]
Somerville, Massachusetts                     {wjh12,spdcc,ima,cdp}!gnosys!gst