<Begin Segment 8>

TI: So while this happened, so after they pulled you out, what happened next?

BH: I don't remember very much. But when we got, picked us up and they took us to the hospital, I guess, in those days, the hospital was down on Yesler, almost at the foot of the, I think it's Third Avenue or Fourth Avenue, there was that triangle building used to be, I don't know if you... but that was a hospital and police station, I think, at the time. So they put us into the, upstairs into the hospital.

TI: And so they had an ambulance take you up to Yesler...

BH: I don't even know who took us or anything. So three of us landed in that place, Takizaki girl and my brother and I.

TI: And at what point did you learn or hear that your, the rest of your family had...

BH: Well, the next day they were trying to recover, but they didn't find anybody alive.

TI: And were you able to see your brother during this time?

BH: Yeah, he came. He finally came in the same room we were in, but he was saved much later than I was. I think the shore patrol or somebody saved him. And also the Takizaki girl, too. But all I remember is I thought I was the only one when I came to.

TI: Boy, it's hard for me to imagine what it was like when you, when this happened and when you found out. Can you recall any of your thoughts?

BH: No, I just kind of wondered how many of them saved and kept, every time, we asked the nurse or somebody, "Has any other family come?" She said, "Nobody." And I think they found everybody else, later, the next day. 'Cause it was dark, so it was hard for them to save everybody, they didn't know where they were.

TI: Do you recall any visitors when you were in the hospital?

BH: No. Except the, Mr. Takizaki, I think, came to see us because his daughter was there.

TI: Do you recall her saying anything to you?

BH: Uh-uh, no.

TI: And when you were in the hospital, what were they treating you for?

BH: I don't know because all I know is that we ended up in the hospital, and we drank a lot of that dirty water. [Laughs] Gallons of it, I guess.

TI: So your lungs were pretty much filled with water, and they needed to clear those out.

BH: Uh-huh.

TI: Do you recall how long you were there?

BH: I think it was just overnight, 'cause we weren't really injured or anything like that. It was just from drowning, almost drowning.

TI: So where did you go after this?

BH: Then he took us over to Mr. Takizaki's house. We stayed there for quite a while, until the funeral was over.

TI: So tell me about the funeral. Where was it held?

BH: It was at Bonney-Watson. So after the funeral they were, we had five caskets all lined up.

TI: Right. And so the Takizakis had a separate funeral.

BH: They had a separate one, 'cause he had a, she got married at Maryknoll, I think. She was at Maryknoll at the time.

TI: Do you recall any thoughts, like, during the funeral when this was going on, anything that you could recall from the funeral?

BH: I was only about fifteen, and I didn't think much about anything at the time. Wondering what happened to the family.

TI: And family friends, relatives, do you recall anything?

BH: No, we only knew the Takizakis. They were the only ones we kept in contact. The rest were all farmers. Except the men would go visit all the different farmers, but...

TI: So you were, you said, so the Takizakis took care of you. So they were living in Seattle.

BH: They were living, they had a grocery store on Twelfth across from Kono Garage. And they already had how many children at the time, so they said they couldn't take me in there. So that's why they took me to Maryknoll, and I stayed there until I was sixteen, seventeen.

TI: You were fifteen when the accident happened, how old was your brother?

BH: He's three years younger.

TI: So he was about twelve?

BH: He was twelve.

TI: And what was your brother's name?

BH: George.

TI: George was twelve. And so did both you and George go to Maryknoll?

BH: No, he didn't. My sister, older sister, lived in Renton, and she was married, and so they took him.

TI: So why, why did you go to Maryknoll and not to your sister's?

BH: Well, I don't know. They were having trouble, too, in those days, so they couldn't take both of us. So they took George, 'cause he was a boy and they could put him to work later, I guess. [Laughs]

TI: Do you recall how you felt about going to Maryknoll?

BH: Well, it was nice because I knew the Takizaki family and they all went to school there. So it felt just like home. In fact, they treated me like one of the family all the time, so even now, they treat me like a family.

TI: The Takizakis?

BH: The children, yeah, the kids.

<End Segment 8> - Copyright © 2009 Densho. All Rights Reserved.