The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1883-11-02

fire. Dose insurance companies doys
will not pay mo noddingS. Lieber 0ottli
Berhaps dose insurance companies yOs
gone MP, too" ~ -; SIS
And fresh burst Of tears came 10 the
relief of the oyer-burdened million.
aire.
John w. Dwinelle approached, and
satirically comsorted the weeping Dives:
"Do not be 90 cast down, Mr.. Reese"
said he. "Things are not 20 bad. I inn
ag'ne, as they aie represented. We:
shall presently be in sight Of the city,
and think We shall see 1t standing. Ah,
excuse me, Mr.. Fesss--you had eggs for
breakfast, fancy"
And he indicated to ths weeper
Soard Jaw. partially mixed with tears.
Michael scrap ID it off and resumed his
weeping.
But soon We came where the fog-veil
was not 80 thick. and the top Of the
shot-tower wus seen piercing the haze.
remember that some enthusiastic spir.
its gaze three cheers for the safety of
the city. And as We gradually ap-
preached the pier, it was seen that the
city was apparently oil there. We did
not learn until later that the shock had
been lighter on the San Francisco side
than on the other.
We hastened up the streets. looking
| corpses. We did not res @ many ns we
had expected. Coming UP Clay street
however, near sausoIne. there was q
frightened boy who, surrounded by
crowd of people, was pointing at mass
Of blood and brains on the sidewalk.
His jaws were working convulsively, but
no sound came from them, A bystander
told Inc that the boy had Witnessed the
death of the man who formerly ueed
the brains, and that the sight 30 horri-
tied him that he had remained in that
condition ever since the ehock-a mat
te- ofa couple of hours. The man, it
seems, had run out of the building
when the first shock came, and had got
10 the sidewalk just in time to catch the
falling fre-wall upon the top of his head.
do not propose to weary my read
ers with an account Of the earthquake.
came into my head the other morning,
when was awakened at one o'clock BY
the familiar vibrating, twisting, grinding,
motion-the creaking Of the groaning
bricks, the ominous rumble of the shud-
dering metal roof. said 10 myself:
The most severe shock since 49,"
And, so SAVING, these fecollections came
to me, and jotted them down.
But ! will indulge myself in telling one
or two anecdotes which I recall. There
was IL gentleman here from the east at
the time, whe had been'11ghinz for an
Earthquake. l have met. kany like
him, by the way, but never sA,-s. any
Of them who wanted to feel two. do
not refer to temblors, but to good stiff
shocks. No one who has ever felt one
wants to ieel another.
This pilgrim, then had been yearning
for an earthquake: Fortunately for
him, il came before lie went away. He
may add. He was living in Bre niam
Place, and was awakened by the shock.
He knew what it was. No ruan needs
all Intro !uction to an earthquake. He
fled through the door. He nearly took
it with him. He was clad only in a
short night-el,irt. but despite that fact
he went into the centre of the Plaza.
and there he remained. He could not
be induced to re.enter the house. FL
nally. he hired small boy to 20 and
get his clothes, and dressed himself be-
fore the populace.
Later in the day he ventured out OF
the Plaza, and, accompanied by Tommy
Newcombe. went to Barry & Patterns to
get drink. The barkeeper mixed the
drinks and placed them upon the coun-
ter. Newcombe pushed his back, re.
questing the barkeeper to take the ice
half past ten o'clock. There was a
slight jingle of glasses. then crash,
and tie bar leaned forward
and courtenied 70 the two friends in the
most familiar fashion. The barkeepel
was almost buried in a vitreous ava
lanche. The eastern man knew, with
out being told. that this was another
earthquake. He made for the street
He got there before anybody else in the
house. This despite the fact that l,e
lacked experience. These Eastern mer
are very quick to learn about some
tl,inps-particuiarly earthquakes. He
reached the street with such iinpctuosity
that he was on the other side before he
knew it. There was u building there ba'
longing to Sam Brannan, the top o.
meeting like v. One of these fell with
the second shock, just as our Eastern
friend reached the sidewalk. The stone
came shooting down like conical pro-
jectile, struck the tagged sidewalk, made
a clean hole and disappeared in the
depths below. The hole was about sis
inches away from the Eastern man. He
nearly fell into it.
He took the next steamer for home.
When this shock took place, hap
pened to be in the Odd Fellows Bank
then on Montgomery street, opposite
where the Safe Deposit building now ID
: a group of us were talking over the frs
shock. remarked that had not beer
. in bull ling when the first shock came
but that, had been, / would have re
lnained, further said that considered
: running from a building as highly danger :
} ous, instancing the unfortunate mar
who was killed on Clay Street as a cas-,
in point. All agreed with me. One il
particulars friend named Maillot-re
marked:
"You are perfectly right. The maj
who would run ont Of a building during
i an earthquake ehock is id fool"
The words were scarcely out of h;
mouth when the half past ten o'clocl
shock came. do not remember worry
distinctly how ! got there. but in, abou
, three seconds l found myself In tb!
middle of the street. have no recol
lection OF coming down stairs. Strsng,
| to say all the other fellows were ther,
too. Maillot looked at me, and re
marked, with grim humor:
81 thought you never ran zsom ar
t earthquake"
) II never do"
"But you ran them"
"No. I didn't run. I flew"
So did. And l very much fear