The morning call., 1893-02-19
AN AWFUL CRASH.
Impending Dangers to the
Hill DwelIers.
A PRIMARY SCHOOLS PERIL.
Poised Tons of Concrete Threaten
Death and Destruction to the In
habitants of Telegraph Hill.

Telegraph Hill jewellers are in imminent
peril of their lives when at home in their
| houses.
Their only safety lies in being continually
| out of doors and keeping their eyes always
pointed toward the brow of the hill.
Tons OF concrete and stone are poised on
! the hilltop ready to roll down at the slight
est agitation.
And the hill tribes are alarmed and wary.
| for they know not al what hour OF the day
OF night the avalanche cometh.
Another wind and rain storm. very
slight earthquake. or the jar from any
nearby blasting would be more than suffi-
cient 10 loosen these poised masses.
Some day in the near future the required
shock will come Then there will be a roar
| like thunder and an awful crashing of TIM
bers and human bones, for the loosened
masses will carry death and destruction
with them.
Those who dwell on the eastern slope of
| Telegraph Hill will probably suffer first,
for directly above them are huge masses of
| coping that hang TO The top OF the hill by
| almost a thread.
They project way out over the level hill
| top. Nearly one-half Of their weight rests
| on nothing.
Travellers who climb the Jagged heights
of Telegraph Hill to get a splendid view of
the city and bay invariably poke their canes
or kick their feet against these projecting
masses.
And when they do this the masses culver
and trembIe in space. Some time a strong
mans kick will be sufficient to overthrow
them.
The Hill cwellers beneath these masses
know their danger. but as day after day
goes by without the threatened avalanche
they have grown careless
They are busy people. and at best have
scarcely the time 10 think or what may hap
pen some day. But it is far more danger
Gus than they have ever thought The
slightest shaking of the ground would cause
these big pieces of coping to loose their
balance and topple over.
And whatever life or property should be
in their descending path would be crushed
into powder.
Three of these masses threaten the hill
people who dwell on the eastern slope and
directly in the path Of each of them are
numerous fragile cottages aud small wood
EN- houses.
Something should be done at once to stay
the sudden descent of these masses or when
the next earthquake comes San Francisco
will have a tragedy on Telegraph Hill that
will make a great many people wish this
warning had been needed
So much fer the eastern slope OF Old
Telegraph Hill. How about the western
descent?
Here is a schoolhouse.
That is all. And it is an old, old school
house. 1t would be a good thing TO have it
destroyed IN some way. Then the hill
children would have a new school with
modern appliances and sanitary appoint
ments.
There is no private property on this side
of the hill to be ground into dust and
debris by the falling Of a couple hundred
tons of old and rotten coping.
Only a schoOlhouse. and an old one at
that.
But. heavensl have you ever thought of
It! Suppose your boy or girl should be in
that old, old sch0olhOuse when those big
masses above lose their balance and topple
DOWN.
Your children don't go to that school. you
say?
Well. they are fortunate.
But somebody's children do. And they
are all innocent little toddlers from 8 TO 8
years old, for this Is primary school. the
Lafayette Primary.
Ii a ten-tOn mass struck the Lafayette
Primary school during school hours how
many Of the children would escape with
their lives?
Here is nice problem to figure ont. 1t
Will take a little brain work and certain
knowledge of the higher mathematics For
| the velocity OF the ten-tOn mass must be
computed as il whirls downward on those
Innocent school cDllQre0, ana the resistance
power Of those rotten frame walls must be
figured out 10 a nicely.
You will have to visit the spot to make
the cOmi utatiOn nicely. Take foot rule
with YOU aud pad Of paper.
Every body who has been to the brow of
Telegraph Hill lately has noticed the dan
gerOus positions Of large portion of the
old concrete coping that encrcles Pioneer
PARK on the hi ltop to the south OF the de-
serted beer-ball castle.
Great pieces Of the coping are broken off
entirely or hanging to the main wall by the
Sienderest threads.
And these broken or cracked pieces are
tipped away over toward the outside or
bottom of tie hill.
The rains have washed away the sand
| and earth from the bottom of these pieces,
and as they have become more and more
looSened the attraction of gravity bias
draw them over the bluffs.
1t only needs a little more loosening of
the earth at the bottom Of these masses or
slight jar Of the earth to send them dashing
DOWN. ard.
Something should be done at once u
bolster up these impending masses, or they
should be taken away entirely before
human life is destroyed by them.
The danger is very great
The need Tor immediate action is impera-
tive