Rock Island Argus., 1906-04-24
TELLS HOW IT FELT
Rock Island Young Lady Writes
of Earthquake and Fire Exper.
fences in San Francisco.
DRIVEN OUT BY THE FLAMES
Anxiety AS to Mr.. and Mrs. GoWling-
White Child Safe-Others
Heard From.

Mrs. Henry Frohboes, 713 Fourteenth
| treet, this morning received a letter
rom her daughter, Miss Marie Froh-
>oes, with word that she and her COM
| sanion, Miss Cora Peterson. of Moline.
| escaped safely from San Francisco,
where they were at the time of the
earthquake. They had planned to re-
urn home, but wanted TO spend a few
lays at San Francisco, and arrived
here just in time to experience the
earthquake. Miss Frohboes' letter
siveS sC-ne interesting descriptions Of
he conditions there and her expert
ances. Extracts from it are given:
Il never in all my life saw, and hope
never to see again as long as | live,
such a calamity. Hundreds of people
were burned and buried alive in that
awful earthquake. We thought the
world was coming to an end. We can
be thankful that we were not in a
brick building-they are the worst to
suffer an earthquake, as frame
building gives.
Fire started right after the shock,
and water pipes were broken SO they
had to let everything burn. = = The
fire did not reach us until yesterday
Thursday morning about O'Clock,
and then it burned &c houses. :;
We were lucky, as one of the men on
the steamer thought of us, and sent two
men after us. They saw that we had
plenty to eat, and took us to a hotel
across the bay. We had about
two dozen reports after the first shock
and every few hours will hear a rumble
in the earth. Car tracks and railway
racks are all torn up, and the earth
las big cracks everywhere. =
"They can not get anything to ear,
md are getting things from all over as
fast as they can"
The young ladies expect to get back
o San Francisco, and then return to
-os Angeles. The letter from which
he above are extracts was written
Friday at Alameda. Cal, just across
he bay from San Francisco.
Anxiety As to Mr.. and Mrs. GowIing.
Much anxiety is felt by Rock Island
elatives and friends of Mr.. and Mrs.
Thomas Gowling, who were at the
ieary, 239 Geary street, San Francisco,
he morning of the earthquake. Mr..
md Mrs. Gowling have been in Cali
iornia some months, and their son Law
"ence has a postal from them stating
hat they would be at the address Civ
IN the Saturday before the earthquake,
md expected to remain there several
lays, after which they were going up
he coast to Portland and Seattle and
hence home The Geary was in the
earthquake district and was destroyed
Repeated messages to them have fail
I'd TO bring response Today a dis
patch was sent to Mayor E. e Schmitz
IF San Francisco, and the reply is
lwa!ted with deep concern. Mr.. Gowl-
ing is superintendent of the power
plant of the Tri-City Railway COM
pany in this city.
White Child and Nurse Safe.
A telegram from l. s. White to Miss
Kelly, in charge of his home here, says,
"All safe. Baggage burned" This in
iicates that the whole party Mr.. and
Mrs. White, the child and Miss Rinck,
are away from San Francisco, the tele-
gram having been sent from Berendo,
April 81. A letter from Miss Rinck,
dated the 18th, the day before the
shock, was sent from San Rafael,
where she and the child were at that
time. The baggage was left in San
Francisco, as the party expected to re-
turn to the city before coming east
Lister Heard From.
H. F. Blocker received a card from
Morris (Pete) Lister this morning, in
which he says, Just got out of Frisco
and | am all safe" 1t was dated at
Oakland Friday, two days after the
earthquake. Mrs. Lister is in Los An
geles. Mr.. and Mrs. Henry Thode have
received word from Morris Lister, their
son-in-law, that he escaped from San
Francisco all right. He played ball |
with the Portland team at San Francis |
co Tuesday, and that evening sent a |
postal card to Mrs Thode Friday he |
sent another postal from Oakland, |
saying that he had just got out of San |
and was safe. Mrs. Lister, |
and her sister, Mrs. Clara Richmann |
were at Los Angeles. When Mrs Lis |
ter asked the baseball manager about |
the team and whether he had word of |
her husband, he replied that she need |
not worry, Pete was d good runner, |
and would get out all right Judging |
from the information from Lister, his
team made w. J. Sweeney, is also safe.
Letter On Burned Cardboard.
Mr.. and Mrs. John Raithel received
word this morning from their daugh-
.er, Mrs Francis Raithel-McKinzie,
Of San Francisco. that she is safe and
we'll, and living in one of the parks of
the eity. Word came written on
piece of burned cardboard.
Rock Island Omces Destroyed.
Official notice has been issued by
he Rock Island to the effect that its
San Francisco offices were demolished
tho r-th hn1ala L