CanÌƒon City record. [volume] (CanÌƒon City, Colo.) 1883-192?, 1906-04-26


you down and trample you under My
feet
There was no regular motion. The
at once Swinging, turning, twisting,
topsy-turvy all in the space of few
short seconds that seemed to me.
however, hours in duration The bed
shook, panes of window glass fell
with a crash. The big dresser and
commode in my room were turned
completely over.
Il made my way, steadying myself
along the wall in the midst of this
terrible motion as best as j could, to
the window There a sight such as l
never hope to witness again, and l do
not think / ever will, met my eyes.
Sees Building Toppling
and City Being Wrecked
The city in these few seconds was
a wreck. Buildings were falling on
every side. The crash of the walls
as they struck the pavements re-
sounded with a mighty echo. 1t
sounded like a boom, boom of big
guns. Fire even then was breaking
were rushing into the streets. by the
thousands. Many met their death
under the falling walls. Streets were
twisted until they looked like a wrig-
Cling snake. The buildings that stood
were cracked and warped and rent.
Even more terrifying than all
this happened within a space OF a few
seconds and in much shorter time
than 1t takes to describe it very
briefiy-was the groaning of the
building in which | stood. The creak-
ing of the timbers, sounding not un-
like the cries of a human being in
distress, was something awful. Every
moment l expected TO be my last.
"Curiously enough as recall it
now / can remember no physical SEN
sations that l suffered during those
awful moments. My sensations were
purely mental. My past life came
back to me in an instant Everything
that | had ever done was brounght TO
my mind. l saw in an instant my
poor old father breath his last
felt myself gasping for breath even
as he had done. Never for a moment
did / entertain any hope of getting
out of the building alive, / remember
saying to myself, well. old boy, your
time has come, and / fell to wonder
ing in what form death would stalk
in upon me.
Then the building with a last
weird groan settled. The earthquake
iIsd no psIInd l kInsyH IsAo SEN
of trousers and my shoes and made
my way down stairs TO the Office.
There was a scene such | shall
never forget met my eyes In every
direction men, women and children
were rushing to places of safety
Women were groaning and pulling
their hair in their mad delirium; men
were alternately cursing and praying
children were crying. Pandemoniun
reigned.
Thousands of people by this time
were on the streets Many of the wo-
men and children were stark naked
Few had on anything but their night
clothes.
II left the hotel and found a little
park about two blocks from the hotel
II was already crowded with people
Here l said TO myself, I will be
safe; at least no buildings can fall
upon me-
Terrible Scene Follows the
Earthquake on the Streets
BY this time the fire was raging
with tremendous fury. The clang OF
the gongs as the.fire department tore
through the streets added to the hor-
ror of the scene. 1t was a hell on
earth if there ever was one II the
hereafter is any worse than that,
for one, do not wish 10 go to the bad
place.
Il remained in this little park for
some considerable length of time
Then / determined to make my way
back TO the hotel and to save, If pos
sible, some of my effects l could see
even then that the hotel which had
withstood the shock was doomed to
go up in smoke.
Il made my way back, picking my
way carefully over the ruins. i was
just shutting my suit case when the
second shock came. The feeling that
came over me as the building began
to rock the second time was indes-
cribable. Here | was in the very
room in which / had experienced the
torments of the damned just a short
while before. thought then that the
end of the world was surely at hand
The second shock was a real earth
quake | have no words 10 tell what
the first was. The building moved
with that slowly swinging motion
that | have spoken of before, How
ever. no damage was done this time
Once again l made my way into
the street There was no .thought In