The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1906-05-04
EXPERIENCE OF A
HONOLULU GIRL


Among the HonouIu3us n san .7ran- I
cisco at the time of the earthquake, !
was Miss Edith Spaldiua. daughter of 7
Il. l. Spuldng. who was q guest at the +
Occidental Hotel The following eX- .
tracts are from a letter received yes /
terday by Mr. Spalding, given to the /
press by him because of the intense i'm /
terest of Honouluans i'm the details of /
the catastrophe. 1t is dated April 10. .
the day after the earthquake.
Dear Mother; such an awful expert /
cnce that we have just gone through. 1
will never forget it as long as / live.
/ was awakened by something strik-
ing me on the arm. My room was
swinging back and forth and l expected
every minute that the hotel would go
down with a crash. Pieces of plaster
foot i'm diameter fell ON my bed, but af-
ter the first piece struck me l was not
touched. l cannot tell why ] did itsbut
as soon as ! felt the room rocking. l got
up and went to look at my watch and
wound it. 1t was fifteen minutes past
five o'clock | went to the door of my
room and opened it and looked out, but
could see no one i'm the hallway. SO
| went back and put on my kimono and
slippers. All this time pieces of plas-
ter were falling about me from the
ceiling and the room was shaking aW-
fully
was just going out of my room TO
go to Aunt Leonora's apartment, Wheh
met her. l went with her to her
room and we had been there only few
minutes when porter called Fire!
and everybody made for the stairs. Be-
fore we had reached the sidewalk some
one said it was only a slight fire i'm the
basement and that it had been put out.
So we went up again and got dressed.
Within half an hour twenty-five fires
had started near the hotel and we went
M to pack what we could. l emptled
everything that was in my bureau
drawers into a sheet and got my Dress
&c out of the closets. We got the sheet
full and two satchels down stairs Aunt
ITaonora wanted her trunks to bc
brought down, but there was no por'
ter to be had. Allen Robinson VINO
happened to be i'm the hotel ana Wh"
was helping the Ward girls, told me TO
on urstairs and we could bring them
down together, which we did. After
all of Aunt Leonora's things were down
Mr.. Robinson went up and carried my
steamer trunk down
BY this time the lobby of the holel
was filed with trunks and puhdlcs'
so nv larger trunk was left behind. we
got an express wagon and had TO get
up on the seat with the driver, me
expressman took us to little park at
the corner of stockton and Union
streets, and it was already crowded.
lint there was not Il soul that we knew
The driver charged us four dollars we
learned that Mrs. Stevens, VINO was
stopping at the Occidental Hotel, oller-
ed the driver forty dollars to take her
trunk from the Occidental to the ST
Francis Hotel and he would not do H.
Conyeyances could not be had at any
price. They had all they could 40 10
save their own things.
We staid at the park until the even
ing. not daring to leave our satchelS
and go and look around for something
| 70 eat We would have gone to Aunt
Erries washington near Larktn), out
we could not get any conveyance. Near
evening Aunt Leonora went over to u
2 house and asked if they could not take
us Tor the llSHl' my ''''N' N'''
already crowded but would do what
d they could. So we had our trunks NOV
ed over there and then we went out
| 70 see what we could get 10 eat FOR
2 we had had nothing but some collee
, since six o'clock i'm the morning. we
5 could not buy tea or coffee, or anything
70 to eat-not even piece of bread. When
2 we got back to the house we had a
!, small glass of wine. That was all we
had until today Uhe 19th) at lunch. The
p fire was drawing near and | sat ON the
e steps all night watching it.
1 AT five o'clock it was within a bs'cK
e of MS and it was necessary for us to
e rush as quickly as we could If we
4 wished to save anything. We had beer
f irving to get an express wagon loi
% hours and could not, but at last one
= came along AID agreed To take some ol
+ our trunks out; but we had to leave
t. one. We had to pay the eNpressman
o twenty dollars Aunt Leonora sat on
D the seat with the driver and ! walked
e We went way out to the Preside, wher,
+ everybody was going. We hadn't beer
there two hours before the flames came
h rushing right up Van Ness avenue, anl
n the Preside is right at the end, yot
n know. SO we got another express anC
Y went to the ferry and came over to
e Hericlcy where We are safe.