Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1906-05-22
Conditions after the Earthquake.

L
written 70 . fiiend in the East by Miss Morris.
daughter Of Col. Charles Morris OF the United
States Amy, whose family have spent several
Francisco earthquake Col. Morris was In com.
| mand CT the Presidio. which. Is 10 generaily
known. IL the military reservation at San Fran;
cisco. This letter Is dated at that ace, ApriI
29th, eleven days after the earthquake)
Thank you very much for your
thoughtful offer of aid. Anything in
the line Of clothes, new or old, will be
more than acceptable. Babies and
children's clothes are in constant de-
mand every day, and don't see how the
thousands of homeless families are to be
kept even fairly clothed and comfortable
during the coming weeks OF fogs ana
cold winds. The relief stations are
doing a great work, but of course there
has been and will be yet great deal OF
waste, owing to the immense numbers to
be fed and clothed, which can not be
strictly supervised by the limited num-
Der Of workers.
If you can get up q sewing club and
make flannellette slips and petticoats Tor
babies and children, it would be great
help. For weeks to come these things
will be needed, as materials are scarce
here, and people too poor to buy them
and too busy getting roof over their
heads and food to eat to make them up.
Why not send the box by freight, so as
to save expresssge, and at the same time
allow your sending any old things you
can collect? Shoes Of all kinds and sizes
are much in demand, as the cars are not
running, and every one has to walk
Hence in a short time there will be al
most no one too proud to accept PAIR
of whole shoes! wish had pair this
minute to give the rector of my dear lit
tie st. Mary the Virgins, his feet are al
most on the ground. st. Mary's IS al
most the only uninjured church in town:
The hospitals here are crowded, and
were much moro so. A very wonderful
work has been done by them, several
hospitals in town sending their patients
out here the first day. OF course many
arrived absolutely destitute of clothing.
In one ward alone twenty women out OF
twenty five hadn't a stitch to their names
but their nightgowns. The NEW baby
ward would fascinate you. Every bed
with a mother and brand-new baby
most of them to be clothed, by the way.
As far as the earthquake is concerned,
no words can begin to describe it's
horrors. l awoke to find myself stand
ing by my bed with the most fiendish
noises going on, everything falling IN the
room, furniture moving about, and the
whole house about to fall and crush us
without the shadow of doubt.
When / could stand and get TO the
door | tried to 60 down the entry to
Franks room, frank is brother who
is blindl but was thrown from side to
side in a sickening manner. At last
did reach his door, and opened it to see
that his heavy wardrobe had fallen over.
as l at first supposed on his bed and
killed him, as he didn't answer me,
though | sbrieked his name over and
over. When got to the bed, however,
he staggered from under the wardrobe
aud at last answered, though he was
dazed and stunned with the crash and
confusion. 1t seems the wardrobe fell
lust AS he got up, but caught on the
back of a chair by his bed, and he fell
over that.
We then got down stairs and out on
the porch, and found none of us were
hurt, but all horribly shocked and
shaken. Then even the fire had begun,
and we could picture the horrors in
town. The papers do not exaggerafe
anything so far as I can see. The per- |
sonal experiences were simply indie
scribable.
We are all sleeping in tents on the
grass-plot on the parade ground but
Effie, who is in a low house with no
plaster. am really enjoying this part,
and never felt better.