The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1906-06-26
FaT LiFE suITss
FRISCO PEOPLE
Thousands Are Still in Refrsee4
canps-an in Good
Heath.

-
SAX FRANCISCO. CAL June 2e.-
Were one not familiar with condi-
tons IN San Francisco. to drop down
. IN the city at the present time he
would undoubtedly imagine that there
had been a return to the early min
ing days, for the refugee camps. scat
tered all over the city wherever there
ance Of the Western boom towns OF
mushroom growth with which Aneri-
cans have become so familiar When
zoo. oec of the residents of San Fran
cisco were rendered homeless by the
great fire the changed conditions Of
living brought no great hardship. for
San Franciscoans are accustomed to
the outdoor life made SO inviting by
CALIFORNIA; climatic conditions, and
when the fire came a large number of
them were in the midst Of their annu-
al preparations for sum mers outing
under tents in the woods. on the
mountains or by the seaShore. 1t is
fact worthy of mention that hun
dreds of these driven from their
homes by the fire carried with them
their own tents. which were pitched
with the skill OF a veteran, either on
some vacant lot or amid the shades OF
some park. The result of this was
that these camps. whether under gov
Ornamental supervision or under indi-
vidual care. operated under ideal con-
! ditions impossible OF realization any
where else than in California.
! During those three memorable days
while the fire was raging in the heart
! of the city there was no order In the
migration of the people. The idea
sequently every open place was pre-
empted by '-Squatters. regardless of
! uniformity or regularity in laying out
the various camps. Fully $4,000 ref
usees fed to Golden Gate Park. and
] 1900 more to the government: reser-
! vations at the Preside. The others
! were scattered over the hills about
/ the city and in the various small
/ parks in the western and southern
1 sections. According to the computa-
tons of the California Promotion
| Committee. $4,000 people slept out
/ side of houses on the second night OF
the fire, while $4,000 We're housed
with friends who were not in the dan
ger line.
No Race or Caste
It was q mos. heterogeneous con-
Elomeration of people thus thrown to-
Eether, and the disaster obliterated
all social lines and sent the people
back to first principles Rich and
poor high and low. were on level
f: color line was so effectively obliter-
ated that it was no uncommon &C.
currence to see CaucaSians, MonSoll-
ans and negroes in fraternal discus
sion of the events Of the day, and
! sharing with each other the proven
! ders supplied by the commiSsary de-
partment-
!: Nor was the aGmlXture OF races and
caste the quee-est part OF this level
ing of humanity and return to first
principles It looked as if everyone
had saved some pet in the way of
bird or domestic animal. and these
animated relics of civilized life seem
ed to understand that natural antipa-
thies were to be held in allegiance for
the time being and dogs, cats, mon
] keys. parrots. chickens and canary
birds lived as if belonging to one
great. happy family. or as il the mil
lennium had arrived. One woman car
ried a setting hon and Is eggs from
the Mission district to the Preside. a
distance of four miles. and the little
chicks. which were Matched two days
later. became the pets of the camp
10000 Still in Tents.
/ The camp within the gates of the
Preside was the first to adopt syste-
matte rules and come under reSula-
/ tons. Tents were issued to all who
applied. and at first they were per
mitted to place them as they pleased.
The reSt-ictiorS against fires within