The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1906-06-20

"HoIe country round and he who ba,
directed our fire department for {,
many years with such bravery anr
skill was crushed TO death under RI,
fallen bastions of the California Hotel
Dynamite was being used literally
and the deep resounding booms of II,
explosion came at frequent intervals
IL was our only resource to stav the
) fire.
We had gathered some unfortunates
about us who had lost everything. and
L still had the house to draw upon as
base OF supply. wheelbarrow was
our table, and about it gathered our
FAMILY, fat old lady who had owned
a lodging house, her daughter. a parlor-
maid at the ST. Francis Hotel, an old
Hebrew tailor penniless and forlorn.
a medical fakir with long hair. and
l am afraid one OF the genus Tramp,
| However. he was hungry as the rest.
! This list l kept for four days until my
own resources We're gone and the gem
erous distribution of supplies was well
! inaugurated.
The third day of the fire / turned
away from the weary throngs and
/ climbed an eminence to see where the
! flames We're spreading. They were
racing up Mob Hill, the old habitation
of CALIFORNIA; first millionaires. There
stood the palaces of Flood Hopkins
Stanford, Huntington. and the Crock
ers. While we gazed roofs began to
smoke, long tongues of flame shot up
| into the murky rolling clouds above,
and all those colossal mansions were
enveloped in a fire so mighty that they
seemed but a sediment at it's base. To-
a. ~ NT.1I
when it was primitive. rolling sand.
The walls of the Flood building, a
chimney of the Crocker home. alone
remain to tell of the old landmarks.
AS We returned to camp we encoun-
tered one of the long lines waiting for
their turns to draw rations. young
mother turned away with her we'll
filed basket, wheeling her baby before
her.
II want to go home. mamma I want
to go home" pleaded the little one, as
she passed into the darkening aisles of
the Park.
I'VE haven't any home, dear; lie
down and let mamma cover you up"
she replied in the softest and most
comforting of voices.
AS showing how lightly we slept, and
what apprehension from the fire stayed
with US in our dreams. in the small
hours of that night horseman dashed
through the Park shouting, 1.-The fire
is under control and handclaps and
hurrahs came from out the dark copses
and lawns, and joy flowed like a wave
over the great concourse hidden in the
shrubbery
1t rained a little the fourth night, |
and, as the weather continued threat |
ening and we had no tent, we returned
to our desolated fiat. In the night 1t |
poured. The fallen chimneys had torn |
through the ceilings into two of our |
rooms the fat tin roof had thus been
bent down, and now acted as funnel |
We heard an ominous drip. drip. and |
then a steady splash. We dared not
light a candle-it was against military
orders. So we CROPPED along, hand in
hand. through the fallen furniture, pic
lures, and bundles, and found the |
water beating merry tattoo on my |
sewing machine, velvet carpet. and
some overturned books. We scram-
bled them out of the way and hurried
to the kitchen. Streams were falling
on my gas and coal stoves. We plac-
ed pans but they filled faster than
we could empty them. In the darkness
we were getting drenched ourselves,
so in despair we shut the door and
went to bed. On account of our IN
ability to cope with the flood that
in on us, the three flats below
us were very much damaged by water.
as they were locked UP and their own
ers away.
The next day we learned that my
husbands law library was burned.
Did we feel regret? No! we simply
did not have time.
We were now drawing rations. and
suffering for nothing but bread. 1 had
4 gift of twenty loaves from out or
town. I went through the Park Civ
ing it away 1 found a very gen;eel
spantsb woman. a former music-teach-
ar. who had only one blanket for COW
er. one sheet for a screen against the
weather. one utensfl for cooking, an !
ron pot. and very few clothes. Her
ong black hair had not been combed
since the earthquake. but she had
smile. and insisted on dividing with
ne the meat she had just cooked
ook her to our fiat. and fitted her out
with the most primitive necessities
Would YOU know what they wereE
FIRST conforters and warm dress,
hen followed underwear, stockings
fishes. cooking utensils. knives, forks
scissors. needle and thread. comb
,akfng-powder fruit jars for milk and ,
,iles of clean Cd clothes TO use Tor I
owels. dish-cloths and thousand (
md one purposes for the camp =
The bugle-calls in the morning, the
pacing sentries and galloping officers
Old OF our military occupation. Two
;hots which I heard ended human Z
ives. Both were cases Of looting. Men
Who met that fate were frequently Ieit
% lie where they fell ana sign u
'Looter' put over them. :
one pertinent feature of this awful
.xperience of earthquake and fire is
he entire change of opinion in regard
q the automobile. Its most virulent
rites now sound its praise. The rail-
Dad and street-car service was oe-
,troved at one blow. and we suddenly
,pprec!ated that san Francisco was
-, oi,v Of magnificent distances.