The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1906-04-19
SAN FRANCISCO in RUINS
RESULT OF EARTHQUAKE
City is Practically Destroyed and
the Fire Still Raging
One Thousand People are Thought to Have Pershed
City Under Martial Law.-.Oth Cities Affected
But Less Seriously


city, including the Grant PARROT,
Flood, Can, Examiner and Monadnock
buildings the Palace and Grand hotels
and numerous Wholesale houses.
At the same time the commercial es-
adjustments and banks north of Mar
ket street were burning Tie burning
district in this section of the city ex-
tended from Sansome street TO the
water front and from Market street TO
Broadway Fires also broke out I'm the
Mission, and the entire city seemed to
be in flames
There was an interval Of three hours
between the first aud second shocks.
the latter finishing the destruction Of
buildings unsettled by the first Fire
Chief sullivan has been killed
Although water has been secured to
the flremen In many sections, the fire is
by no means under control 1t is rag
ing around Pine and Montgomery
streets. and the Western Union build
ing has been abandoned TO its fate.
Practically all the wholesale district
has been destroyed by the fire, and
the flames are spreading into the
Hayes valley district, r. residence sec
ton of San Francisco st Ignace'S
cathedral was among the buildings
which WAS destroyed The whole dis
triot in the vicinity of the postofiice
and mint have been destroyed
The Palace hotel is destroyed. The
Postal Telegraph and the Western I'm
ion buildings and the magnificent new
Union Trust company building, eleven
stories high, have been dynamited.
The papers in Oakland estimate the
dead at from 800 TO 700 and 10000
homeless
The flames. famed by the rising
breeze. swept down the main streets
until within few hundred feet of the
ferry depot, the high tower Of which
stood at dangerous angle The big
wholesale grocery establishment Of
Weelmsh, Peck Il Co. was on fire from
cellar to roof. and the heat was so OPP
pressiye that passengers from tile fer
rybosts We're Obliged 10 keep close TO
the waters edge In order TO get past
the burning structure.
II was impossible to reach the center
OF the city from the bay without skirt
ing the shore for long distance so as
to get entirely around the burning dis
trct At about o'clock the Southern
Pacific officials refused TO allow any
more passengers from tranShay points
to land aud sent back those already on
the boats The ferry and train service
of the Key route was entirely aban-
doned owing to damage done TO the
power house by the earthquake at
Emeryvllle
A thousand men from the Preside
arrived downtown to patrol the city
streets The Thirteenth infantry a
thousand strong arrived from Angel
island little later and went on patrol
duty at once. The soldiers have been
ordered to shoot down thieves caught
in the act OF robblng the dead and to
guard with their lives the millions Of
dollars worth Of property which has
been placed in the streets that It may
escape the ravages Of the flames
The First California artillery, 200
strong, two companies, has been de
tailed 10 patrol duty on Ellis street.
Two more companies are patroling
Broadway in the Italian section
Mayor Schmitz sent out word to the
bakeries aud milk stations throughout
the city that their food supplies must
be harbored for the homeless. Provi-
Sions have already been made 10 place
tents in every park in the city, and
those who have lost all will be given
food and shelter
The prisoners confined in the city
prison on the fifth floor of the Hall OF
Justice were transferred In irons to the
basement Of the structure. Later they
were removed TO the Broadway jail.
and If the necessity arises they Will be
taken to a branch county jail on the
Mission road
Commissioner Z. Myron Wolf an
nounced that the eighty odd fire insur-
ance companies interested had decided
to pay dollar for dollar to every one in
sured with them. The companies will
not discriminate between fire and
earthquake, and every one insured will
be paid to the extent of the loss. But
/ two Of the companies affected are Pa
cific coast concerns the others having
principal offices in the east or in En-
rope, and all will stand the loss with
out danger or failure
One Of the first orders issued by
/ Chief of Police Oman was the closing
of every saloon in the city This step
is taken to prevent drink crazed men
from rioting in the city streets
There was little dynamite available
/ IN the city. Mayor Schmitz sent tug
to Pnola for several eases Of explo-
sivcs He sent also telegram to May
or Mott Of Oakland. AZ 1896. he re-
ceived this reply to his Oakland mes
sage.
Three engines and hose companies
leave here Immediately. VIII forward
dynamite as soon as obtained"
That the country and the world have
received news of the San Francisco
disaster in due in part to the courage
Of the telegraph oneratogs there, who