Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-04-19
San Francisco.


The San Francisco horror grows with the
passage Of the hours When The Star Is
sued its last extra edition yesterday, at 10
O'Clock at night. the tale that had come
from the coast was clearly only partly
told 1t was hoped that by morning better
news would come. But with the morning
came only a continuation of the same tale
of terror, death, destruction, panic and
crime. The days bulletins Increase the
weight of woe that has settled upon the
whole country. It is only too shocklngly
evident that San Francisco and many other
California cities and towns have been VS.
sted by disasters which challenge the powers
of the imagination TO picture. There is at
this hour strong reason to fear the total
destruction Of the coast metropolis.
With hundreds of thousands homeless and
bereft OF their means Of livelihood with
business paralyzed, with a great city swept
by flames that have not even yet been
controlled, with thieves at work, San Fran
cisco needs the assistance of the country. 1t
requires no call from the stricken community
to denote this necessity. Already the gov
eminent has moved to meet the emergency.
But it's contributions cannot reach all the
necessities. When the fires have been
quenched and the debris measurably cleared
away and order has been restored, there
will remain the heaviest task to perform
that of providing systematically for the
sustenance and shelter of the homeless and
peuniless.
Already a great wave of sympathy has
swept over the country and is bearing on
toward San Francisco a wealth of offer
tngs. AS soon as the need is fully known
1t viii be fully met. That is assured. 1t
~Ia ,g I1I.,, han
the waters swept almost entire city out
of existence. 1t was true in the case of
Galveston, when again the waters rose and
destroyed life and property to an appalling
total. It will be true in the case of San
Francisco. where the need is probably
greater than In any former instance of
American calamity.
Fortunately the business methods of the
people of this country are so highly or
ganized that no time is ever lost and no
means are wasted In meeting a require
ment of this kind. Promptness and ef-
flciency are the watchwords of the occa-
sion. Men accustomed 10 the handling of
millions and to grasping opportunities at
the psychological moment offer their serv-
Ices when they are most urgently needed.
The captains Of industry become the cap
tains OF charity. The pennies of the poor
and the dollars of the wealthy flow into
the great funds which go to succor the
stricken. Public confidence never rises TO
higher pitch than in these instances, where
stupendous sums are placed at the disposal
Of men who are mere names to the mil
Hons OF givers.
In few days doubtless San Francisco
viii have settled down to the point of estl-
mating losses. Whether the total is $780,
100000, or S20J000OOO. or higher the sum
viii be Of staggering size But the losses
Will measure In some respects far above
the range OF money values. And when all
is reckoned there viii remain the sickenIng
possibility that the great community may
IN a few years, perhaps even few months,
he visited by another quaking of the earth,
10 destroy In a few minutes the recupera-
tive results OF tremendous labors. But it
= assured that the indomltable spirit of
the men who have made the city OF the
Golden Gate d marvel of beauty and en-
terprise and prosperity viii rise superior
TO this present disaster and to the threat
Of renewed horrors and losses and produce
a result which viii stand as a monument
10 American enterprise and faith and de-
termination.