The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1906-04-25
FACING STARVATION.
THREE HUNDRED THOUSAND
H HOMELESS PEOPLE WITH
OUT FOOD.


Complete and Added to the Horrors
OF the Earthquake and Confagra-
ton is the Problem Of Producing
Food for the People.
Oakland, Cal, April 2o.-(2 a. mo-
San Francisco is gone. Unless all in
formation is greatly exaggerated, there
remains nothing Of the city this morn
sing except outlying suburbs, few
blocks on the water front, and mar
row district of middle class residences
living along Golden Gate Park. No
American city was ever so nearly de-
stroyed. as this, and, outside of the
EARTHQUAKE, the fire is probably the
greatest in American history. The
city has a population of more than
400. 900 people. Not more than one
fourth of these can have escaped to
Oakland or the. peninsula, and at
least 100000 people must be homeless
in the parks or the Preside military
reservation. All the hospitals except
the free city hospitals have been de-
stroyed, and they have been dragging
the injured. sick and dying from place
OIL
The flames finished with the busi-
ness district, ran south through what
Of the tenement district, ex-
tended out through the Mission, re-
gion of cheap residences, and leaped
to Mob Hill, where stand the great
mansions of the early day California
millionaires. Before that time the
water supply had been wholly ex-
hausted. Even the sewers were suck
ed dry. At o'clock the firemen
brought to the volunteer helpers the
news that there was no more dyna-
mite. It passed from mouth to mouth.
This cry was the doom Of San Fran
cisco. AS last resort Gen Funston
emptied the artillery magazines Of the
Preside, and the troops and firemen
tried TO make a last stand at vanness
avenue, west Of which lie the homes
of the rich and well-to-do. Funston's
telegram at 8 o'clock last night show
ed that they had failed, and the late
news over the direct Western Union
wire confirmed this.
Many must have died in the fire. AT
least four men were shot during the
6ay for looting.. The unburied dead,
many of them half burned, in the
ruins, are becoming problem. 1t
NAV become necessary to sink many
bodies in the Bay or Ocean. Owing
to the fire. which caught many struc-
lures before the dead could be taken
out of them, the real mortality Will
never be known.
Il is hard to estimate the loss in
money. 1t may be said that practical
ly ali Improvements on real estate and
a great part of the personal property
are gone. The loss Will certainly be
more than 100000. The last as
sessment roll gives the value Of land
and Improvements in San Francisco
at s402. 100000. The insurance held
in San Francisco was estimated in
New York yesterday at from $780,
100000 to s3S0.000,oo0. This esti-
mate is based on the payments on
premiums.
The housing of the homeless people,
who must have slept in the parks and
the military reservation last night, is
going to be a great problem. So. in
deed. is their feeding. No supplies
can come into the town at present
These people have been living on the
supplies taken from grocery stores
and handed out by the soldiers. but
the wholesale houses are gone with
their stores Of provisions and starva-
ton is imminent There is plenty of
money in sight for relief. The gov
ernment has appropriated million
dollars and at least a half million is
awaiting orders in New York. The
nroblem. however. is not so much one
oe money as Of ways and means Of
getting supplies through quickly.
This is absolutely the greatest dis
aster that ever overcame an American
cfty and one OF the fires of history.
Peside it the Chicago. Boston and Bal
+imore fires are almost unimportant.-
snecial to the News and Courier.