Omaha daily bee., 1906-04-23
IN PALACE DURING QUAKE
Commercial Man Representing Berlin House
Relates Story Of Earthquake.
PEOPLE THOUGHT II END OF The WORLD
Massive Structure sways Like storm
Tossed sea and streets Are
strewn with Dead in
Few Minutes.

Otto Kaufman, travelling salesman for
! Ieonhardts & Co. Of Berlin, Germany, Is
a guest at the Her Grand, having arrived
in omaha from San Francisco Sunday
morning.
Il was stopping at the Palace hotel"
| said Mr.. Kaufman, "the morning OF the
earthquake, and passed through an expert
ence 1 am not likely to forget had ar
rived there a day or two before from Port
land. ore. The night preceding the earth
quake had been out rather late and being
a pretty sound sleeper l was not awakened
by the first shock. When the second shock
came 1 was thrown from my bed by its
partly fitting over. 1 did not know at the
moment what was happening, and started
to put on my clothes when the swaying
motion increased and 1 was thrown half
way across the room.
1T was daylight then, and looking out
OF the window of my room-I was on the
third hoor-I saw the back part of the
hotel falling and any quantity of stones
and glass coming down from the upper
stories and at the same time the ceiling
Of my room began crumbling, the plaster
ing falling down in small PARTICLES.
Thought Hotel Was On Fire.
81 supposed at this time the hotel was
on fire and ran out into the hallway. In
the meanwhile the hallway was crowded
with women in their night dresses and they
were screaming and begging to be saved.
{ did not notice any fire and though cries
were coming from the lower floors to save
ourselves, l ran. back into my room and
gathered up what few clothes could and
my money, which had placed under my
pillow. / felt the building sinking and
rocking and there was a terrible noise Of
crashing walls and splntering glass mingled
with the screams of the women. The upper
stories seemed to settle down onto the
third floor and then the whole building
seemed to be settling down onto the lower
floors.
"As came out eof my room some women
begged me to go back into their rooms and
get their clothes and diamonds which they
had left on their dresser. l started back
their room being on the same floor, when
big policeman grabbed me by the neck
and told me to go on down stairs or I
would be killed. / told him 1 was going
back to look for my wife, which was, Of
course, a lie, as my wife was in Germany.
He let go of me and hurried into the
room as directed by the women and grabbed
up all the clothes 1 could lay hands on
and also the Jewels lying on the dresser
and hurried out with them and gave them
to the women.
All Get Out Alive.
"In the meanwhile the great building
was still crashing and seemingly swaying.
and urged the women to rush down stairs
and followed them. The second story had
settled down onto the first story and there
was just room enough for us to walk under
II to the street When got outside saw
the building was not on fire, but fire seemed
everywhere else.
1.-THE women 1 Helped out were people
named Smith, and Mr.. Smith met them
! as we came down. The Smiths and went
down to the st. Francis hotel and got our
J breakfast there. We, with others, figured
on taking the II a. m. ferry to Oakland,
but seeing there was little chance TO do
anything connectedly. we decided to get
to the ferry as quickly as possible. We
, left the st. Francis at 9I5 Wednesday
morning. at first intending to go down
! Market street to the ferry, but the street
was black with people. and Union Square.
too was crowded with mass of frightened
and terrorized humanity.
80 the Smith party and I started in
another direction. We overhauled colored
man driving a carriage, and offered to pay
him anything to take us to the ferry. He
was about half drunk and demurred. SEEM
ing to be terribly frightened. 1 asked Mr..
| Smith for his pistol and leveled 1t at the
negro and commanded him to take US. He
, wilted and / held the horses heads while
Mr.. Smith and the women got inside the
, carriage and then got up on the seat to
see that the negro drove us properly. We
, had to go in a roundabout way on account
Of the fire everywhere and the great crack,
| a., h. Of a foo
4 wide. The street car tracks were warped
I and twisted as II made of paper. 1t tool
s us about an hour and half to get to thC
n ferry.
Dead Strewn on Streets.
e when we first started down Market
e street the bricks and cornices were falling
o from the buildings in all directions and
8 houses were topping into the street The
a electric wires were down and killed many
= horses and people We saw dead people
70 everywhere.
"As we passed along the street near the
: ferry we saw scores of sailors and others
who were hilariously drunk. some carrying
bottles of liquor with them and Others
= boxes of cigars. They would shout to one
another that they were going to have
good time before the soldiers came.
= when we got to the ferry boat it wa
: the last one to leave the city, leaving tn,
ferry house at 11;45. The soldiers had ar
rived at this time and took charge o.
p matters. The people were not allowed 4
go near the ferry house, but were driver
q back up toward town.
81 saw Mr.. Co9reid Of the Metropolitan
opera company. He told me his company
was absolutely cleaned out and had lost
= everything. Some of them did not have
a clothes enough to fully clothe themselves
= He was a sight TO behold. He had not had
: a hair cut for some years and he went
, around like a wild man with every hair
standing on end.
People Kept on Trains.
1.-THE Overland Limited on which I lef
: Oakland, had only ten people on It between
: California and ogden. All the berths had
: been sold. but after the soldiers took
charge of affairs no one was allowed TO e
!.
Your Heart