Waterbury evening Democrat., 1906-04-25
EMMA EAMES' STORY
The We'll Known and Celebrated Op- cratic Singer Tells of Her Exper-
 fence During Earthouake.

San Jose. Cal, April 25.-The fol-
 lowing statement of her experiences
 during and after the earthquake was
 yesterday written for the Associated
 Press by Mme Emma Flames of the
 Metropolitan opera company, who is
 now resting at the home of Dr Tevis
 at Alma, in the hills of Santa Clara
 county. Mme Flames is arranging
 with the railroad officials for trans
 portation on the Overland limited
 Thursday morning. The story is as
 follows:
 T was in bed and at the first
 culver of the earthquake awoke to
 perfect consciousness. The futiiity
 of any movement to save oneself
 came over me and I lay quite still,
 only holding onto the bed to be kept
 from being thrown out I was ah-
 solutely without fear at any time.
 As soon as the movements began to
 quiet themselves I thought of nov ing, but each time they redoubled in intensity. At last at the end of the
 first big shock l heard the voice of our host asking if I were afraid Of course got up and dressed as quick-
 ly as I could and rushed down to
 the hotel St Francis to see what was
 happening to Mme Sembrich. Dr Tevis and got in an automobile with which an acquaintance was fortunate ly passing. On getting there we rushed up six flights on foot, is no elevators were going, only to fird Mme Sembrich gone. We at last found her and begged her to come up with us, as Dr Tevis's house was on the top of Mob hill. We passed the day there watching the flames ap- preaching and feeling shocks of earthquakes at intervals, Dr Tevis all the time trying to get some sort of conveyance to get us out of town. not from fear of earthquake, but of the approaching fire. He at last found landau, whose driver con- sented to wait in front of the door until we must leave. The town was burning between us and the ferries and there was then difficulty in get ting there.
 At about s o'clock the doctor said we had better get out to the north beach, as we might be sur- rounded by flames. The house was surrounded by the flames on Thursday and was the last to re- main standing in that vicinity. It was burned to the ground with all in 1t, including our clothes, we be- ing able to carry with us in our hur- ried flight only our valuables and one change of clothing. We took blank cts and lay out all night on the ground, the dew falling so heavily that we were soaked. About o'clock on Thursday morning Dr Tevis said the fires had burned themselves out between us and the ferry and we could get over to Oakland and must go at once. The carriage took our few belongings and two of our party least fit for violent exercise, while the rest of us walked. After waiting at the Oakland ferry three-quarters of an hour for the carriage which we had outwalked. we got safely over to Oakland. There, leaving our two maids in carriages, we took train | to a suburb of Oakland where lives a l relative of Dr Tevis. There we found | the house closed and lay about on the | ground waiting for them to find | means of conveying us to Dr Tevis' country place. 60 miles from Oakland. had lost my voice completely and felt I could not return to confusion l and endure possible three days so- Iourn in a railway train. At about ! , o'clock Thursday afternoon we to secure an automobile md Dr Tevis. Mir Tetrigo. my maid md myself, came up here where we nave been camping out. We found he caretakers in state of terror on ,ur arrival and the house demolished ,y the earthquake. We had taken | ride in an automobile of four hours ind were glad to lie on a comfortable mattress in one of the cottages of his .mployes. At no time have we felt my fear and the whole thing seems natural. We have been try ng very hard to get accommodations or our journey to New York and 1 lope to Leave on Thursday morning