The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1906-04-19
Condensed from the Associated Press Report

I
San francisco, April 1S-San Fran
cisco was practically wrecked by
earthquake at 81 O'Clock this morn
inc. The shock lasted three minutes,
thousands of buildings being dam
aged and destroyed and hundreds if
not thousands of people killed aud
injured.
Terror and excitement was indie
scribable. Most of the people were
asleep and rushed into the streets IN
dressed. The buildings swayed and
crashed burying their occupants,
Added to the horror created by the
falling buildings, fire broke out and
in an amazingly short time had
swept territory OF two miles, TAX
ing in and consuming vast blocks OF
business houses, newspaper offices,
churches and hotels.
According to the latest infOrma-
ton, the buildings of the CAL, Exam
ner and Chronicle, the Merchants
Exchange, owned by the Union Pa
cific railroad the Palace and Valencia
hotels and other large buildings were
destroyed by fire. Everything south
OF Market street from Eighth street
to water front and north OF Market
street from Sansoms to Broadway is
gone. The Western Union and Pos
tai Telegraph buildings were wrecked
In order to check the spread OF the
flames, number of buildings are be-
ing destroyed by dynamite. Practi-
cally all the wholesale district has
been destroyed by fire. and the flames
are spreading into Hayes Valley dis
trict, a residence section of San Fran
cisco.
The City Hall, Il seven million dol
lar structure. was one OF the first to
collapse after the shock. 1t took but
Il moment to reduce it, together with
numbers of other buildings in that vi
cinitv, into Il mangled mass of ruins.
The fire is still raging. The catnstro-
phe is the worst in the history OF the
city.
DETAILS OF THE CATASTROPHE.
The dreadful earthquake shock
came without warning its motion
apparently being from east to west.
At first the upheaval of the earth
was gradual, but in few seconds it
increased in intensity. Chimneys be-
gan to fall and buildings to crack,
tottering on their foundations.
The people became panic stricken
and rushed into the streets most of
them in their night attire. They
were met by showers of falling build
ings, bricks. cOrnices and falling
walls
Many were instantly crushed to
death, while Others were dreadfully
mangled. Those who remained in
doors generally escaped with their
lives, though scores were hit by de-
tached plaster, pictures and articles
thrown to the floor by the shock. 1t
is believed that more or less loss was
sustained by nearly every family in
the city
The tall steel frame structure stood
the strain better than brick build
ings, few of them being badly dam
aged. The big eleven-story Monad-
mock office building, in course of con
struction, adjoining the Palace Ho-
tel, was an exception, however. its
rear walls collapsing and many
cracks being made across its front
Some OF the docks and freight
sheds along the water front slid into
the bay Deep assures opened in the
filled-in ground near the shore. and
the Union Ferry depot was injured
Its high tower still stands. but will
have to be torn down.
A portion of the new City Hall,
! which cost over $1,000, 900, collaps-
ed, the roof sliding into the court
yard and smaller towers tumbling
down. The great dome was moved,
but did not fall.
| The new pOstoifice, one of the finest
| in the United States, was badly shat
| tered.
The Valencia Hotel, Il tourist DRY
| wooden building, sank into the base
ment, pile of splintered timbers,
under which were pinned many dead
| and dying occupants of the house
The basement was full OF water and
some of the helpless victims We're
| drowned.
FIRE ADDS TERRORs TO THE sITUA-
TION.
! Scarcely had the earth ceased to
| shake when fires broke out simultan-
eously in many places. The fire de-
partment promptly responded to the
first calls for aid. but it was found
that the water mains had been rem
dered useless by the underground
movement. Famed by light breeze
the flames quickly spread and soon
| many blocks were seen to be doomed.
Then dynamite was resorted to and
the sound OF frequent explosions
added to the terror of the people All
efforts to stay the progress of the
fire, however. proved futile The
south side OF market street, from
Ninth street to the bay, was soon
ablaze, the fire covering belt of two
blocks wide. On this, the main
thOrOughfare of the city, are located
many of the best edifices in the city.
including the Grant, Parrott. Flood,
Dali. Examiner and the Monandocl1
buildings, the Palace and Grand Ho-
tells, and enormous wholesale houses.
At the same time the commercial es-
Establishments and banks north OF
Market street were burning. The
burning districts in this section OF
the city extended from SAMSON
street to the water front, and from
Market street to Broadway Fires
also broke out in the Mission and
the entire city seemed to be in flames.
The fire swept down the streets so
rapidly it was practically impossi-
BILE to save anything in its way. 1t
reached the Grand Opera House on
Mission street and in a moment had
burned through the roof. From the
opera house the fire leaped from
building to building, leveling them