The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-04-22
STORY TOLD PY REFUGEES fe. .ful Experiences Fol- low Earthquake. SR. FLEMING'S EXPERIENCES Buildings Rocked Like Ship in a
 Storm.
 Men and Women, seantily Clad, Rushed Into the sfreets-Ffres Break Out After the Jars of old
sJR. FLEMING'S EXPERIENCES

Ol dif StoIftS yet ISiatco VI in stricken San F.Sncisco during the days of horror and nights of terror Is that of a party of four. two men and two women, who arrived here yesterday after having spent a night and great CT portion of two days on the hills about Golden Gate Park. This party was composed of Mrs. Francis Winter. Miss Bessie Marley, pr. Ernest w [. F1eminfi and Oliver Pe;Uy. all prominent. . All were guests at the Palace Tues day night. They returned with feet swollen and bruised by miles of walk ing over rugged broken streets, with flesh scared and blistered from cinders and flame and with eyes still rolling with the awful horror Of the scenes and evefits of which they had been a part.
 The women hastened to local hotel where they remained all the afternoon and evening prostrated from the shock and exposure and denying themselves even to all friends. MT. Posey went directly home. but Dr. Fleming. un- kempt and dishevelled. went to the Chamber of Commerce to give sug- gestions for succoring of the stricken ones who had not been fortunate enough to flee from the city of desola- tion.
 It was or his advice that the re- lief committee made purchases of linen and bandages to send North. He said that the number of killed has been greatly exaggerated. but that hundreds. probably thousands, are suffering from burns and several hundred thousands from hunger and exposure.
 The party of which he was member was formed in the streets of | San Francisco Wednesday morning, after the second shock had made the Palace hotel untenable. They were strangers until then. his adventures.
 Dr. Fiemfpg's Story. ! T was sleeping in room on the third floor of the hotal." said pr. Elem ing, when the first shock occurred. An earthouake in San Francisco was no new sensation to me. Il was there in 1888, then boy ten years Of axe. when the first great earthquake came. But that was a gentle rocking of cradle to the one of Wednesday. I awoke to the grooming of timbers. the grinding creaking sound; then came the roaring as plastering and wall decorations feli. The sensation was as though the build ing was stretching and writhing like snake. The darkness was intense. shrieks of women, higher. shriller than that of the creaking timbers. cut the air
 T turilbled from the bed and crawled scrambling toward the door. The twisting and writhing appeared to in- crease The air was oppressive. l seemed to be saying to myself. will It never, never stop? l wrenched the lcck, the door of the room swung back against my shoulder. Just then the building seemed to breathe. stagger' and right itself
 eHa rat from a falling wall. I could not be- lieye that 1t could endure such shock and still stand.
 'The next remember I was standing in the street laughing at the appear ance of half hundred men clad in pajamas-and less
 "The women were in their night robes: they made better appearance than the men. The street was rain bow of coIors in the early morning light. There were every stripe and hue of raiment. never intended 10 pc seen outside the boudoir.
 q looked at a man at my side; he was laughing at me. Then for the first time I became aware that l was in pajamas myself. I turned and Tied back to my room.
 Hastcnend to Street.
 "There~I dresed, packed my grin and hastened back to the street. All the big buildings on Market street toward the ferry were standing but l marked four separate fires. The fronts Of the small buildings had fallen out into the streets and at some places the debris had braken through the sidewalks in- to the cellars.
 q noticed two women near me. They were apparently without escort. One said 10 the other. What would l not give to be back in Los Angeles again? That awakened a kindred feeling and I proffered my assistance. I put my overcoat on the stone steps of build ing and told them to sit there.
 "In less than two minutes those steps appeared to pitch everything forward. to be flying at me The groantng and writhing started afresh.
 But I was just stunned. I stood there in the street with debris falling about me. It seemed the natural thing for the tops of buildings to careen over and for fronts to fall out. I do not even recall that the women screamed.
 "The street gave a conVulsive shud- der and the buildings somehow righted themselves again. l thought they had crashed together above my head. The two women arose and started to walk. I followed in a kind of aimless sort of way. The street was filled with nov ing things again. Every one was walking but there was no confusion. We did not even seem in a hurry. Down Market Street the flames were grew ing brighter.
 sWe walked with our luggage to the st Francis. Fires were burning down toward the ferry but the fire depart ment had gone toward them. We had faith in the fire department.
 Soldiers Patrol Streets.
 Soon I became aware that squads of soldiers were patrolling the streets. It appeared perfectly natural I do not think I wondered why they were there,
 Men and women. were all about us. We looked at each other and talked, even tried tamely to joke. But every few minutes a convlusive culver swept through the city. The others seemed to be shivering.
 .T noticed that the eyes of the men and women were rolling restlessly. Their tones were pitched high. It seemed to grate on my nerves. Then I fell to wondering whether I was talk ing shrilly, too.
 T went to a grocery without a front and bought few supplies, things that vuouId make a cold lunch. The grocer