The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1906-04-20
TELLS STORY Of
GREAT EARTHQUAKE
c. c. Kendall of Omaha De-
ScribeS Scenes in the
Stricken City.
WAS AT PALACE HOTEL
WHEN THE SHOCK CAME
Saw Big Building Just Across
the Street Fall in
a Heap.

{. {. Kendall, 4 retired merchant OF
omaha. arrived at the Cullen hotel
Thursday evening, direct from San Fran
cisco. leaving the doomed city four hours
after the great earthquake, and when
suffering was at Its highest
AgiJated and deeply affected. he told
his story Of the ordeal, and seemed To
live over again the horrors OF 1t all
II arrived In San Francisco" he said.
tho evening before, and went to the
Palace hotel. but could not get a room
there. as II WAS crowded so they sent
me to the annex. or Grand Hotel, just
below. and 1 retired early.
Big Building Falls.
Tho next thing l knew things were
being shaken ali about me. and great
Jumps OF plaster struck me on the head
nnd body and were falling all about ]
jumped from bed and ran to the open
window and looked out just In time to see
ihe building across the way fall in a
heap on the street All this time the
building shook In n way to terribly any
one. for the feeling OF the solid floor
going away from one is unlike anything
else. l kept my head. standing by tho
window. TIL all shocks quicted, / then
opened my door into the great lighted
hall. and / pray God never to see such
a sight or hear such cries again.
Frightened Out of Wits.
Men and women, in all stages of scant
clothing. running about as If mad, and
shouting, cursing. praying, moaning and
weeping like possessed beings. Utterly
unable TO help themselves for fright,
they ran around as rats ~oJd in
Il trap. and yet doors were plenty by
which they could escape II they had COM
mon sense.
street, where, as far az one could see In
the misty light, thousands Of people
were gathered, Yelling. praying and rush
ing hither and thither as II mad l ran
down Market street TO California and
found l could go no further in that d.
rection, as the street had sunk four feet,
and the hole was filled with water.
Fissures in Pavement.
There were great assures in the pave
ment, and II was too dangerous to ad-
vance. Just abreast OF me, on the SCUM
side OF Market street, the first fire burst
out. and in ten minutes l counted eieht
fires in that direction. Then came horror
upon horror, for the water mains were
broken and there was no water with
which TO fight the fire Add to this that
The Chief was killed just before and you
can see the department wac paralyzcd
Efficient Department.
Tho San Francisco fro department is
known all over the world one OF the |
very best and most efficient, and these
men looked on the awful scene and wept
like children because they were helpless
By this tlme the flames grew so got that |
great blocks of stone seemed TO melt in |
The blaze and crack 10 pieces just as
wind. crossed the narrow streets, and |
soon the whole section below Second |
street was & mass II seething flame Set |
this picture in a frame OF streets crowd |
I'd with crazed ana half-naked men. |
women and children and YOU get faint |
Idea of how 1t all looked. l cannot tell |
i SO that you can get the real idea of /
tha horror.
Saw Many Dead
II ran back, fighting my way through |
demented crowds till l got to the fish
market and there / saw the first lot OF |
dead bodies. Men and women. just as
nmong them little children. 1 can see IL
now. and / shall for years Crushed and
bloody. tangled in hair and partly nude.
II was simply awful 1 aaw other bodies
"a few here and there-tnl got to where
the police had been stationed. and were
trying to keep the dazed crowds in tho
Der that with few exceptions every build
ing of brick or stone in the city was in
ruins, and the thousands who escaped |
were crowded in the streets When | got
10 the Call building l saw great stones
fall from Il, and finally II swung fifteen
degrees out OF plumb. They have since
thrown II down.
Information Was Nil.
Intent on getting out, / got to the
clerks who did not know anything. |
could get no information. and so started
again FOR the ferry building at the foot
Of the street To get to Oakland. 1t was
bad In, the streets Il was hell Itself in
he great ferry building. Being the only |
place left intact and the point OF de-
parture from the city. all sorts Of people.
IN all sorts OF dress-and como almost
nude.,crowdcd II till mono could move,
and then began such a crush and tramp
ling and cursing and fighting as l never
believed could be.
-|' Men Struck Women.
Coyardly men struck women, and des.
perate women with children struck men
.nd fought them like tigresses. 1t was
the hall of frightened humanity let loose
and cannot describe It, While this pan
aemonlum was nt It's height. the ferry
boat from Oakland came in and when
she struck the pier. as she always does.
ne maddened crowd took It to be an
other earthquake. and frenzy anew broke
out j knew scores must haye been
lrarlpied 10 death there. / finally got on
me boat and over the bay. where we |
5oerded train aud came out by way OF
9tockion. l thank God for my life. and
bunblN pray him for all uFho aro In, tha. |