Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-05-17
A CITY OF RUINS
oTTuMWAN WRITES OF HIS Elk.
PERIENcEs IN EARTH
QUAKE
Letter From Archibald Lloyd Gives
Detailed Description of Shock and
of the Days and Nights of Terror
That FoIIowed-scenes in Oakland.

Graphically descriptive of his own
experiences and those of his brother,
Lee, is the letter received recently by
Mr.. and Mrs. d. ]. Lloyd from their
son Archibald, who was in San Fran
cisco at the time of the recent earth
quake. Mr.. Lloyd tells of number
OF incidents, heretofore not mentioned
in the various letters and messages
received In Ottumwa from the stricken
district, and his letter is withal a most
thrilling and complete account of con-
ditions on the Pacific coast.
The Letter.
The letter is in part as follows: "To
begin with the earthquake was in
bed at the time the first shock came,
and of course lost no time in getting
ssS But COS on the fourth floor of our
hotel. The shock was awful and 1t
seemed impossible for the place to
stand
t'The first thing did was to rush to
the door, but l found it locked. | re-
membered that had put the key on
the dresser and was just starting for it
when the plaster commenced to fall.
Then did not think it safe to move
from my place by the door, and l was
constantly expecting it to let up. for a
short time, and intended to take ad-
vantage of the interval of safety by
getting the key.
'But when the let up did not come
I stood there undecided, one instant
thought the building would surely col
lapse and the next that the quakine
must stop, and was just starting tc
climb through the transom, when the
shock was over. So there | was lock
ed in my room like rat in a trar
through the whole thing, not daring
to move.
"Of course the shock is said to have
lasted only forty-eight seconds, but il
seemed at least three or four minutes
to me. 1t is my opinion that if it hat
lasted full minute there would have
been thousands more lives lost, and II
fact am sure of it, as there were {
great many buildings on the yer,
: verge of going down. But it was bat
enough as it was. l never expected
to experience anything like it, and
hope | shall never be called upon tt
do so again.
"Well, to continue my narrative
Just as everything became quiet Let
rushed up fro mthe floor below ant
called to me to come out l rushed
to the dresser and found the key in {
surprisingly short time, considering
that it was covered UP in the falle1
plaster. Then we ran down stairs ant
were among the first ones out.
Excitement Reigns.
"The others did not seem to be abl
to collect their wits long enough IT
know what was the matte
and were crying out in tn
most helpless and hopeless
manner, What's the matter?' What j
it?' What will we do and other SIM
lar questions. Of course / told them
as briefly as possible, what it was, an
to get out as soon as they could. The
all did, except one fool, who wouldn'
take the matter seriously, and he wa
still in bed when we went back afte
our clothes, abusing his wife becaus
she was demonstrating with him.
think he must have been drunk
''When we got to the street everyon
began to appear, mostly in their nigE
clothes We looked UP and down tn
street, and such sight | never sa'
before The side walks were covere
WITH debris, but to one who had ha
been shaken as | had been, the woI
der was that there was no more. TIL
first shock being over, we returned t
our rooms to collect our effects, an
we were not very tidy with our pacl
ing I will tell you. AS soon as we &C
what things we could into pur sui
cases we came down again, and nc
feeling safe among the high building!
and at the same time wanting to Sc
what we could of the wreck, we wen
Immediately to Union square.
Sights Were Many.
"on our way to the park we. sa7