Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1906-04-24
NARROW ESCAPE
OF FRED PEPPER.
Letter From San Francisco
Druggist Whose Wife is
Utah Woman.
DEATH AND DESTRUCTION.
Pulled Trunk and Nallse Over Streets
For Eighteen BlOcks--PeOple
Fought for Food.

Fred Pieper, San Francisco drug
glst, write from the burned city under
date of April "a, to his wife who Is
visiting with her fathers family on IL
street I'm this city, as follows:
Ever since that fatal Wednesday
morning last have tried to communi-
cate with you by telegram or letter,
and succeeded only yesterday. by get
ting off telegram for $A25. Later IN
the evening, kilograms were accepted
TO be delivered g. 0. ID. but It was
stated that one could not tell when
they would leave. They had to be
taken to Oakland By messenger. They
assured us however, that paid tcle-
grams would leave at once by special
carrier. / think most of the price was
appropriated by the people who took
them. There were no regular officials.
To-day, more order is established, |
am still alive, but narrowly escaped
sudden death in my room. When L
awoke at SIS and jumped up, l saw
the room and all the furniture in 1t
perform a wierd dance, while at the
same time the noise of breaking glass.
the shrleks OF women and children, as
we'll as of men, the falling Of plaster
ing seemed to furnish the most terrible
music to 1t, ] was so awe stricken
that for some time | could not realize
that | was awake, but thought l was
dreaming. / could hardly see any
thing I'm my room on account of the
dust. but jumped up, got on my cloth
ing and made for the street
NOT A DROP OF WATER
"The sight there was terrible. The
sidewalks were covered with brick
glass, cornices, the roofs of most of the
houses had been lifted up or tumbled
In, dead people We're among the debris
"a well as wounded, and the men and
women who came out of the houses
were In their night attire, aud bare
footed No one secmd To- have any
time for any one else, and everybody
ran without knowing where. The fire
department came out to find all the
water pipes SO twisted by the Garth
quake that there was not drop or
water. This fact and the strong wind,
caused the fires to spread rapidly |
located In the middle Of Market street
with a hundred others TO await the
final shake, and you can imagine our
feelings with death and destruction
around W.. and all the earth under us
still shlyering and trembling every
now and then.
DOZEN FIRES RAGING.
"Rut nothing serious followed Inn
modiately so the crowd became holder.
and began to walk around 20 sec what
had actually happened, | made for
the store and found every bottle and
all the glass and cases broken. and a
great heap OF stones, bricks, twisted
iron and cornices in front Of the build
ing. I went into the store through tho
windows as the doors did not work;
then another shock came, and We fed
from the place, BY that time dozen
fires were raging, and the fine Call
building which had not n window
broken nor showed any crack after
the earthquake. took fire Every
building from the Ferry building to
Fourth street was soon aflame, and the
fires spread quickly In the direction
SOutn OF Maihel suttt'
PULLED TRUNK IS BLOCKS.
at was dangerous. but I went back
60 my room TO pack and carry away
what could. I pulled my trunk and
yalise with rope over the sidewalk
for is blocks, hundreds of other people
doing the same thing At l p, m. I
was exhausted. and dropping on the
street. few alsaep. when | awoke the
0re had followed us up 10 blocks. |
could no longer pull the trunk, so had
to nick out few effects and leave the
remainder. But even then, I could
not travel far. Hungry and thirsty
no water no food. Everything had TO
he abandoned. In two hours hunt !
succeeded In getting canned peaches
and ginger ale, and that was our
breakfast. THAT evening, ! got few
spoonfuls Of maccaroni and gravy for
| supper, and all hands went to sleep
| out OF doors as no one dared to sleep
| I'm the houses.
IN LINE FOR HOURS.
| stood in line yesterday for sev-
erol hours to get loaf Of bread The
| worst Is we have no water oniy q
little 10 drink at the Preside, ana
there IS none for washing They say
| relief is coming but the fight for IL Is
| so great that one gets trampled on
before getting anything. No hre, nor
any light Is allowed In any mouse
Cooking must be done on me streets,
| Relatives and friends in other parts
| are taking care already OF thousands
while the more unfortunate ones are
| waiting developments. have no post
office address, and San Francisco Is no
more: there is no postal delivery
This Is but the sorrowful experience
| of many other citizens Of the III fated
] city