The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1906-05-05
Tonight the Lists VIII Close at Treas
urer Mackay's Office in the
City Hall.
Is the Description Given Of San Fran
cisco Disaster.

cisco Disaster
Miss Mary A. Connolly Of "a Church
street has received the following letter
from a girl friend, Miss Rita Kingston
|of San Francisco
San Francisco, Cal, April Is.
Dear MARY Wc received your letter
d few days ago. You ought To thank
your stars that YOU are whtrc You are
On the eighteenth Of April WE had thu
most terrible earthquake VIE ever felt.
II was about 40 minutes past five III
the morning when we awokc TO find
the house shaking terribly. It was ter.
lible- II smashed up all the dishes and
knocked everything topsey.tuIyey. II
knocked all the plaster OF the walls
down stairs and cracked al the walls
mp stairs. 1t knocked all the chimneys
down, and now everybody has to cook
in the street.
All the houses were Jared off their
foundations. Some houses were knock
ed down and the city was yet on fire,
For three ar four days the whole city
burned Me thought that NE would
surely De burned out Everything from
the ferry To 23rd street ii burned There
il not house left in that district
We live on 26tb street, 80 ii Is not
so very far from our home, II it had
not been checked just when 1t was
what is left Of the city would have
beer burned, too. One night the people
all around us thought they surely would
be burned out and we and all our neigh
bors packed our things and fled to the
hills. We slept on the hills that night
For four nights after the earthquake
we did not take of stitch Of cloth
ing, but were always ready to run,
in case another might come. We have
had about SO small earthquakes since,
and not quite two weeks have elapsed
II IL hard to keep track of the days
now. for they all seem alike. There was
a terrible storm yesterday and the wind
blew so chat il seemed as If the houses
were going 10 blow down. Over where
my uncle lives some of the streets sank
into the bay. We have to beg for what
ever we get toReat,
Every morning we have to stand in
line, III order to get oiir breakfast.
There are 80 many TO feed that some
times we have 10 wait three or four
hours for our turns. There il no work
to be done now, for all the factories
are burned down. Ii is terrible to
think Of all the poor people who lost
their homes Some or them did not
even save enough clothes to cover them.
You ought I'd he very thankful that you
are not ont here, or You would be scar
ed to death like the rest Of lis. There
is nothing to do except To wait for
something to eat.
Some people think that San Francisco
viii be rebuilt better than IL was be-
fore, while Others think that 1t never
will be the same city again. One of
my brothers took Us through town the
other day in order that we might see
the ruins and | never want 60 see any
thing like it again. There are no cars
running. The earthquake tore the
tracks from the ground and pulled the
sidewalks up and did all sorts OF dam
age. All the wires are down and the
falling buildings killed many people.
The earth opened and swallowed up one
hotel which was four stories high. kill.
ing nearly everyone in it. | could write
for week and stiIl could not tell YOU
all about il, but / guess that by the
time this reaches you you win have
heard all about it.
We would give anything to get out
Of here. People are leaving BY the
hundreds.
Your loving friend,
Rita Kingston.