The Colfax gazette. [volume] (Colfax, Wash.) 1893-1932, 1906-04-27
THE AWFUL TRAGEDY.
Some Details From the Shaken and
Burned City.

More than two-thirds of Sar Francisco
was totally destroyed by the ire which
followed the great earthquake OF April
Is, and the buildings which remain
standing are in many cases unfit for
occupancy, owing to injuries to Chin
neys, water, gas and sewer pipes
Streams of refugees are leaving the city.
finding shelter in neighboring towns,
while many thousands of homeless fam.
lilies are camping in the public parks of
their home city, or finding temporary
shelter in the churches and other public
buildings which are still standing No
fires are permitted in the homes, owing
to the unsafe condition of the chimneys
and the danger of starting other confla-
gratlOns. There are seven square miles
Of ruins, and competent insurance
authorities compute the loss at $780,
900, 600. The insurance on the property
destroyed will amount to a little over
half the loss.
Relief trains are bringing supplies OF
every kind to the sufferers, whose imme-
diate wants are being supplied. The dis
tributlOn of these supplies is in the
hands OF the quartermaster' depart
ment of the army and the Red Cross.
arrived from other cities to assist in the
work of caring for the sick and injured
Maternity hospitals have been establish
ed in various parts Of the city to care
for the mothers and their new born in
fants. Triplets we're born to a homeless
family encamped at the Presidio.
The authorities of the afflicted city ex-
press their gratitude to the country at
large for their generous response, and
ask a continuance Of their generosity
as the thousands OF homeless ones must
be cared for for an indefinite length of
time.
Maintaining Order.
The city is under strict martial law.
Several innocent persons have met death
at the hands of the guards, who are
thought by some to be rather reckless in
the use of their fire arms, but the work
of maintaining order under such condi-
tions call for stringent measures. An
eye witness says:
"The soldiers and citizens are doing
heroic work everywhere. Thieves and
looters are dealt with summarily. l
personally witnessed the sudden demise
of several ghOulish men.
81 saw fellow cutting rings from the
hands of dead woman on Bush street,
just below Sacramento. There was a
rush of men, and within few minutes
the robber was dangling from a pole" "
Cremation the Rule.
systematic search for bodies is be-
ing made by the coroner and the state
board Of health inspectors. The city
has been divided into sanitary districts
and squads OF searchers have been sent
out to every quarter. The ruins of the
burned buildings in the business and the
old residence sections have sufficiently
cooled to make the search possible. Two
hundred bodies found in the POtrero
district south of Shannon street, in the
vicinity of the Union iron works, were
cremated at the Six Mile house. Gre.
nation was deemed absolutely neces-
sary to prevent disease. The names OF
some Cf the dead were learned, but in
the majority Of cases Identification was
| impossible. Many Of the bodies have
| been incinerated in the fallen buildings,
| but many are also found in the streets
| Rev. Frank Barker of Rochester, n. Y
who was in San Francisco during the
disaster says: 81 can not believe that
the loss of life in San Francisco was con.
fined to mere hundreds. | would be the