The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-04-22
ARM OF THE TELEGRAPH
COMPANIES SPARED NOTHING TO
HELP san FRANCISCO.
Western Union Worked With the Signal
Service. Having Been Lucky Enough
TO Keep It's Direct W~ires-PostaI Got
the News Through From Oakland.

The services rendered by the telegraph
companies since the earthquake at San
Francisco have been Of far reaching i'm
portance, rendered not only to the people
at large through bulletins, but to the Fed
eral Government itself, which undertook
promptly and intelligently the manage
ment of the burning and wrecked district.
Although every telephone in San Fran
cisco was put out Of business by the disaster
and communication with the outside world
was generally interrupted, the Western
Union never lost direct communication
with the doomed city for a moment. At
the height Of the horror of the first day it
had at all times a direct wire working into
the city, and it was through this that the
President, Secretary Taft and other Off
Gals Of the Var Department We're able to
keep in close touch with Gen. Funston
and to learn from hour to hour just what
the actual condition of affairs in San Fran
cisco was. All the arrangements for re-
lief were also made over this wire, and It
was done as promptly as though a thousand
wires were in operation. This direct wire
ran from President Clowry's Office in this
city to the Wa Department at Washington,
and messages were sent and replies received
almost as quickly as though the transac-
tons had been carried On over the tele-
phone.
Owing to martial law and the confused
condition of affairs at San Francisco, some
difficulty was experienced at first in the
delivery of messages. Assistant General
Manager Barclay, who scarcely had his
clothes off or two days and two nights,
wired to Secretary Taft Of the delay and
he in turn asked Gen. Funston to make
arrangements for the immediate delivery
of the messages. Thereuron Gen. Funston
detailed a corps of mounted military mes
sengers for the duty and they have been
at work continuously since a few hours
after the earthquake. Realizing that there
might be some delay in the service in case
the Western Unions temporary Office
burned down, the United States Signal
Corps, under the direction of Gen. Funston,
constructed a telegraph line from the
Pr si lilo through Fort Mason to the ferry
h. uss quarters Of the telegraph company.
After that all kilograms for the Govern
ment were taken care Of by the Signal
Corps and were sent direct to Gen. Funston's
headquarters.
officials Of the company here say that
the employees in San Francisco behaved
like heroes. When the first shock came
there were about thirty operators working
in the man Office. One of them was buried
in plaster that fell from the ceiling. The
others ran out, but soon a number of them
returned to their keys and stuck to them
until ordered out Of the building by the
iremen and soldiers who said that the
building was about to be dynamited.
When the temporary Office was estab-
lished at the ferryhcuse and the instru-
ments we're connected with the cable that
comes over with fifty wires from Oakland
great difficulty vas at first encountered in
getting an operator because no one was
allowed to move from place to place in the
city. Then, too, the streets were choked
with debris, and it was next to impossible
to get about. At the opportune moment,
however, an operator, J, 2. LIE Compile by
name, who had been working in a branch
office and who had happened in by chance.