The evening world., 1906-04-23
SURVIVOR SAYS
HOTEL FOLDED
LIKE ACCORDION
Solomon Cohen So Pros
trated He Has to be
Carried from Train.

The FIRST survivor o: tho san Fran
cisco horror to- reIoa New York ar
rived q the Grand Central station to-
day lie was Solomon Cohen, OF no
2lai Valentine avenue tho Bronx. a
salesman for William Iseman. a manu-
featuring jeweller at No. l Greene
street
Entirely unstrung as u result OF his
experiences MIR. Cohen could hardly
mako his way from the train to the
piomenade. where his wife and chill
dien and his father wsre waiting FOR
him. They were almost overcome. for
from the time of the earthnua<o un;il
yesterday afternoon the taualy haI 10
news OF him. When he 'lchci ChLa4 b
he sent wire saying he was. safe. and
1t was this wire tina; brought the rel
a, YES. weep re with JOY. to meet tie
twentieth Century Limited to-,lay
Mr. Cohen had to be half-carried to
cab His limbs twitched so that he
could hardly walk and his hands shook
as II with q palsy.
You can imagine what have been
through by my condition" said Nr.
Cohen to a reporter for The Evening
World u wasn't this way when l
went West. I was in my room on the
seventh noor OF the Palace Hotel when
the earthquake began. My stock OF
samples was spread out in the room.
and had arisen early to arrange
them. as I expected some customers
right after breakfast. l was about
half-dressed when the first sickeninG
shock came l cannot describe the
sensation because there is nothing in
human experience that serves as "a
comparison to It.
The walls of the room seemed 20 be
folding IN on me like an accordion
that w2s being compressed. The noise
OF falling buildings was terrific. II
fcemed 10 me that the Ell OF the world
had come. The floor rose and fell under
my feet in waves. Yet the Palace Hotel
was one o. the buillings that stood.
Tried TO Save Gems.
The next thing ! remember was be-
ing downstairs IN ;he lobby. 1 don't
know yet how got there other guests
In their night garments We're pouring
down the stairs and into the street
TIE hotel was rocking constantly. 1
thought o. my samples; they We're
NOEku SAAsNNNs sit'N H~''N StA~'N 49,
them. intending to try TO save the dla-
monds and tia more valuable pieces.
Just as ! got 10 my room again fire
seemed 10 spring I'd right behind the
notel. The glare sh9ne In ms windows
- BFTgnt1y rt1ut + tifotitsi,t ttt-- e'ilidlaI-
itself must DC already atre. ! aban-
doned everything and ran outdoors and
Away IRON the tlamos. which were ad-
vanc!ns as fast ds man could travel
lfooi.
u don't iipow where went /; was
IN most. aytfll sigat ever saw. The
papers haven't exaggerated the scene
Immediately following TIE earthquake.
they couldn'; exasserate them; they were
worse than they have been painted-a
thousand times worse. Everywherv
buildlncs were Gown The streets were
rul OF ruins There We're dead bodies
ana wounded people everywhere. The
rusIi was swfui. fn the stampede
through the streets l saw dozens OF
persons knocked down and trampled |
am satisfied that many OF these We're
either killed outright or so badly in
Jured that they lay there. and were suf-
f,catel or burned 10 death. Automo-
bi!es and wagons charged r!g'3t through
the packed crowds, ana big men went
crazv ard ran down women and
children