Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1906-04-26
DISASTER AT SAN FRANCISCO

look like a copy of the city directory
Many of the finest buildings in the
city were leveled to dust by terrific
charges of dynamite, in hopeless eff
fort to stay the horror of the fire In
this work many heroic soldiers, pc.
licemen and firemen were manned or
klAed outright.
Fire Unabated.
At 10 o'clock last night the fire was
undated, and thousands of people
were fleeing to the hills and clamor-
ing for places on the ferry boats at
the ferry building.
The damage is now believed to
have reached $2OO,OOO,0OO and $4,000
people are homeless.
Dead Cannot Be Numbered.
The exact loss of life never will be
known, as hundreds of the unfortu-
mates have been incinerated In the
flames which made the rescue of
those buried under topping steeples
and falling walls impossible. TEN
porary morgues were improvised at
many points only to be yazed by
the flames The city resembles one
vast shambles with the red glare of
fire throwing weird shadows across
the worn and panic-stricken faces of
the homeless who are wandering the
streets or sleeping on piles of mat.
tresses and clothing in the parks and
on the sidewalks in those districts
not yet reached by the fire.
Forgetting for a moment the terri
BILE suffering, physical and financial,
that trails in the wake of the disaster,
the scene presented by the flames is
one of unspeakable grandeur. Look
ing over the city from the hill, flames
can be seen rolling skyward for miles
and miles, while in the midst of
tongues Of red fire can be seen the
black skeletons and falling towers of
doomed buildings At regular inter
walls the booming OF dynamite tells
of the work of the brave army of
men attempting to save the city from
complete annihilatlon.
Leave Bodies to Cremation.
A falling wall from one OF the dyna.
mited buildings on Mission street
crushed out the life of a brave fire
man. Max Fenner while many others
met a like fate. Through all the
streets automobiles and express
wagons are hurrying, carrying dead
and injured to the morgues and hos
pitals. At the morgue in the Hall OF
Justice so bodies lay on slabs. Flames
rapidly approached this building and
the work of removing the bodies to
Jackson square. opposite, began.
While soldiers and police were carry
ing the dead to what appeared a safe
place a shower OF bricks from build.
ing dynamited to check the progress
of the sweeping flames injured many
workmen and sent soldier after sol
der hurrying to the hospitals. The
work of removing the bodies stopped
and the remainder of the dead were
left to possible cremation in the
morgue.
Stringent Martial Law.
The city is under stringent martial
law and troops Of cavalry and squads
of infantry are patrolling the streets
From the Barbary coast the horde
OF vicious and criminal that infest that
section poured fourth and started
early in the evening to loot stores and
rob the dead. Fearing such a hend-
ish climax to the day Of horrors, or
ders were issued to the soldiers to
kill outright all who engaged in such
work Before the eyes OF the AS
ISOLATED Press representative three
thieves were shot and fatally wound.
ed Ia the burning commercial district.