The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1906-05-31
THE FRISCO HORROR.
Graphic Description Of Events in the Strick-
en- City by Former Belfast Man.

The Waltham Daily Free Press-Trib
une publishes the following letter from
Allan d. French to his family in that
city. under date of Berkeley, California,
April Goth:
San Francisco is a city of the past.
| What it will be for the future God only
| knows. Bert and | are all right. |
wrote YOU two letters Wednesday after
the earthquake, but probably you will
never see them. as the boxes in which
they were deposited are buried in the
ruins and post office department wiped
out. Now about the earthquake: | was
awakened about ) o'clock by violent
shaking of the bed and building and a
loud, humping sound, which seemed as
though the ground was being lombard
ed with huge boulders, which | am sat
isfied was caused by falling buildings
and brick work and stone coping and
finish of the buildings. My first excla-
nation was to Bert, who slept i'll the
adjoining room: what is it? and he as
sured me that it is an earthquake all
right. II seemed to me as though a
strong man was violently shaking me,
and | was wondering why the whole
building did not come down on to US.
MY first impulse was to get into the
street, but he said: Hold on; it is safer
here than in the street, where chimneys,
brickwork and stoneWork was falling,
and | saw that he was right when |
looked out and found the street filed
with the material from our hotel and
the Union clubhouse opposite. Our
rooms were on the first floor, so we did
not experience the swaylng motion that
those in the seventh and upper stories
did The only thing that saved the
large buildings from lying flat, ours
with the rest. is the steel frame work;
otherwise the dead would be at least
fifty thousand instead of thousand or
two. Bert washed and dressed as usual,
as he found water enough for that pur--
pose, but when | attempted it | found
that the water was cut off, but later in
! the day crawled through the broken
glass Of door in the st. Francis Hotel
| which is or was within a block and a
| half of where we were staying and had
a good wash. This being Wednesday
and Bert's day off, we were to have an
auto ride. but Bert said that he guessed
we would postpone it. AS bad as things
looked at this time they were as moth
ing compared to what has befallen the
city by fire since. Fires broke out at
once all over the city after the shock,
and for lack of water owing to broken
| mains and other causes it has been i'm
possible to make any Roadway against
the confederation. although frantic Ell
forts have been made by blowing up
| buildings and every other known means.
| There mas been constant booming or
dynamite and artillery blowing up
buildings from Wednesday noon until
this morning. | don't hear any now at
the time of writing, II a. m.. although
| can see the flames through the smoke.
Early this morning the smoke seemed
to lift. but the flames were leaping and
dancing over the whole city. The outer
circle and resident part is now burning;
all the business part was destroyed long
before | got away yesterday.
We went to bed as usual W ednesday
night. thinking that the flames would
not reach us. but were rushed out soon
after midnight, the fire being within
two blocks of US. We packed hastily,
and | carried my trunk and grip to the
little park in back of the st. Francis,
thinking that they might be safe there,
:, but we were soon driven out by the
: soldiers, as they were about to blow up
the buildings around the St. Francis in
hopes to saveit. l have no doubt every
! thing went. as it must have been fur
mace soon. | have suit case with
underclothing and one pair of pants
besides the suit that have on with
me. NY best suit and dress suit, with
other things, were in trunk and grip
and Bert is as badly off. Going back
to the Higston, Bert borrowed Mr.. D..
Ms proprietor of the Chronicle) auto
and sent the hotel proprietors wife
: and manager, with their most valuable
, things, and what we had, out OF harms
way. and | have not seen him since, al
though we have just got message from
him that he will be here in an hour or
so, You see, after the fire began to
. spread Wednesday the principal papers,
Chronicle, Call and Examiner, got to-
gether and concluded to get out a paper
together and chose him as managing
editor, and, of course, he is as busy as
; he can be, and | am sorry to be bother
to him. They got out the first number
Yesterday morning in Oakland, but |
, have not been able to get hold of one
; yet, although | saw one i'll the hands OF
another gentleman. 1t is called Call,
Chronicle and Examiner the Examiner
is Hearst's paper. The great question
r now for a few days is how to feed the
multitudes, but fortunately the rail
roads are O. X. and supplies are already
on the way. Here in Berkeley, which
has suffered least, the stores will deal
, out only limited amounts to applicants
t Mr.. Wilder has just reached home
from Los Angeles and reports little
damage there, but San Jose, where the
, Jerseys live, and Santa Rosa, north Of
f here, are practically fiat. Santa Rosa
a small city of perhaps 10000, has up
wards of 500 dead.
People are getting away from Frisco
I as fast as they cab and the transporta
!. ton facilities are crowded, and l al
J, most had to fight my way to get ontt
the boat to get across last night, afte
walking four or five miles, partly rount
: the city. I have not been so tired | be
!. lieve since Jackson drove us up tn
l. valley to Lynchburg, Va, in '62, but
It am now among the very best of people
and the bed last night seemed next t
heaven.
shall have to stay here few day
until things get little settled; in fact
J. my funds are in one of the bank
al (banks of ashes now.) But as all, o
or practically all, of the money used her