The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1906-05-06


crowded with a frantic people, convey
prices, confusion was everywhere an
with it looting and plumber. Whe
down Market street from the Presidi
came the steady tramp of the regulars
| martial law was proclaimed and in
stantly Uncle Sans boys took thei
positions.
| Lines were drawn and semblanc
of order brought out of the chaos
The soldiers had strict orders, and mel
! caught footing were shot down in thei
tracks. A refusal to obey military or
ders meant instant death
By this time the ambulances wer,
! dashing to and fro. Every vehicle tina
could be utilized was confiscated, al
the automobiles were pressed into ser
vice and they were certainly a God
send. The dead and injured were haul
, ed away to hastily improvised hospi
! tails. Mechanics Pavilion was turned
into a hospital and soon that immense
building was full of the dead and dying
the MANNED and the injured. Later
| when the flames threatened the paw
lion they came so fast there was barely
| time to remove the living, the dead haG
to be left behind to be cremated.
In the afternoon the retail district
was reached. Big stores with their
magnificent stocks of new spring goods
We're consumed like chaff.
The first hotel of note to catch fire
was the Palace, but it was put out and
for a time it looked as though that
grand old hosiery would be saved, but
it was not to be, for the fire after pass
ing it as though recollecting that it
had forgotten something came back
and now it is a charred ruin. Then
on Montgomery street the old Occi-
dental dear to all Hawaiians, went the
way CT others. The Russ House and
the Lick, the latter already partially
destroyed by the earthquake, We're WHIP
ed out within a few minutes of each
other
Then followed all the immense ROOM
ing and apartment houses of the
downtown district, and 10000 strangers
and tourists in San Francisco found
themselves added to 100000 from south
of Market fleeing for safety toward
Golden Gate Park and the Preside.
The fire took many strange courses,
but when night came the line of fire
extended over the entire south of Mar
ket, bounded by the water front on the
east to Eleventh street west, and Mar
ket south to Folsom. North of Mar
ket to north beach and the water
front to Stockton street AS the night
advanced the fire seemed to take in
creased impetus.
In addition to the hotels all the news
paper buildings, The Call, Chronicle
and Examiner had gone up in smoke,
and now it was up to the residence
portion of the city, wherein is also
found the many family hotels and
apartment houses for which Frisco was
famous Mob Hill with it's historic
the homes of the Crockers,
the Stantons, Hopkins and others were
the first to go.
The magnificent new Fairmont Ho-
tel, unfinished and standing isolated in
the center of a large square, did not
escape.
All night long the steady stream of
people burdened down with trunks and
such effects as could hastily be gath
ared, trudged their weary way west
ward Many dropped from exhaustion
ind had to abandon the little they had
saved.
The hills of Western Addition made
fine vantage ground from which to
Jew the fire. At midnight it was at
rs greatest height and what a specta-
lie,
The falling towers, the topping
walls and explosions of comhustibles
brew geysers of flame and c1nders TAR
nto the sky, giving pyrotechnical dis
lay beyond the power of pen to de-
cribe.
Our own Kilauea in all its splendor
f eruption would be but a plgmy
Iongside of this seething mass of fire
xtending over thousands of acres. 1t
as helTs own cauldron.
All that night the fire ragged and day
eht saw it still creeping westward
ons and tons of dynamite was used IN
lowing up buildings in advance of the
ames in hopes of checking il, but the
re would not be denied. The last hope
as Van Ness avenue. Would that
ide thoroughfare theck the flames?
Every effort was concentrated there.
uildfngs along the east side of the
rect We're blown UP to make the gap
ill wider and at last the work of the :
re fighters was rewarded With the ,
reception of a few small blazes here
nd there the fire was over on Friday :
corning Sixteen square miles. over ,
900 acres, had been destroyed. AS
If as the eye could reach was ruin, I
mass of crumbling rock brick and :
visited iron, every building in this en- :
re area was totally destroyed with
le exception of five or six new modern
eel framed structures which, shorn of
Leir coating OF stone and brick stood
<e grim skeletons of their former e
,auty. 4
Four-fifths of the city had been de- I
royed and over 100000 people were
,meless, and without shelter. e
The suffering endured by thousands T
as pitiful. Families were separated
lsbands and wives were parted; chill t
ON were lost from their parents. f
ne cry of the child for its parent, the
-onized wall of the mother seeking II
r child could be heard on every side t
,e parks were damned with people all
eking food and shelter
The millionaire and pauper were on
oc,,ol footing Money could DuE e