The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-05-27
BRUTE INSTINCT
AND EARTHQUAKES
FRANTIC DOGS WE'RE AVANT
COURlERS THAT BORE NEWS
OF THE SAN FRANCISCO CAT.
ACLYSM.

Brute four-footed instinct triumphed
over the objective two-footed reason in
that first moment of the time of terror,
says Ernest NJ. Simpson, city editor of
the San Francisco Chronicle, in sym
postum of Impressions left by the earth
quake by the Chronicle staff
1t was the dogs wild with fear, that
gave me the first measure of our Gala
nifty. Sleep dazed and the anguish of
the anguish of the beams complaining
still In my cars, the air quivering with
the echoes of that stupendous noise,
looked into as fair a morning as ever
shown upon the world, calm, fresh and
smiling. OF the terrestrial tragedy there
was no evidence besides night gowned
bare footed men and women upon the
curbs. They ran about almlessly. Some
knelt on the side walk as If praying:
some rushed back into their houses and
out again; some looked mutey at the
serene sky They wanted to know what
had happened-what was to happen
Down across the dewy green of Duboce
Park a cloud hung housetop high in the
stirless air 1t was not smoke, but dust
the heavy dust of brick and mortar and
concrete ground in the mills of the angry
gods. That. meant riven walls and
crumbled chimneys. The houses ! could
see stood upright after a fashion. Here
was no sign of disaster Walls could be
made whole, chimneys and hearth could
be piled brick on brick again.
But then came the dogs couriers of the
cataclysm-they had come far. for they
ran slowly Their jaws were dripping.
They moaned and whined. All of them
painted steadily up the steep hill Then
and thus I knew that. bad as 1t had been
with us on the hills, the darker chapters
of the story of woe were to be read on
the lowlands and in the valleys. We were
shaken but safe; below us were nameless
horrors and the dogs knew, and knowing,
ran to the high places.
Soon, looming sinister and huge above
the broken city against the background
of shining bay and Alamedas hazy. pur-
pie hills, towards the pillars of smoke
that heralded the coming of catastrophe's
twin sister, calamity. I counted them
one far down toward the water end of
Mission street one in the heart OF the
teeming south side and one across a
spur of our hill in Hayes Valley. These
pillars lifting skyward. were solemnly
significant. Destruction was to come.
When I had noted water flung from a
bathtub to the ceiling glassware and
china tossed across rooms double hung
pictures neatly reversed, plaster of cross
walls scrubbed upon Enthusiastically with
seams and cracks by the hand that had
for moment gripped us; when I had re-
jooed again for house built upon the
rock. went down into the hell from
which the dogs had so early fed. Ruin by
ruin, disaster by disaster saw how truly
they had told the story.
Spent with running. paralyzed by the
terror. little yellow fee covered on my
lawn against stout. unbrolScn wall. She
snarled when | chirruped to her that it
was all right now.
On an afternight a sleek cocker, very
weary. called upon us in the hurlv burlv
of a great newspapers army called sud
denly to fight the greatest of its battles
He was not hungry. What he wanted was
human kindness. In his mouth he carried
big beef bone. When he lay down in
utter WEAKNESS he put his paw on it. Just
as men with guns and clubs-on nearby
streets-were standing guard over their
little heaps of burned and blistered bat
tered cans. I saw the mana cling editor
reach down a grinly hand TO pat the
wanderer and was glad.
My friends wise terrier, remote and
safe from shock or fire. began at once on
the first day of the tragedy to forage
and to conceal. She is still burying sup
plies in back yard planted thick with
her instructive provision against the fam
inc. that mankind. proceeding effectively
has averted.
Among the miles of smoking ruins dogs
wander seeking masters, some of whom
are here and some in the hereafter They
have come back from the hills.
Oh, yes, the dumb brutes knew FIRST,
and knew best. 1 shall never forget how
in the fair, sweet morning. I saw them as
q