Omaha daily bee., 1906-12-11
FATAL STORM ON PACIFIC
Gale Sweeps Along Coast, Causing Death
in San Francisco.
WALLS HURLED TO GROUND
vessels in hay Tossed About and
Serious Panic on One Boat
Threatens the Excited
Passengers

SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. ia southeast
gale sweeping along the coast at regis
tered velocity OF forty-eght miles an hour
resulted in the death of one man in san
Francisco and in the severe injury Of
several others. Shipping in the harbor was
damaged considerably and in all quarters
OF the city tottering walls were hurled
to the ground, blocking streets and in
terrupting traffic. Owing to danger from
falling walls street car service was entirely
suspended.
John Rynehart a laborer employed at
the corner Of Stockton and Broadway, was
caught under a falling wall and killed.
One OF his companions, Adrian Esnoil, was
so severely injured that his life is
despaired Of. In every section Of the
burned district ruins were topped over.
Two frame houses, one at the corner of
Washington and Leavenworth streets, the
other near Leavenworth and Broadway,
were levelled by the gale. The Burnett
school was unroofed and the roof Of the
Bernal school was torn of and blown
away.
Boats Tossed in Bay.
On the bay the storm was terrific. The
ferryboats, proceeding with extraordinary
caution, were tossed about until scores of
decks were awash most Of the time and
occasionally the crest Of wave leaped onto
the hurricane decks
What threatened to result in a serious
panic occurred on the Kay route boat San
Francisco when an unusually large wave
struck the vessel, carrying it to leeward.
Women screamed and tainted, men rushed
for the lifeboats and only the advice of the
cool-headed ones prevented injury and loss
of life among the passengers.
Double anchor chains did not prevent
some of the larger vessels in the harbor
from slipping their moorings. The Chinese
war junk Whand, Ho. which lay south of
the X ferry slips last night, dragged it's
anchors until It rested In the channel i'm
medlately in front of the ferries, increasing
the. difficulties of navigation. The British
ship Palgrava slipped it's moorings shortly
after 8 oclock and drifted onto the rocky
shore of Alcatraz island, where for a time
it seemed that it would be beaten to pieces
Two tugs went to its assistance and towed
it into deep water.
Big Firms Lose Heavily.
Three hundred thousand dollars is the
estimated loss OF four of San Francisco's
largest firms by reason Of damage done
by todays storm. This afternoon the large
buAiulllB at ltlt COIneI VI TUX anu ' duu6sS
avenues gave In before the fury Of the
storm and all the valuable merchandise
housed there was ruined. The building was
occupied by the Mann Trunk company the
Hahnemann pharmacy and the MeiI Art
company The loss through this disaster
is said to be about 100000
The building occupied by the Gala No
ton and Toy company at 600 Post street,
collapsed just before noon and the larger
portion of the stock was destroyed The
underwriters saved what they could but
the firm will suffer to the extent of nearly
! $4,000. t
The walls of the Poodle Dog restaurant,
at the corner of Mason and Eddy streets,
collapsed, destroying the temporary hall Of
! Justice, in course of construction on the
site Of the old Tivoli opera house.
RACELETS-Frenzer, 18th and Dodge.