The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1906-05-07
TALES OF THE DISASTER
BY MANY EYEWITNESSES

st. Patrick 5 church was ruined by the
earthquake The fire started near by
| there 1t is thought it started in sew
eral different places in that section
| The flames Ieaped across Market street
from Smith s cash store across to
large hotel recently built. From the
| Call Building to the ferry only one
! building stands and that is the Buck
| lev Building, seven stories high. Ii
| looks very queer with its three walls
standing and the walls inside so white
| So great was the heat from the build
ings when they had fallen the bricks
were burned TO clay, which was heaped
| in great pyramids still burning.
The Ferry Building was badly dam
aged from the earthquake. The tower
was badly twisted and the side walls
fell in. The bottom part of the tower
+ fell in and damaged the roof. The up
per floor was not badly damaged, mel
Their was the section that the passen-
gers pass through. The building was
condemned Sunday and since then it
has been very hard for the people seek
ing relief to come to Oakland.
Ever since Wednesday the people
have been streaming over here, some
with their pets, others with most of
their belongings in sheets, and hun
dreds without coats or IN some cases
without clothes. As early as Wednes-
day noon relief committees were estab-
lished at all of the churches, lodges
and public parks and halls. am on
the Oakland committee. Those on the
committees wear yellow badges and
they do not have to pay car fare and
can go to all the camps or wherever
the refugees are sent to. The first four
nights the committees fed the people
all night and all day. They were COM
ing in all the time and all exhausted
and starving. Now they have regular
meal hours.
The Eastern States and towns in
California have been very kind in do
mating. Money has been subscribed;
food has been sent, at first it was not
cooked but it is now coming all pre-
pared; tents. bed clothing and medi-
cal assistants are coming in very rap
idly. Medical services and medicine
are needed very badly, as there were
a great many hurt. The hospitals are
full. 1t was a very sad sight to see
the people who were taken from the
hospitals in the city and brought over
here in express wagons and some in
>.
ers. One ferry boat brought two hun
dred and fifty from st. Mary's Hos
pital. Some of these patients were
sent to hospitals, while others were
cared for in three of the largest skat
ing Kinks.
st. Luke's Hospital was badly dam
aged by the earthquake but later was
burned.
Oakland is full of people, strict
guard is on, martial law being on. 1t
is very hard to get to town. No one
can walk on the sidewalks, all have t.
walk in the middle IF the street. The
Govern has declared legal holidays
from day to day ever since Wednesday
A few of the stores are open, but
everything is cash, and the people eau
not get their money out of the banks. |
1t is very hard to get things to eat.
All of the refugees are being well
cared for. Clothes and bedding are
being given to them, also all the food
they want. The very old people sleep
in the churches and there are doctors
and nurses at all OF the relief camps
or halls.
The food is very good. I was in the
kitchen the other day at the Relief
Hall and the sheriff from one of the |
counties in the interior asked how they
We're feeding the babies. The ladies |
told him that they We're giving them
milk and in some cases they had to give
them skim milk. The very next day
fifty gallons of cream was sent up from
Fresno and on the cans was written
I" For the babies.'' Wasn't that
lovely?
The smoke was very thick until yes
terday, when we had very heavy |
cold rain. The rain caused great deal !
of trouble, as the people were living |
out in the open air over in the Go: len
Gate Park and on the beach. Those |
over here were more fortunate, as they |
have tents and coverings. 1t is feared |
a great deal of sickness may arise |
from it.
Dear Emma, we just received Mrs. |
Cooper S cable inquiring about her son. |
We have expected him ever since :
Wednesday but so far have not heard |
from him. We think he may be at |,
Mrs. Waller g, as their place, | believe, !
escaped fire. We have been very anx
ious about him, we have looked for ann
in town and gone over the register here !
in Oakland, but have so far not heard |
a word. We have tried for the !
" ShaughneSSy but have failed. We /
cannot hear from anyone of our friends. !
Several of them we know are safe. We
pray to God that we will find them al |
safe.
The San Francisco fire is said to be
tie largest in history, it being one
hundred million greater than the Bos-
ton, Chicago and Baltimore fires all
together. The assurances, it is said
will cover over three hundred millions
of dollars. The damage done by the
was enough to ruin San