The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1906-04-20
EARTHQUAKE AND FIRE
WRECK SAN FRANCISCO

os
A. Grattan- Captain William A. Mil
ler IS commanding the forces On
Broadway.
Mayor Scnmitz. who has establish
ed his Office at police headquarters,
has named a committee of safety,
comprising many prominent citizens.
Mayor Schmitz sent out word to the
bakeries and milk stations throughout
the city that their food supplies must
be harbored for the homeless. Tents
have been placed in every park in the
city, and those who have lost their
homes will be given food and shelter.
The prisoners confined in the city
prison on the fifth floor of the hail of
justice were transferred in irons to
the basement of the structure. Later
they were removed to the Broadway
Jail, and if necessity. arises they will
the Mission road
LOSSES WILL BE PAID IN FULL.
~ohLAlSo1oueI Il. N1yIOu duuOunCcu
at noon that the eighty odd fire insur-
ance companies interested had decided
! to pay dollar for dollar to every one
insured with them. The companies
will not discriminate between fire and
earthquake, and every one insured
will be paid to the extent of their
loss. Only two of the companies af-
fected are Pacific coast concerns, the
others having principal Offices in the
east or in Europe, and all will stand
the loss without danger of failure.
ALL THE SALOONS CLOSED.
One of the first orders issued by
Chief of Police Dinan today was one
| closing every saloon in the city This
step is taken to prevent drink-crazed
men from rioting in the city.
TERRIBLE INCIDENT REPORTED.
A. w. Hllssey, came to the station
at the Hall Of Justice this morning
and told how at the direction of d
',
but whose star number he gave as
615, he had cut the arteries in the
wrists of a man pinioned under tim
bers at the ST. Catherine Hotel Ac-
cording to the statement made by
Hussey the man was begging to be
killed, and the policeman shot at him,
but his aim was defective and the
bullet went wide of the mark. The
officer then handed Hussey knife
with instructions to cut the veins in
the suffering mans wrists, and Hus-
sey Obeyed orders.
Chief Of Police Dinan directed that
Hussey be. locked up. There has been
no opportunity to investigate his sto-
ry, but the police believe that the aw-
full calamity rendered him insane, and
that the incident reported to them had
no existence except in the magma
ton of the man who made the report.
Mayor Schmitz sends out orders
that physical necessities of the suf-
ferers be first attended to. Goldberg
Bowen and company send word that
they have placed all of their stores at
the disposal of the city, including the
provisions contained therein.
The sheds over the Southern Pacific
long wharf On San Francisco bay have
completely collapsed. Many of the
bunkers fell into the bay, carrying
with them thousands of tons of coal.
The long wharf was one Of the most
important shipping points about the
bay, and freight traffic will be inter-
rupted greatly.
TOWN OF SAN MATED FLOODED.
As result of the breaking of the
mains Of the Spring Valley Water
company, the town of San Mateo was
flooded It was owing to the broken
mains that the fire gained such head
way in San Francisco. The town Of
San Rafael, despite its own troubles,
dispatched fire fighting apparatus to
San Francisco.
From early morning, the Offices of
the Western Union and Postal Tele-
graph companies in Oakland nave
been filled with people in all walks
of life, fling messages of inquiry as
to the condition of friends and inter-
ests in other cities of California,
which suffered from the earthquake
shock.
PROGRESS OF FIRE WAS RAPID.
The fire swept down the streets so
rapidly that it was practically impos-
sible to save anything in its way. It
reached the Grand Opera house ON
Mission street, and in moment had
burned through the roof.
| The Metropolitan Opera company