Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1906-04-27
J. G. Schumann and
Wife Return and
Relate Thrilling
Experiences.
SLEPT IN RAIN ON OPEN
DOOR STEP
Graphic Story of the Escape
From the Devastated City
and Suffering Which
Still Prevails.

A graphic description OF the terrlDle
catastrophe which befell San Francis
co, and its subsequent results is told
by j. G Schumann, who, with his
wife was there at the time the earth
quake which practically destroyed one
of the most prosperous cities In the
country, occurred. They arrived home
via the Santa Fe at 1880 o'clock this
afternoon.
Mr.. and Mrs. Schumann arrived In
San Francisco by steamer from Los
Angeles on Tuesday afternoon at 3
o'clock. They procured room at the
Grand Hotel, and later in the after
noon went to the home of Marcos Ell.
dodt, former resident of this city.
The next forenoon they spent sight
seeing and in the afternoon called on
Mr.. and Mrs. John Becker of Belen,
who were sojourning in San Francisco
at that time, and made arrangements
to take a trip through Chinatown the
next day.
The trip to Chinatown was never
made. Mr. and Mrs. Schumann re-
turned to the Grand Hotel, and re-
tired. At 5:15 O'Clock in the morn
ing they were awakened by the shock
| OF the earthquake. The hotel seemed
to be rocking to and fro and at the
same time the building seemed to be
dropping and rising with sudden jerks,
Beds Thrown into the Air.
The bed seemed to leap several
inches from the floor and then set
tie back to its original position. The
other furniture about the room acted
in a similar manner, and there seemed
to be Il general commotion. After
what must have been fully minute
but which seemed much longer, the
shock subsidized and Mr.. and Mrs. Schu-
mann arose and prepared to leave
the building. They noticed that the
plastering had fallen from the wall,
and that water was leaking into the
room. Mr.. Schumann's first impress
sion was that it was raining, and that
on account of the plastering having
fallen from the ceiling, the water was
leaking through He learned later,
however, that the water pipes had
bursted, causing the water to flow to
Iall parts OF the building.
On gaining the ground floor he
found the hotel attaches badly fright
ened, but there were no outcries. They
were visibly excited, and no one seem
ed to know just what to do. The
Grand Hotel was a brick and steel
structure, and to the fact that 1t was
so we'll constructed Mr.. Schumann at
tributes the success of Mrs. Schu-
mann and himself in escaping unin-
jured.
Upon leaving the hotel and going
to the street, Mr.. Schumann soon saw
what effect the shock had had In that
vicinity. The panes had been Jared
from the windows and had been shat
tered into small particles. In some
places parts of the buildings had fall
en- away, but as a rule the structures
were left standing. In the stores the
merchandise had been thrown from
the shelves, and was lying in piles on
the floor Mr. and Mrs. Schumann
took breakfast at the first place they
could find where meals we're served,
and then went toward the home of
Marcos Eldodt on Ellis Street. AL
though it was not yet Z o'clock in
the morning they found him sitting
on the steps in front of his house con-
templating the scene of devastation
about him.
At noon Mr. and Mrs. Schumann
and Mr.. and Mrs. Eldodt went to JEFF
ferson Park a short distance from the
home of the latter, and already the
park was full of people who had come
there to escape danger. Soldiers had
already been sent to the park to main
tain order, supplies had been sent in,
the Red Cross Society was on hand
to render assistance, and people were
erecting tents. All this had been done
in less than six hours after the earth
quake had occurred.
City in Flames.
Mr.. and Mrs. Schumann spent the
night at the home Of Marcos Eldodt.
sleeping on the open door step. On
returning to the house they found