The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1906-04-26
Most Appalling Disaster of Modern Times Lays
Waste the Metropolis of the Pacific Coast
Hundreds of Lives L0st-PrODerty
Loss Beyond Calculation.
Earthquake Topples Over Big Buildings and Fire
Completes Work of Observation-Disclosures
Structures Dynamited i'm Futile Attempt
to Stay Progress of the Flames.

San Francisco, April 19.-This city
yesterday was visited by one of the
most terrible calamities that has be
fallen any city in modern times.
At an early hour this morning II
looked as if the city was doomed ia
complete destruction.
No accurate estimate Of the loss OF
life Is obtainable, figures varying from
200 to $500. Several thousand were
more or less seriously injured.
The property loss is beyond calcula
ton.
Thousands of families are homeless
and utterly destitute, and all day
long panic-stricken refugees have
been fleeing from the devastated dis
tricts to places of safety.
Buildings ToppIe Over.
1t was 5:13 o'clock yesterday morn.
ing when a terrific earthquake shook
tho whole city and surrounding coun.
try. One shock lasted two minutes
and there was an almost immediate
collapse Of flimsy structures in all
parts of San Francisco. The water
supply was cut off and when fires
broke out there was nothing to do but
TO let the buildings burn. Telegraph
and telephone communication was
shut off for a time. The Western
Union was put out of business com
pletely and the Postal was the only
company that managed to get a wire
out of the city. At 10 o'clock the
Postal, too, was forced to suspend in
San Francisco. Electric power was
stopped and street cars could not run
Railroads and ferryboats also ceased
operations.
LeveIed With Dynamite.
The various fires ragged all day and
many fine buildings were leveled to
dust by terrific charges Of dynamite
in the hopeless effort to stay the fire
horror. In this work scores Of heroic
soldiers, policemen and firemen were
manned or killed outright.
The explosions shook the city and
added to the terror of the inhabitants.
Following the first shock there was
another within thirty minutes, but not
so severe. Three hours later. there
was another short quake.
Night Adds Horror.
Night added horror, and as darkness
fell the sky was illuminated in all di.
rections AS the flames spread into
the residence districts people left
their homes and fed to the parks and
squares. A series of rather severe
shocks at Z o'clock in the evening
further increased the terror and many
left homes that were not in danger.
The suffering and hardship beggars
description. Countless numbers in
the poorer sections, including the Chi
nese, japanese and Italian quarters,
have been rendered homeless, and un-
less supplies and aid reach the city
within twenty-four hours, starvation
will add to the awful calamity.
Never Was Fate So Disastrous.
Nearly every landmark that has
made San Francisco famous has been
laid in ruins or burned to the ground.
Never has the fate of city been more
disastrous.
For three miles along the water
front buildings have been swept clean
and the blackened beams and great
skeletons of factories and ffices
stand silhouetted against a back
ground of flame that is slowly spread
ing over the entire city. The whole
commercial and Office section of the
city on the north side of Market street
from the ferry building to Tenth
street, has been consumed in the rag
ing hell, while hardly building is
standing in the district south of Mar
ket street
Work Of Firemen Futile.
At o'clock, despite the heroic
work of the firemen and the troops of
dynamiters, who RACED building after
building and blew up property valued
at millions, the flames spread across
Market street and swept up Montgom-
cry street, practically to Washington
street. Along Montgomery street are
some of the richest banks and COM
mercial houses IN San Francisco. The
famous Mills building and the new
Merchants exchange, in which is sit
uated the Marine and Stock ex
changes, are still standing, but the
Mutual Life Insurance building anc
scores of bank and Office buildings
are on fire, while blocks of other
houses are in the path Of the flames
and nothing seems to be at hand ia
stay their progress.
Block After Block Licked Up.
Block after block of banking houses
are now masses of red-hot ruins, and
it will be months before the Aoney
that was housed in their valuable
vaults can be reached.
Factories, hotels, wholesale houses