Goldsboro weekly argus. [volume] (Goldsboro, N.C.) 1885-1909, 1906-05-03
FROM SAN FRANCISCO.
A Letter From s.ROd'' Freeman
to His Mother in This city,
Giving Graphic Descrip-
tiOn-of The Terrible
UN0 rkI Ia e

tiOn-Of The Terrible
Earthquake
AS already noted in these columns
Mr.. and Mrs. R. C. Freeman have
two sons in San Francisco, "Rod'
land Frank, from whom kilograms
were received the day after the ter
rible quake.
Mrs. Freeman has just received 6
letter from Rod, which by her kind
PEI mission we are able to give our
readers, and we + SIRE it will be
read With interest b. all. Here it is
Emer, v,lle, Cal,
Aprii %, 1906.
MY DEAR, DEAR MOTHER:
I intended writing you sooner, bu'
there has been So much tXcltemen
here that l hardly knew " hat 1 wa
doing. All of u. lived safely through
the terrible earthquake aud fire
Frank has gone t. SACRAMENTO, Cal
Met Meredith in the afternoon O
the first day of the fire, aud he tolC
] ne that he and his father lost every.
hing.
For the last mouth L have beer
working across the bay at Emery.
vile, for the same firm tnatI worked
Tor at Fresno last summer, and was
here during the quake
Was awakened w din SHAY m rn.
NJ al b:15 by d S,-ii aud fee'lnS
| hat | VIII never forget rs long as !
i've. 1 Was on tn, second floor of a
Two story fram1 building-when ]
Was ~akened it was shaking, jump
ins and pitching, something awful.
First 1 staggered to the window,
could g chlmneys and huge smoke
stacks tumbling over as if they were
mere ten pins. It then came into
my mind to get out of the house,
thought sure it would either collapse
or turn over before I succeeded, but
it did not. 1 remember I had a ter.
rible time getting down the stairs,
it was impossible to walk, guess I
fell most of the way.
The streets were full of scared peo-
pie, clad in their night clothes only.
About $3.50 a. M, L learned that San
francisco Was u total wreck and on
Ire. AnXious to know it Frank was
afa a1rurht tho nAvt k,af and want
,ver. The sight that met my eyes
IS l walked through the ferry build
ing and looked up Market street is
impossible to describe. Great buiiG-
ings all shattered to pieces, thestreets
sunk FROM 4 10 & feet, great cracks in
the ground, street car tracks broken,
Ind fire raging everywhere. LODGED
around fire and failyn buildings until
[ finally fouad Frank, safe and
sound.
The top of the big building thath
was living in fell off and killed sew
eral people. The main shock was
at 5:15 a. M, but there were smaller
ones all through the day. After I
nad seen Frank and had witnes sed
Is many ofthe horrible sights as I
Jared to Sc 1 started for the ferry to
come back to Emeryville, but was
disappointed as the fire had my path
blocked. So l had TO spend the night
in that wrecked and burning city.
Cannot begin to tell you Of the awful
sights 1 saw that night and the next
morning on my way to the boat. I
got a quilt and walked way out to
Jefferson Square and spent the night,
where thousands Of others had gone
to get away from the fire. I awoke
covered with cinders, and the raging
fire was only a block away. It was
about 5 a. NJ, Thursday morning, ]
started for the ferry again, and after
walking mile after mile around the
burning section, reached the boat.
Thousands and thousands of families
lost everything they had, they WOULD
1t on lhelr front Step until the Ias1
moment and then get up and wall
away with barely enough clothes te
protect them from the night.
People suffered for food for a day
n 50, but now there is plenty, trail
cad after train load coming in every
lay.
The fire probably would not hav'
een SO bad if there had been waite
Z fight it with, but the shake burs
most all the pipes, and it was some
ine before they could be fixed
they succeeded in checking fire b.,
blasting, block after block was blow
20 atoms before the fire was u4de
ct ntrol. The blast We're so hpav,
hat PARTS o. the bay were covere,
With dead fish. 1 will mail yo1
-everal papers, n OF them has
map of San Francisco showing til
Dire line at the time it vas published
out which is worse now. Hopin;
you are all well, and that you di'
lot have to go through what we di
,ut here, will close. With regard
to all, I am your devoted son,
R.. B. FREEMAN
p g did Won ppt nv tell GRAN