Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1906-04-19
HUNDREDS LOSE LIVES
IN QUAKE AT FRISCO
Shock Reeled City And Fire I'm
mediately Broke Out.
CITY AT MERCY OF THE FLAMES
Property Collapsed In the TwlnkIing
of an Eye-5usiness Section of City
Practically in Rulns-Dynimiting the
Structures to Check the Fire.

Practically IN RulnS-Dynlmltin9 the
Structures to Check the Fire.
San Francisco, April 18.-San, Fran.
cisco was practically wrecked by an
Earthquake at $40 o'clock Wednes
day morning.
The shock lasted three minutes and
thousands of buildings were damaged
and destroyed. The loss of life is
reported great. There is no water
and fires are breaking out all over the
city. All wires with the exception
Of one are gone, The city hall, cost
ing $7,000,000, is in ruins. Modern
buildings suffered less than the brick
and frame.
The confusion and excitement is in
describable. Most people were asleep,
and rushed into the streets undressed.
The buildings swayed and crashed,
burying the occupants. There was a
panic in the down town hotels The
Lick House is badly damaged, but no
loss of life there is reported.
The Palace and San Francisco ho-
tells withstood the shock. The people
| focked to the telegraph offices to send
messages to friends and were frantic
because there were no wires. The
| greatest damage was south of Market
street, where mostly frame buildings
and tenement houses were located.
There are fires in every block in that
district.
At $3.50 o'clock Wednesday morning
a disastrous fire broke out on the south
side Of Market street and is now with
in one block Of the Palace hotel The
water mains have burst and the fire de-
partment is practically helpless. The
utmost confusion exists. All business
is suspended At this moment there
is only one wire out of San Francisco,
Postal Telegraph company wire. The
| Postal Telegraph building is badly
damaged. The operating room is to-
tai wreck. The power or every kind
is gone, and there are no lights, either
gas or electric. Neither the Palace
| hotel nor the ST. Francis is gone; that
is, as far as the outside goes, but the
inside platering, ETC., is greatly dam.
J aged.
Between the Postal Telegraph of
| fee and the water front there has
been great damage by fire, which is
burning fiercely, and there is little or
no water. The fire is burning both
on the east and the south side of the
Postal ToIppronb huildiDr
The damage by the earthquake ap-
pears to have extended all over the
city. The streets are blockaded with
debris. They are blowing up build,
! ings. The residence districts are safe
SO far as heard from.
The business section OF the city from
Market street to Mission street and
from Bay back has been almost com.
pletely wrecked.
The Call and Examiner buildings are
destroyed. Many buildings along Mar.
ket and Mission streets, including the
department stores, are collapsing.
Hundreds of people in the cheap tene.
ment districts are reported killed.
The offices Of the Postal Telegraph
company in the Hobart building are
wrecked, as is the Associated Press
building at 3O2 Montgomery street.
The residence portion is but slight,
ly damaged, although nearly every
house has been more or loss injured.
In the confusion, which reigns every.
where here, it is almost impossible to
| learn details of the disaster caused by
the earthquake. In general, it may be
said that the district laying between
Market and Howard streets from the
bay as far west as the city hall, has
been badly wrecked. The hotels in
the vicinity of Third and Mrket streets
were badly shaken up, but there seems
to have been no loss of life there. The
large department stores in this neigh.
| borhood were also ruined, but the
earthquake occurred at an hour when
they were empty and no loss of life
Is reported in that quarter.
Farther east, on Market street to.
ward the ferry slips, is section oc.
cupied by cheap lodging houses and
hotels, and here the loss of life is re.
ported to be very great, though the ex.
tent of it could not be ascertained at
this hour.
Fires are burning in a number OF
| places along Market street, and the wa.
ter mains having burst, the authorities
have resorted to dynamite to check the
progress of the flames.
AS rpOortS cOmo in tl,o yoooo;.,,I
| the disaster grows. Fires are raging
in all directions, and PEOPLE are NOV.
Ing out of the down town seotical.
The loss of life may reach into the
hundreds, and millions of dollars
worth of property has been DESTROYED,
The Valencia hotel, between Seven
teenth and Eighteenth streets, on Va
lencia street, five story frame build.
Ing, toppled over into the street. bury.
Ing rs people in the debris. Only the
top story remains intact. A house on
Fourth street, near Valencia, was also
wrecked, killing two persons.<
Many of the fire department houses
are damaged so badly that it is impos.
sible to get the fire apparatus out.
A lodging house on Seventh street.
known as the Kingsley, entirely col,
lapsed. 1t is on fire, and rs to 80
people are believed to be buried in
the flaming ruins.
At Twenty-second and Mission, the
dry goods store of Lipman company
is on fire, threatening to sweep the en-
| tire block. At Eighteenth and Val
! encia streets there is a creyice in the
street six feet wide and entire side
walks are torn up. The street car
tracks are badly twisted all through
; the southern section of the city and
traffic is at a standstill.
At the Southern Pacific hospital,
water is being carried into the build