New-York tribune., 1906-04-24
SINGERS REACH CITY.
TELL OF FRISCO HORROR.
Like Nightmare" Says Mss Jacoby
HELL" Says Fremstad.

Nearly broken down by the scenes they had
passed through, Olive Fremstad and Josephine
Jacoby, the first members of the Conried Opera
Company to return here. arrived from San
Francisco yesterday morning. Miss Marion
Weed, who left San Francisco with them. col
lapsed at Rochester. and left the train there to
go to relatives.
Miss Jacoby the slippers of Mercedes
which she had worn in Carmen" when she
reached here. In these same slippers she had
tramped for two hours through the wreckstrewn
streets of San Francisco. Miss Fremstad's
trunks were saved, but have not yet arrived
here
mo one could tell what awful horrors we
saw" declared Miss Fremstad who had worked
in the emergency hospital in San Francisco.
1.-The terror and desolation, the grief and de-
spair, were far beyond the dreary pictures Of
utter misery that the most morbid Russian
novelist ever depicted. 1t hell-nothing
else"
Miss Fremstad asleep in the Hotel st
Dunstan, at Van Ness avenue and Sutter street,
when the first shock came. She awoke to find
the rolling like a boat in heavy sea-
She staggered to the window. and looked out to
see people running in terror from the houses
across the street
THE air seemed full Of yellow smoke" she
said. 'I was choking and so sick and helpless
that could not think what to do. People were
running through the halls in their night gar
ments I started to dress. when there came
knock at my door, and there stood my nald'
Marie utterly unmoved by the confusion ehe
helped me to dress, and then got my trunks to-
gether. refusing 10 leave the hotel Until e'eiS-
thing ready
After we got out into the park realized tnat
I had carried out nothing but some flowers
These I sent across the street to temporary
hospital Then I realized what foolish thing 1t
was TO do. and 1 got up and did what could to
help"
WORKED IN THE HOSPITAL
Miss Fremstad worked for several hours In the
hospital bandaging wounds and cneerlng the
injured. carrying water and doing other menial
work She is the opera singer to whom refer
ence was made in several dispatches as render
ing invaluable assistance. The manager or her
hotel finally found her a carriage in which
she went to Oakland passing thousands OF
Cinnamon stoIidly squatting in the cutters
cooking at little fires
Miss Fremstad boarded an accommodation
train In Oakland, catching the Overland Linn
tied at Ogden. while her maid and baggage had
to stay on the slow train On the limited she
met Miss Weed and Miss Jacoby. They got TO
Chicago on Sunday morning, where they were
met by Millward Adams who has managed the
opera In Chicago for years.
Miss Jacoby was at the Palace Hotel When
7 was awakened by the first shock" she said
"the bed was being flung this way and that
Tt was several seconds before realized that 1t
was an earthquake AT first thought IL was
inst a horrible nightmare. There was a terri
bIe crunching sound which was horrible. ran
ont Of the room in my nightdress and down.
stairs. The sickening motion stopped as sud
darIv as It began, and went back to my room
and got some clothes
"As looked out of my room 1 saw fires
springing up everywhere. and In ten minutes
the en-irs citv seemed to be ablaze. Things
quieted somewhat in half an hour' anu inc man
ager OF the hotel called into the dining room
and gave us coffee from the servants I@oie' al
that was left. 10 strengthen US. The women OF
our company were as brave as couo De. iheS
never uttered a complaint. We had only time
to pack a few things, and even theh soiiie vi
these were lost All l saved were the clothes
l am wearing the slippers l nave on no" ociie
hose T wore in Carmen" Tuesday night
They were first at hand when dressed ifo
worn them all the way across the continent
I'VE were all marched TO Union S'
Great blocks OF stones and twisted tiInbers lay
in the street, and we had 10 pick our way 49,
great rents in the earth. In some placeS ''o'
were only few inches OF earth leIt io' 10 "
walk on and had to crawl along lno Ia
row. crumbling ledge, holding on 10 the Ou''U
,nes and each other Zach moment we eN-
pected fresh holes 10 open up ana swa1o"
We were all more or less stuhhed-n0'iA ~
do, place to go TO ~hscn