The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1906-05-07

MAY 7, 1906.
The Han OF Records. the Min, and
| The Postoftice We're saved. ,Tha CIV
| nan Is wreck. Mission straa+ for
rs entire length and Market straar
from the hills u the bay ar. srrav-,,
vain bricks stone and twisted steel
IN some places the streets hava sunk
SIX or eight feet and the tracks are
bent and twisted all out Of shape.
Oakland is & tremendously busy
city. Many of the san Francisco firms
mat have been burned out are open
ing offices here. Every vacant store
and office has been rented.
Nothing was saved from thu office
OF Alexander and Baldwin excepr what
was IN the safe. I am inclined TO
take very bright view OF the future.
oeiieVe San Francisco VIII be rebuilt
INTO one of the handsomest cities in
the country and I believe Oaklan.
VIII double in population within year
All or the San Francisco firms have
been totally burned out and they will
open up for business here in Oak
land
Many of the buildings were dam
aged The Market street school which
was nearly finished is a total wreck.
The Homestead and the West Berkeley
banks are considerably damaged"
LED THE vIGTLANTEs.
When evidence was shown that
ghouls Were at work in the ruins DR.
Donald Gedge organized a vigilance
committee and formed his men into
squads for the protection of lives and
property. DR.. Gedge writes his bro
Their, Norman L. Gedge of this city. of
the experience Of himself aud wife dur
ing the early part of the trouble, but
says nothing of the committee S work.
The letter is interesting and is as fol-
lows:
1924 Steiner St., April -. 1906.
We got your message and DAISY sent
YOU reply. | did not see it as | had
organized vigilance committee and
was its chief, and was constantly on
duty night and day for ten days 1t is
only now that | am getting to see
through the fog and appreciate what
all this really means. To look back at
San Francisco s marvellous prosperity,
her great future and 10 see her utter
ruin accomplished in only a few hours
is beyond human ability to appreciate
at the present time Tuesday night af-
ter jolly evening at the theater, we
retired full of hope and plans for the :,
following days, only to be awakened
at 5;12 a. m. Wednesday by the most
dreadful calamity of recent times. I
was awake practically, and felt the
first rumble and shaking OF the house.
L gave 1t no attention, fully believing
that it was one of our ordinary shakes.
Soon, however, the violence of the
shake awakened Daisy and by that
time nothing was quiet in the house,
and the creaking and rasping was not
pleasant. This stopped a second, and
hen the tremendous shaking caused
he house to rock like ship at sea.
We started from our beds with the
ioor heaving and rocking so that you
ould not walk, and everything in the !
louise was crashing about and breaking I
With hideous noise. We got down
tairs and finally to the back yard,
Then we saw nothing but wrecked
and heard the horrible rum {
ling of the frightful catastrophe that /
ad overwhelmed the city. A number +
small shocks occurred right away, 7
nd we could see the columns of smoke l
ras quiet Going back to the house t
e saw the utter wreck of all our IL
hoice things, but as yet could not t
ealize what it all was. During that q
ay we had a succession of shocks, and s.
he fire was already burning south of
[arket street. All of the houses are c.
ore or less damaged in our neighbor-
pod, but at Green and Van Ness ave- a
10 -aH hn
rect rent and ruined I went down tc
'wn and on all sides was ruin and de- fe
astation. Every brick and stone NJ
ructure was damaged, and Spreckel's 81
d stone mansion on Van Ness avenue IN
as badly shaken and the stones loose. W
roceeding to my Office, / got my horse, tn
Id securing some papers, returned, Vi
.ver dreaming Of fire. The next day w
I'd the day following, the confagra a
pm that had now followed on the first tr
eat disaster, had become unc0ntroll- lie
lie, and ate its hideous way along, TO
all in its path. You know oil
e utter ruin of the city by the earth co
axe was bad enough, but the fire to
ded a new horror, and we could see W.
thing but destruction before us all. va
any were the acts Of heroism and va
my the sacrifices, but in spite of
Mantle and back firing everything ca
st of Van Ness and from North su
ach to Market. and south of Market ga
10Th and east to the Potrero was AS
ped off the earth. A walk over the de
rned district would break your heart. fri
i, building stands with the exception tn
a few in all the business districts, alb
d all south of Market street, ruin to
on ruin is branded on every side. an
It a hotel, not business house, all by
gone Look about you and You see
a burned stick, nothing but bricks ge
diron; all else has disappeared. In boz
history of the world Is depicted WI
h utter devastation of any great ing