The Corvallis times. (Corvallis, Or.) 1888-1909, 1906-05-01
BACK FROM FRISCO.

What Corvallis Men Saw
! There-Not Much Else
but Ruins.
County Judge Waters and S L.
Kline are home from San Francisco
where they went after the fire. M.
Kline arrived Saturday and Mr..
Walters Sunday. The latter was
accompanied by his sister, MISS
! Minnie Waters, who is a trained
nurse, and who was in charge OF an
important case at the time OF the
earthquake The patient had un
dergone an operation short time
before and when the shock came
plaster from the ceiling fell all
about the room, some of it striking
the patient tn the face. Miss Wat
tiers remained with her charge un-
til the fire came. and then with an
assistant carried her to another
place block away. In a short
time the flames drove them to a
second move, when they managed
to get conveyance to the Presidio.
The same evening Miss Waters
and her patient went in a tug to
| Oakland. where they found a shelter
from which they were net again
driven. The following day, the
patient underwent a second opera
ton, and at last accounts was re
: covering.
Mr.. Waters says, as do all who
have been there, that words cannot
: convey an adequate description of
| the desolation that the eye sees,
: when from vantage point a view
of the ruins is obtained, Of the
fair city, nothing is left but occas-
! ional groups of buildings here and
: there about the outskirts. No,
more than one fourth and possibly
}. not more than a fifth remain:
: standing. The suffering and hor
y ror through which the San Fran
u ciscans passed were such that many
: of them will leave the place fore We
'e unwilling to hazard the chance o
another similar experience. Their
< is an undercurrent of feeling tha
2 does not find expression in tn
a. newspapers which causes some
l. those who hear expression Of it t
W doubt it the city will ever rise t
Ia anything near its former glory. A
7e epidemic is another possible horrc
r yet to be reckoned with, and fea
De of 1t is driving thousands in scare
1e of new homes elsewhere. Man
Or of the sewers of the city are di!
d. placed as result of the -arthquak
of and 1t will take months to restor
of the drainage system to a condit.c
ce of effectiveness. -.,>
S, Still another ever-present dang,
lg for the time is the presence of thus
Or and ghouls, who await every Of
a portunity for pillage and p1unde
as The act of nature that plunged th
,g city into ruins and the sight of il
W consequences. seemed to unloos
ali the ferocity of the underworld
and realizing chat opportunity fo
,, murder and robbery was at hand
~ the bloody hand is everywhere. 1,
the ruins there will be found
great deal of melted gold and silve
and the opportunity to seize an
!, make off with it is awaited. Blu
n for the presence of the soldiery, th
m scenes of human ferocity woul,
have been more horrible2than: th
N N devastation by earthquake an,
m flames. A few mistakes by tn
California state troops were made
m but they were infnitesmal besid
m what would have happened ha,
m not the mailed hand of the militar,
m been held over the city to restrain
and deter.
m Mr., Kline found his house prett,
" badly wrecked by the earthquake
m When he unlocked it, the from
m door fell in. 1t was hung on un
-, usually heavy hinges, and thes
N N were broken by the shock. A doc
to the basement would not open be
N cause the structure had settled some
N what eskew> The house was sit
=, uated 10 blocks from the neares
~ fire lire.
cit is everywhere ruins. ruins
n ruins" said Mr.. Kline. No pictur
IL can be painted so desolate. Th
N one redeeming feature is that the
~ survival of the Call building show
that structures can be built tha
:, y will Withstand both earthquake ane
! fire, and that is the best hope for
70 new city of San Francisco. Though
22 stories high, the Call building
AZ with its steel frame and stone wall
intact stands as majestic as ever
;. having been, of course, gutted BY
=. the flames. Across the street th
y Mutual Savings bank building, I:
II stories, also stands as a monumen
y of the ability of man to build quake
proof and fre-proof structures.