Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1906-04-23
Utah Girl Writes Graphic Account
OF the Fright and Ruin
Wrought.
DR.. JoRDAN's STATEMENT.
Three aud "a Half Million Dollars and
Work Of sixteen Years Gone In
sixty Seconds

san Francisco but not much IRON
stanford university where 40 many
Utah students are located. t3ut a
sraphlc story was handed to the
News" today by Mrs. Ellerbeck. the
mother Of EDITH, the well known
writer. who was there on q visit with
her sister Bob, a regular student Of
the institution. Miss Ellerbeck's let
ter though intended for the eyes Of
her family alone Is most interesting
giving as il does detailed account Of
what her experiences were. The let
ter was penned on the morning of the
sth almost before the rumbllng OF
the earthquake had ceased, and long
before she know OF the destruction of
San Francisco.
A GRAPHIC DESCRIPTION,
Dearest Famlly~-The earthquake
has been over about an hour and
am still alive and whole. II Is the
greatest marvel IN tho world that there
rs a soul left 10 tell the story, ! don't
feel at all coherent yet. II was ghast-
~, awful, and 1 shall never forget It
TO my dying day. ] thought II was my
utlnk HlpiltHlt W. IL sOu tOulI nav
felt the shaking, jerking, twisting that
went ont was as II the earth were
puppy being shaken by a mastiff.
and the ruins--I'ye cried myself sick.
Arch gone, chapel heap of rubbish,
everywhere the most frightful wreck.
age, y. q. house ~ whole minus
a chimney and plaster, and none OF the
girls we're hurt except Clara Vlckers,
Her dresser fell on her but she can
limp around.
WHILE ALL SLEPT.
ut began at $50 a, m, while every
one was asleep. ! was IN my attic room
all alone, had been awake all night,
frightfully nervous for apparently no
reason--restless, tossing all the time
and had just sunk into browse from
which was awakened by the rocking
not tremble, but a jerk that sent ey-
erything In the room flying. bottles
pictures. books. mirror, In one wild
whirl. | sat up gasping. thought
must be sea-sck. but soon realized
what II was Terrified heavens
] went to pieces. Crash. Bang. the din
was frightfu.
THROWN DOWN STAIRS.
rushed 10 my door and was pre-
cipitated to the bottom of the stairs,
but landed unhurt. Miss Sullivan and
the Bassetts in their night clothes met
me In the hall and Miss T.. threw her
arms wildly about me and we Just
chung that way I'll the thing was past,
then we all grabbed blanket and rush
ed on 10 the lawn. thinking any minute
that worse shock would come, From
the quad came crash and we saw
the chimney, the tall smokestack gone,
chapel tower gone, and everybody be-
gan to cry as II IL were. funeral
Across from us the <. A. e. and d. Us
had trooped out In pajamas and night
shirts, everyone panic stricken There
just as ! wrote that word another shock
came that set us all running. But 1t
was just a tremor, reports from Mt
Hamilton say we may expect shocks at
any minute today. so everyone is camp
ed away from the houses.
RUINS IN THE QUAD.
was frantic 10 know how the girls
In the y. @. house were-worried sick
about Bob Miss Ellerbeck's sister,, but
as soon as | lung some clothes on
ran over 10 find the house unhurt and
Bob worrying about me. She hadn't
been half so terrified as |, but then she
wasn't all sole alone--it ] could have
called 10 a single person | wouln't have
been 50 frightened. But ! heard the
chimney crash on 10 the floor and ex-
pectcd every minute that the roof
would bury me-the chimney fell In the
other direction or ! would have been
killed, We dressed. half-dressed,
rushed to the Quad to find only heap
of ruins, except the inner quad, which
was oldest and withst0od the shock
But every new building. gym. library,
museum. engineering buildings chapel.
arch, and all, hardly one stone lett on
another.
ENGINEER WAS DEAD.
Engineer was buried under the Chin
ney, taken out dead, the Encina CHM
neys crashed through the roofs and
took some men from the fourth story
down 10 the first. Two students there
killed, five wounded. En- Roble girls
on the third floor awoke TO find them
selves on the seQond-ceillngs gone
away, and girls and beds fell through
--unhurt. The chi Psi house Il Il
wreck. one wall Of the ri Phi is off,
and the house open 20 the air, Not a
chimney remains anywhere, 20 can't
have FIRE, hence only cold things
to eat Can't resume college probably
y
and | had our transportation fixed We
would make tracks for home, but there
will be such a wild stampede on the
trains that | don't think we can get
through for "A while, ! tried 10 send
you telegram Immediately, knowing
that the press 7 ports would be terrify-
ing, but the wires are all down and
so I don't know when my kilograms
Gun set through No trains to san
Francisco so no word from there and
I am simply sick about win, fearing
that he Is IN San Francisco,
WILD RUMoRS AFLOAT,
Wild reports keep floating around of
the frIghtfll damage there, but every
one says that the ~. Francis Is safe.
| am even hoping that he hadn't gone
Thereon hadn't stayed In San Francis
col can't sleep or eat TIL know.
They say that terrible fire is burning
on Market street, and ! feel almost
frantic. Save me from an earthquake
country.
Dr. Jordan, as he looked about him
from one spot. said he could see three
million and a half dollars damage-the
work OF IS years gone In so seconds. |
haven't been down 10 zee our house In
Palo Alto. but think II may have with,
stood the shocks, as II IL frame. am
going down this afternoon 10 see. Bob
takes everything In her usual uncon-
cerned, impersonal way. | envy her
her disposition. | am sick all over
sea-slck from the shaking, heart sick
az the ruin, sick with worry about VIII.
| am afraid TO go TO bed tonight OH
Il We we're only home. Me for my fam
fly after this--so glad you are all there
and not here Well be there as soon as