The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1906-04-23
L. E. Ritter Details Experience of
Himself and Wife i'm the
Earthquake.
THROWN FROM THEIR BEDS
IN GREYST0NE HOTEL
Rushed From Falling Building
Into the Street, Where
Chaos Reigned.

| l. h Ritter received Tribune repre-
| sentative at his mothers home Sunday.
| having just arrived from San Francisco
| with his wife, thoroughly happy at the
| fact that they wore again among friends,
| Loath TO speak of his hard experiences.
1t was n little timo till he could do so.
With much feeling he told tho story as
| follows.
Thrown From Their Bed,
Wife and l were at the Greystone
| hotel, and were thrown completely out
of bed at the first shock The noise wos
| the falling of crookery breaking OF glass
and dropping OF plaster and electric
globes. We could hear the screams of
| frightened women outside, and we
partly dressed and came out as soon as
we could The scene the street was a
| wild one. Up and down, far as one could
out OF all the houses. and all of them
more or less in need of clothing or shoes,
l first went to the corner OF Geary
| and Market streets, and there saw the
| first nre, and felt then 1t was all up
| with us. The first trouble was the lack
OF water. None anywhere. and when you
tain to want 1t. l loft my wife at
the hotel and started down Market street
TO see II we could get out of town, and
| was stopped with the information that
the ferries were not running and that the
water front was ruined.
Started for the Park.
we then headed for the park and be
| fore starting | fought my way back into
| the hotel and grabbed what | could and
mount hotel. on Mob Hill, and finally
| brought UP at Twin Peaks, at the end
| of Sixteenth street There we found a
| large colony of people camped In all
| manner OF shapes, and living, God only
| knows how / was fortunate enough TO
| locate Lewis Ward and wife, well known
| In Salt Lake, and wife and | stayed there
over night. We had no food or water and
| | found n place for the two ladies. and
| Ward and l went down town to buy. beg
| or steal food and water We got a small
| Thursday morning we went down as far
as the posto1fce building and learned We
could head for the ferry, You sec we had
no news out at the Peaks, only such as
rumor could give us, for instance: Salt
| Lake is in ashes 'Yesuyius Is blown
| up Oakland is sunk In the sea. the
| When I learned II was possible to get
| away l set myself to the task.
Trip a Perilous One.
1T was a hard trip for my wife
| through the burned district. as the pave
ments were very hot from the flames
fallen walls and heaps Of rubbish all the
| way. When we got so far in any one
| street We would find q fallen wall and a
soldier on guard. and have 60 turn down
the next one, We finally got 10 the ferry
| building thanking God for dellvcrance.
and after some trouble got away 20 Oak
| land.
Ludicrous Scenes Among Horrors.
There were ludicrous scenes even in
| the saddest hours, and l cannot forget
/ canary birds, mocking birds and pet dogs
| together In my life l saw a pet dog on
the seat of an automobile. the owner OF
| which would not stop to take In badly
! wounded man lying on the sidewalk.
Wagon Load Of Dead.
II saw but ono wagon load of dead and
never want TO see another You cannot
| conceive how horrible the crushed things
| looked All dirty and bloody and swollen;
II made ones blood creep TO see them
main IN my memory. on Il pile OF bricks,
stones and rubbish was thrown the
body of a man shot through the heart.
and on his chest was pinned a placard.
| Take Warming 1t WAS most effective
| way TO terror2e those who would steal
| or make trouble.
Meets Insane Woman
II met one poor crazy woman. who
stopped US to say they had killed her
| husband and might well kill her. Then
she changed her cry. and said she
was a cow, and asked us TO take her
away. Our hearts were conyulsed with
| pity, but What COulu We uOE we lell neT
talking to the next comers. and hope
| someone In authority cared for her,
Took Advantage Of Situation.
EFT was grand TO see how noble was
tho spirit Of men who had lost fortunes
| themselves, In cheering up the poorer
ones who had lost something, II no great
value why. 1 lost $4,000, said one.
| and what Is your baby carriage to that
Cheer up; 1t Will all come out in the wash
Ing
Story of Elk's Button.
The acts of expressmcn and carriage
drivers were outrageous. l witnessed one
case in front OF the st. Francis hotel.
| After much parley man got an express
man to take himself and wife to the ferry
for $50 A bell boy ran out and said:
got $50 for that trip. So the man had
to pay $50 or walk. He paid It, because
his wife could not walk.
II would like to tell the story of this
| little Elks button you sec on my coat.
| lost all we had but what We stand In,
and 1 am glad / kept my button on.
When We were out In Twin Peaks Mrs.
Ward and my wife had to sleep on the
| ground, with just our coats over them.
Next day cart cnme along, and had
not the heart to ask for the bedding
were so many who were clamorous for
them The man who was giving out these
things saw my button l hailed him, he
answered. and l got the blankets and
saved tho women from sickness and cold
that night. Again, going To the ferry on
foot we came up to loaded wagon with
a guard on the end of II He saw my
button. We hailed and he took wife and
1 In. and 1t was a God.send. for her
feet were blistered by the hot payements
Good Word for ALI.
Let me say good word for all I saw
Kind and unsefish, everyone sought &c
help his neiGhbor, and God will be good
10 people who thus denied themselves for
their suffering fellow beings,