Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1906-04-27
HORROR OF THE EARTHQUAKE
Mrs. c. B. CrOwe Of BrattebOrO Writes of Her Experieuce At
Benicia, 80 Miles from San Francisco
THE EARTH "QUAKED" LIKE LIVING CREATURE
People Local Connection Who Lost Their Possessions and
Mrs. Walter Reed are Among the Missing

Mrs Christie B. Crowell, who has been
at the home of her father in Benicia Cal,
with her young son since last fall, wrote
10 her husband a very graphic story of
her experience during the earthquake. The
letter was received on Tuesday and at
about the same hour a telegram came
TO Mr.. Crowell stating that Mrs. Crowell's
sister and family who were In San Fran
cisco at the time of the earthquake and
her brothers family who were in Berkeley
we're all safe and now at Benicia.
When Mrs. Crowell wrote, four hours
after the earthquakes, she stated that
she was sitting in the garden, surrounded
bv the orange blossoms and roses and IL
did not seem possible that all had recently
been through such terrible shock. BENZ
cia. where her father lives, is a village
of about 1000 population, on San Francisco
bay about 30 miles north of the large city.
The entire water front at Benicia was
wrecked, large number of buildings de-
stroyed and nearly every structure in
town damaged, but apparently there was
no loss of life there. The village was
without water owing to the breaking of
the mains. Mrs. Crowell says:
AT 5.15 1 was awakened suddenly by
a strange fear. In a second a slow, sick
enng swaying of the bed began, growing
stronger and harder quickly. The house
rocked quivered then heaved and heaved.
Literally the earth quaked as If it were
a living creature in terrible agony, now
shaking the house until the walls could
be seen swaying against the sky line, then
sitting for a moment in long quivering
shakes With 1t all went the terrible
earthquake noise. There is none like 1t.
The sound of all the nails and timbers
and bricks straining together-then some-
thing else which / cannot describe in
words swishing that is the combination
of horrors. A glass which was far back
on my table was flung into the air and
crashed to bits 1 had to cling with all
my strength to the bed to keep from be-
ing thrown out For two minutes this
continued and it seemed like years. Then
with a violence that made the roof fairly
shrek, it stopped. Since then small
quakes have been felt every few minutes.
Fearful damage has been done even in
town here. We have just discovered that
our chimneys are all smashed and we can
light no fires.
Just had another earthquake at 11.3
but was outside and did not feel it. Not
so bad as the one this morning. We have
just come from viewing the water front
The town is a wreck. Chimneys are gone
everywhere, houses are cracked from end
to end many moved many feet from their
original positions. Whole corners Of
buildings are topping ready to fall at any
minute. 1t is safe to walk only in the
reads. What once was the cannery Is
simply a heap of kindling wood. In some
places the lower stories were simply wiped
away and the upper stories fell to the
ground. In other places the lower stories
stand and the upper ones are destroyed.
Other buildings are one indistinguishable
mass of doors and windows and roofs.
There is not enough of some of them left
to pay for the burning. The creamery Is
nearly as bad. The storenouse was torn
open and hundreds of barrels Of cream
We're afioat on the bay.
THE railroad track and whole embank-
ment between here and Suisum has sunk
eight feet and the bay mas come in over
it ALL"