The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1906-05-07
TALES OF
THE DISASTER
Continued from Page .,

We were Weakened at early dawn by
most violent shaking 1 was some
n what dazed as I had been in a sound
Z sleep, but l knew at once il was a
a | terrific earthquake and my first
e thought was to get the family to-
$ gether l do not know what happened
e after L woke them up, but it seemed
e ages before the terrific shaking sub
t sided 1t seemed to me like five min
utes, but the scientists say il was only
IS seconds
D When it was over we began taking
, an inventory of the damage and found
| every medicine bottle had been thrown
) from its place on a shelf to the floor
The furniture had been moved around.
! Nearly all of the milk had been thrown
out of the pans onto the floor. a great
| many things in the pantry were dis
ttrbed and the chimney on our house
| was pitched to the ground. Up to this
time we had very little idea of the
magnitude of the disaster We dressed
leisurely and had breakfast as usual.
Just as L was starting down town we
| heard that the street cars were not
running and that the Grant School was
lrjur ID ard that the eront door of ST.
Mary's College had cayed in. We did
not believe half of the stories but be-
fore L got down Town l saw worse
things
In the meantime terrible things
| We're happening In San Francisco
Santa Rosa. San Jose and other cities.
In San Francisco the effect was awful:
| many huge buildings collapsed and
hundreds of people We're killed. Fires
broke out IN all parts of the city and
| it was found that the water mains had
| broken and the engines were useless.
| I'VE have just read dispatches in
| the papers saying that Honolulu has
! been swallowed up by tidal wave and
that the quake was even felt in Ma |
Mia. I do not credit the first state
| ment as it would be impossible OF get
| any news if it We're true. But the |
statement regarding Manila seems to |
be official and if they felt the shock |
there. am afraid you had it pretty |
had in Honolulu. I sincerely hope you
were all up in Tantalus and are safe.
sent you a cable on Wednesday, but
there is no telling when it viii get
through Honolulu ladies are worry
ing about their husbands on account of
the news received; we are all worry
ing about you all.
Oakland is simply swarming with
refugees from San Francisco Probably
come in during the past two days.
'Hurrah! We have just found a
dispatch from Honolulu via Manila in
a morning paper. so we know you are
safe. You don't know what a relief
it is.
1.-The people are camping in the hills !
and getting along the best they can.
Some are camped in the churches. I
Most of them have brought nothing
with them but the clothes on their
backs, but a few have a little bed 5
ding. They are relieving the sufferers I
in every possible way. Every church. '
fraternal or charitable organization Is
at work The poor people left behind I
in San Francisco are the ones who Y
suffer from thirst A large part of L
the city is without water and quanti- a
ties of it are being sent over from n
here, but the people can not all be a
reached. The ferries have refused To t.
carry anyone over to the city. but l
aged 10 get through and had a q
chance to see some of the heart-rend- G.
ng sights. q
Poor, exhausted people struggling q
to carry the last Of their a
belongings to place of safety. F'ran n
women carrying babies and leading N
little children just ahead of the fire m
People budding in the streets of the q.
,ortion already burned. sitting in their e;
escued goods among the hot smolder- Il
ng ruins and in the blazing sun. with tC
ut any water 10 drink. It was pitiful, ! W
tut I helpless to do anything for bl
uch a vast crowd. 1t was a case of n
veryone for himself All of the most OF
nergetic men had their hands full al
ghtiug fires or helping their friends VI
scape. \
II was terrified by the sight that met ar
" eyes at the ferry; as far as could nc
&c. in every direction except towards al
Hill, there were heaps of No
ruins. The ferry building su
as considerably damaged by the eli
uake but was not burned. and many an
f the wharf sheds had been knocked yo
at. People Were streaming down SO
Tarket street and all others lending to an
lie ferry where there was a large sh
'owd waiting to board the boats. no
,ok route that sKirted the north pr
I'd of the fire and saw many fine res dis
ences in flames People were ordered air
vacate just ahead of the flames The the
,emen had no water and were fight of
G the fire with dynamite blowing Gel
whole rows of buildings, but it did an
IT seem to do much good There was jus
throng of people. mostly poor peo- rui
e and Chinese. streaming westward. hel
continued on TO Van Ness avenue. for
here they were preparing to make a ing
.sperate stand. and I then came hon
wn Van Ness avenue to Market VIII
rect and entered the burned dis all.
let about six blocks from Market mo
rect the
LAS far as I could see to the south cou
d east We're snoldering ruins. TO sid
E south there were very few walls Sac
anding, but to the west. towards the SON
Try building. there were a number of win
: better buildings still standing. In Rus
Fl. all OF the steel skeleton buildings I
re pretty well preserved, although qua
rnpletely Quilted by fire. I walked 10 got
> end OF Market street TO Valencia or