The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-04-21

was there in 1868 when a boy 10 years
of age when the first great earth
quake came, but that was the rocking
Of a cradle compared to the last one
I woke SO the grooming of timbers,
grinding, creaking sound, then came
the roaring street PIastering and wall
decorations fell The sensation was
as though the buildings were stretch
ing and wrfthing like a snake The
darkness was intense Shrieks of Wo-
men, higher than the crealxing tins
bers, cut the air. ! tumbled from the
bed and rawled, scram bling toward
the door. The twisting and writing
appeared to increase. The air was
oppressive. seemed to be saying to
myself. will it never, never stop
Wrenched the lock, the door of the
room swung back against my shout
der. Just then the building seemed
to breathe, stagger and right itself.
But I fed from that building as
from falling wall / could not be-
heve that it could endure such a shock
and still stand.
Scared People in Pajanas.
THE next remember was stand
ing the street laughing at the unholy
/ appearance of half hundred men
clad in pajamas and less.
The women we're in night robes:
| they made a better appearance than
the men, The street was a rainbow of
colors In the early morning light
| There was every stripe and hue of
raiment never intended to be seen
| outside the boudoir-
L looked at a man at my side; he
! was laughing at me- Then for the
first time I became aware that I was
in paiamas myself. I turned and fed
back to my room.
There I dressed, packed my grip
and FASTENED back to the street. All
the big buildings on Market street to-
ward the ferry were standing but I
fronts of the small buildings had fallen
out into the streets and at some places
the debris had broken through the
sidewalk into the cellars.
noticed two women near me
Iney were apparently without escort
one said to the other, What wouldn't
) again.
That awakened a kindred feeling
ana proffered my assistance. I put nv
overcoat on the stone steps of a build
, ing and told them to sit there
In less than two minutes those steps
appeared to pitch forward, to be flying
at me; The groaning and writing
started afresh.
1 But 1 was just stunned. I stood
I there in the street with debris falling
2 about me- 1t seemed the natural thing
/ for the tops of the building to careen
over and for fronts to fall out I do
, not even recall that the women
< 1.-The street gave a convulsive shud-
= der and the buildings somehow righted
[ themselves again I thought they had
= crashed together above my head.
g The two women rose and started tc
: walk followed IN a kind of aimless
s sort of way The streets were filed with
o moving persons again. But the rainbow
raiment had disappeared: all were cIac
in street clothes Everyone was walk.
f ing; but there was no confusion w
d did not even seem in a hurry Dowr
e Market street the flames were CROWNS
: brighter
Y I'VE walked with our luggage to tn,
5. St. Francis Fires were burning dowY
# toward the ferry but the fire department
?. had turned it. We had faith in the fir
: department
n -Soon [ became aware that squads O
r soldiers were patrolEng the streets.
e appeared perfectly natural. do 20
II think I wondered why they were tn ere
Men and women were all about US
i We looked at each other and talked
even tried lamely to joke. But every
e few minutes a convulsiye culver SVEN
= through the city. The Others seemed
: to be shivering.
/ ''I noticed that the eyes of the mel
and women were rolling restlessly
seemed to CRATE on my nerves. Thel
I fell to wondering whether I wa
talking shrilly too.
Isn't Overcharged for Supplies.
Il went to a grocery without from
and bought few supplies, things tina
would make a cold lunch. The gro
Ger did not even overeharge me. H
was particular to give me the RICH
change.
1.-The soldiers came and told US &
move on. 1t seemed the natural thin
to do. BY this time the fire was crop
ping out very close We would hav
walked to the ferry. We tried it on
score Of streets but that wall of fir
was always there. It seemed to cree
across in front Of US
and in front of the fire Away
walked the soldiers. A number o
times I hired express wagons W
would ride for a few blocks and ge
out on the sidewalk. In not a singh
instance were we charged more thai
a reasonable price for the ride.
"Once we loitered until the soldier
came up. A rough fellow who Ia
been standing by my side tried to dar
through the line He looked like
beach comber A young lieutenan
caught him by the coat Here h
called to his men. shoot this man
hurried on without looking back. don
remember that I heard shot fret
But at the time it seemed so trivial
matter that 1 did not pay much al