The Tupelo journal. (Tupelo, Miss.) 1876-1924, 1906-04-20

dreds of lives were lost and thou
sands of persons injured in al
earthquake which struck this city
at $40 o'clock this morning.
Following the shock, fire broke
out in different sections of the
city. The property loss will
amount to millions of dollars.
/ CALL BUILDING DESTROYED.
At 11::30 a. M, the Call build.
ing was entirely destroyed and
the flames were working west
ward from that point. Many
frame buildings are in it's path
and it has full sway.
Up to II o'clock about 400 dead
had been brought up to Mechan-
les Pavilion and others were
coming in all the time. The sol
diers are maintaining order as
far as possible, but the popula-
ton has no thought of anything
except escape from the city.
Shocks continue at intervals. At
9:20 and at 10 o'clock there were
heavy shocks that did further
damage and brought increased
panic. The Nevada Bank block
and the Western Union buildings
at Pine and Montgomery are ut
terly demolished. A lodging
house atSecond and Stevenson
buried many victims, six having
been taken out. 1t is said that
the buildings were destroyed at
Salinas, about a hundred miles
south of San Francisco. Nothing
has been heard from San Jose
or Santa Cruz and other cities
south of San Francisco on the
coast.
When the first shock occurred
at 5:15 a. m. most of the popula-
ton were in bed, and many lodg-
ing houses collapsed with every
occupant. First came a slight
shock, followed almost immedi-
ately by a second, and then the
great shock that sent buildings
swaying, tumbling. Fire broke
out Immediately.
Every able-bodied man who
could be pressed into service was
put to work rescuing the victims.
Panic seized most of the people
and they rushed frantically about
Toward the ferry building there
was a rush of those fleeing to
cross the bay. Few carried any
effects, and some were hardly
dressed.
Fires lighted up the sky in ev-
cry direction in the breaking
dawn. In the business districts
devastation met the eye on ev-
cry hand. 1t is reported that
two ships at anchor in the bay
were sunk.
The area bounded by Wash
ington, Mission and Montgomery
streets, and extending to the bay
front, is devastated. This rep
resents the heart of the hand
some business section. Owing
to the confusion now existing
throughout the city it is impos-
sible to estimate accurately the
aamage done.
At8:45 the city was shaken by
another shock, which created an,
other brief panic, but did Ii tie
additional damage.
The water mains burst when
the first shock was felt and there
was no way of fighting the
flames. Instead, number of
buildings have been blown up
by dynamite to check their
spread. The entire city was
shaken, but the business district
suffered most, and owing to the
early hour there were few peo-
pie in the buildings in this Sec
ton. The residence district of
the city escaped with compara-
lively little damage.
At 1915, coast time the fire
extends from Ferry and Front
streets on one side and pretty
much all south of Market streets
and out to about Seventh street,
with sporadic fires in the park
section and the Western division.
There is no way of estimating
the number of dead. 1t may be
hundreds, it may be thousands.
There is hardly any water and it
lis impossible to say when the fire
will stop. People are moving out
of the Palace Hotel.
The Postal Telegraph opera
tors who are at their posts are
taking their lives into their hands
as the building is collapsing and
the fire within half a block. The
Call and Examiner buildings are
liable to fall at any time.
At IL o'clock in the morning,
San Francisco time. 2 O'Clock
New York time, the employees OF
the Postal Telegraph Co. had to
leave their Office on account Of
the fire. The militia is in charge
of the city.
San Francisco, April Is. For
hours flames which broke out I'M
mediately after the earthquake