Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1906-04-26
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5 STORY OF THE DISASTER
! TOLD IN PARAGRAPHS
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CdldulIly InaC mas DeIallen the Golden
Gate City until the full import of the
subjoined summary has been impressed
upon the mind and brain by reading
and re-reading the awful record.
Thousands of residents fed from the
city.
An embargo was placed on all food
supplies.
The 100000 new postofice building
is a wreck.
Three hundred thousand persons were
made homeless.
No newspapers were published Thurs
day or Friday.
Cavalry and infantry patrolled the
downtown streets.
Many dropped dead in the streets from
heat and suffocation.
The fame-swept area is nearly fifteen
square miles in extent.
The Moreland Academy at jacksonville
was wrecked and burned.
Firemen were suffocated in the street
by gas from broken mains.
The tunnel on the Santa Fe road, sew
eral miles out of town, caved in.
Scores of mansions are in ruins. blast
ed by dynamite and leveled by fire
Fearing tidal wave. steamship COM
panies held in port vessels due to sail.
Most of the docks and warehouses on
the water front were saved by fire tugs.
The Leland Stanford, Jr.. University
at Palo Alto was almost completely de-
stroyed.
The Spreckels sugar factory. three miles
from Salinas, was destroyed with loss of
S1.500.000.
The governments estimate of the loss
sustained in United States army and navy
stores is S3.500,000.
San Francisco's financiers and mer-
chants. gathered at Oakland to plan re-
building of the city.
Details of troops guarded the water
front to prevent the frantic people from
destroying themselves.
Thousands of dollars in money and
gems were secretly buried in the earth
by the frenzied populace.
The gas works was blown up with dy-
Mantle to prevent leaks in the downtown
district which caused fires.
The smoke that arose from the business
district took the shape of a funnel and
could be seen far out at sea.
Scores of injured in the Mechanics Pa
vilion, which was used as an extempore
hospital, were burned to death.
In the collapse of the Kingsley hotel,
q cham hnStnlrI- on, !,
ty persons were crushed to death.
Lives by the score and property by the
tens of millions of dollars have been lost
through a dozen California cities.
The sheds over the Union Pacific's
wharf on San Francisco bay collapsed,
sending hundreds of tons of coal into the
sea.
Living victims of the disaster were dug
out of the ruins of buildings collapsed by
the earthquake, but which escaped the
fire.
Crowds of frantic citizens strove to
beat their way into the banks. The troops
beat them off. No bank in the city was
open.
Nothing worthy of the name of build
ing in the business district and not more
than half of the residence district es-
capped.
The old adobe mission Dolores, built
more than 100 years ago, and the nucleus
of the old town of Yerba Buena, was de-
stroyed.
The greatest death rate was in the
poorer districts The ruins of one cheap
hotel on Eddy street was found filled
with bodies.
The fire that overwhelmed the city spar
ed only some of the homes of the rich.
The poor lost everything save what they
carried away.
The reports indicate that the property
loss outside of San Francisco will be
enormous. running intO the scores of mill
ions of dollars.
Skeleton walls that totter with each
breath of air threaten to crush the sol
diers guarding the ruins of banks and
other property.
The pastor of st. Francis church, on
the slope of Telegraph Hill, gathered his
flock about him on the sidewalk and held
a prayer meeting.
Chinatown is ruin. Hundreds of ce-
lestials were crushed to death when their
.ookeries fell. The flames finished the
cork of destruction.
While the center Of the earthquake de-
struction seems to have been in San
Francisco. reports from other cities show
appalling loss of life.
For days there was no street car ser
vice in San Francisco, and every vehicle
the dead and the dying.
Dynamite, gun cotton and cannon were
used to blow up buildings. whole blocks
being destroyed at a time in efforts to
stop the spread of the fire.
The Cliff House. one of the finest pleas
ure resorts in the country. was shaken
from its place on rocky cape and pung-
ed out of sight into the sea.
The property loss at Salinas will reach
$2.500.0O0: San Jose, S1,000,0O0; Napa,
100000; Palo Alto. 81. 225. 900; Vallejo,
$4,000; Agnews, 100000.
The famous c. i. Huntington art col
lection. bequeathed to Metropolitan Mu-
scum of Art of New York. has been de-
stroyed in the Huntington mansion on
Mob Hill.
The State Insurance Commissioner an
nounced that eighty fire insurance COM
panies have decided to pay dollar for dol
lar of their policies not Distinguishing
fire from earthquake losses.
The Metropolitan Grand Opera com
pany, playing al the Grand theater. which
was burned. lost all its scenery. The
members of the cast, including Caruso,
Eames and Fremstad. lost their costumes.
The work of the regular soldiers in
suppressing disorder. preventing footing,
etc. is reported worthy of the greatest
praise. Everywhere they showed the
highest degree of courage.
Several innocent men were shot for
yandals by soldiers. One man was killed
for washing his hands in precious drink
ing water. a bank clerk, searching in
the ruins of his bank. met the same fate.
The fire. which was believed under con-
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