The San Francisco call., 1906-06-10
EXAGGERATED REPORTS.

During and Immediately following the fire re
ports were sent East grossly eXaggerating condl-
tions existing in this city, and throughout the whole
State for that matter Not only had San Fran
cisco been earthquake wrecked and fire-swept, but
2 tidal wave had swept the coast completing the
work Of the shock and the flames. Just why the
tidal wave failed to extingush the flames did not
appear in the reports but to have accounted for it
would no doubt have been too great a strain the
overwrought imaginations of the originators of
the stories Of impossible disaster Since the fire,
picture ingeniOusly got up to magnify the bad
enough situation and to deliberately misead have
been sent on the heels Of the stories Buildings that
withstood the fire and which not at all dam
aged by the earthquake are represented in ruins.
One picture for example represents the Call build
ing forced from It's foundation and leaning far out
over Market street at an impossible angle, which
Of itself is sufficient to brand the picture false.
But the most lurid stories have been Of the con
dition Of the people of San Francisco. They have
been represented by some as raging through the
streets like maniacS; others have presented them
stunned by the disaster, patiently watching in
groups the on-rushing flames for the kindly de
struction that would end their misery. The aver
age man in the East probably pictures to himself
the present population of San Francisco seated
amid ruins, patiently waiting the inevitable death
which alone relieve them
As matter of fact, life in San Francisco outside
Of the burned district which is largely the business
section of the city, goes almost usual The
street ears are running, 90 and come from their
work women 90 about their household duties chill
dren play their games In their yards and on the
sidewalks precisely though San Francisco had not
within two months marked up for her record the
greatest fire of modern times There is no suffer-
ing from hunger and has not been since the day
after the fire, and it is probable that there was
much even during the confusion attending the con
hagratOn.
The people of the country Of the whole world
for that matter, quick to relieve the distress
which could have grown out of the immediate con
ditiOns attending the fire thousands whose all went
to swell the total Of millions lost in the flames must
still be assisted and viii be- even these are rapid
ly finding employment are being absorbed into the
industrial life Of the city and surrounding country
Even those who IN proportion TO their wealth suf-
fered most, who were left absolutely destitute are
housed IN comfortable tents have ample to eat and
are keen to grasp every opportunity to lift them
selves out of their dependent positions. Such op-
pOrtunities are every day increasing in number
Even during the awful hours of the fire the people
of San Francisco did not lose courage or hope and
all reason for losing either was gone when the
flames went out
Il greatly surprised some Eastern friends said
a San Francisco business man the other day ..when
/ told them that every night during April retired
In my the same as usual; that even dur
ing the days Of the fire my family did not depart
from its customary daily routine.
thousands Of San Franciscans could tell the same
story