The San Francisco call., 1906-05-19
HEROES OF P[KING
LOSE HEAVILY BY
THE EARTHQUAKE
A. =. chsnnot and His Wife Are
Rendered Homeless by the
Big Shake.
Their Four Story Mansion at Inver-
ness Is Thrown Thirty Feet
From Foundation.
Woman Through Whose Bravery Peo
pie In Legations Were Fed 10
Badly Hurt.

Badly Hurt.
A p. cnanot and his wife, whose
bravery during the siege of Peking
won for them wdde-world fame, were
heavy losers by the recent earthquake
and fire. The earthquake caused
heavy landslide al Inverness and Cha
mot's beautiful home was thrown
thirty feet from its foundations and
dumped on its new location with such
force that II collapsed. causing serious
injury TO some OF the inmates and
total destruction to most Of the house,
hold goods
The FIRE in this city swept away fats
and other buildings In which the Cha
mot fortune was invested and the Cha-
notA, on April IL. well housed and
canvas at Inverness trying 10 realize
what str1ck them.
The Channels were running the
Hotel Picking at the time of the Boxer
uprising When the members OF the
various legations took refuge IN the
British legation. which waS situated
behind the Hotel Peking. Chanot
turned his hostelry into a fort and
its riddled condition when the siege
was lifted testified to the amount Of
lead Il had stopped
serious problem the Chamots under
took 70 supply the besieged foreigners
with daily bread
Mrs. Chamot who was Miss Eliza
beth Mccarthy Of this city. compelled
the mutinous Chinese TO cook. stand
ing over them with a loaded rife.
To rot the food to the British lega-
ttoa the Chamots were obliged to ex-
pose themselves every day to the hre
Of the enemy. Chamot drove the food
laden wagon and Mrs. Chamot. sitting
in the rear, kept the Boxers from get
ting much o. an aim by shooting at
every yellow head that showed. Day
by day. under a hail OF lead. the Cha
mots maintained the food supply and
when n was all over nearly every
Government represented az Peking be-
slowed some substantial mark of graf
itude on the plucky San Francisco girl
and her long-legged husband.
The Chamots came home, built a
handsome four-story home at Inver-
ness and were enjoying life to the ut
most when the earthquake came and
spoiled everything and the fire wiped
out what the earthquake had over
looked
The Chamot house was the largest
at Inverness and was the most COM
plete wreck The Chamots were sleep
ing on the third story In the base
ment was a japanese house boy and
on the first floor the French cook.
The earthquake arrived at Inverness
with bang and a crash. When the
pitching and ripping had ceased Cha
mot was surprised TO see the kitchen
range sticking through the floor OF his
bedroom. he looked out of the window
and, thirty feet away, saw the Jap
sitting up in his basement cot staring
about in dazed astonishment. Stand
ing between the house and where II
had stood was the French chef hold
ing his face, which was streaming with
blood. He had jumped from bed and
rushed out doors in time to stop a
piece OF flying wreckage with his face.
He had jumped just in time. for a
later inspection showed that a heavy
beam had crushed his bed.
On the living room table, on the first
floor, there had been left the night be-
fore a card case containing several
packs OF playing cards and four stacks
OF poker chips. After the earthquake
cards and chips were found IN several
rooms on the third story.
Mrs. Chamot was badly crushed and
her mother, Mrs. Mccarthy. sustained
some painful injuries, including sew
eral broken ribs.
Inc piano was nat as q PANCAKE.
In one OF the rooms on the first floor
six parrots had been domiciled, Ave
Of them IN cages. The cages were all
hattened, but not one OF the birds was
hurt
One Of the parrots was a survivor
OF the Siege OF Peking. Before the
Boxer trouble Polly had been quite q
talkcr. One day q piece OF shrapnel
struck Polly's perch, tore a few plumes
from Polys tail and sent the bird
crashing against G baznDoo screen
When Mrs. Chamot ran TO Pollys
assistance she found the bird lying on
tn back yelling, 7 hope you DO.
hope you do
Polly never spoke from that day until
sfter the earths. uake. when Chamot
wAs guided In his search through the
wrcclage by shriu cries Of:
i hope you do"
Cnalnot valued his home at $22, 600.
Tia articles destroyed include many
rare Chinese curios which money can
not replace
The landslide was responsible for
Other damAge at Inverness, only two
buildings escaping. Among the sum-
mer homes destroyed or badly wrecked
were those Of Mrs. Webb Howard.
Judge Van Fleet and Mrs. Bories The
trunks Of a number Of large trees
snapped OF ten feet from the ground
and surveyors will have q busy time
az Inverness read5usting properly
lines.