The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-04-19
I'FRISCOAN VISITING MONTGOMERY
 TELLS OF HORRORS OF EARTHQUAKE
GREAT LOCAL INTEREST IN
 SAN FRANCISCO DISASTER

portion of the attention. Many per sons in Montgomery have friends and relatives in the destroyed city, and when the story of shock and fire be- came noised about these hurled to the nearest telegraph station and sent messages of anxious inquiry to loved ones. The uncertainty of communica- tion added to their anxiety, and the reports of last evening are to the eff feet that thousands of the telegrams sent to San Francisco from different sections of the country may not be de- Iivered for days. The complete de- struction of telegraph communication has rendered delivery for the present an impossibility.
 At The Advertiser office last night scores called up over the telephone asking for the most recent reports from the doomed ciey Some of the inauir- CTS asked that the lists of the dead and injured be watched for the names of persons they knew. Others were ac- tuated purely by sympathetic motives. It was not until a very late hour that these calls ceased to come in. To ev- cry inquiry the utmost information at hand was gladly given.
 Prominent among those who visited the telegraph and newspaper offices yesterday was Emanuel Meertief. whose brother Abraham Is located Tn San Francisco. The latter is vice president of the Hartz Grocery Com pany, whose store Is located in the dis trict devasted by the earthquake and by fire. The firm Is one of the largest wholesale concerns of the city, having an annual business in the neighborhood of $12,O0O,000. It's warehouse was To- oated on Front Street, while the hand some store was situated on Water Street. Its interior had recently been remodeled, at cost of more than $1o0,- 900.
 Both of these buildings, if the reports are accurate, must have been totally destroyed. Mir. Meertief made frequent efforts during the day, both by means of telegraph and telephone, to get in communication with his brother, but up until a late hour last night, had not succeeded in receiving any word from him.
 M. F. Hulet is another Montgomerian who has relatives in San Francisco. Two sisters and a brother-in-law are living in the city. They are MT. and Mrs. F. B. Walker and Mrs. M w. Lyons Teiegrams sent to their for mer address brought no response. It is not thought possible that they could have been delivered to those to whom they were addressed. Efforts were made by Mrs. R. 0. Blakey, who lives in Bellinger Heights to get news of her aunt, Miss Leila Craig. who lived in the destroyed city, and of her uncle, William Craig. Miss Craig is we'll known in Montgomery, having visited here during the last December shortly before Christmas.
 John W. Jones was another who sought eagerly for news of a relative. MT. Jones has brother residing in San Francisco. In his case as In the others, efforts to secure definite in- formation, were fruitless.
 Among the people living in San Fran cisco and vicinity before the earth quake were several former Montgom- erians. A granddaughter of Col. AL bert Pickett, Alabamas historian, Mrs. Gayley, wife of a professor in the Uni- versity of California. living at Berkley, is one of these. Mrs. Gayley was Miss Sallie Harris, daughter of Col. Samual Harris, who, after the Civil War, was Bishop of Michigan. Mrs. Gayley Is a niece of Mrs. Eliza Banks. She visited her relatives in Montgomery a few months ago, and is well-known here. !, Mrs. Luderman. a sister of Mrs. Banks, Is also residing in Berkley. According to reports received last night. Berkeley has been almost completely destroyed.
 MT. and Mrs. William Sherrod, the latter a daughter of Col. Robert Mckee, with many friends in Montgomery, live at Alameda. across the bay from San Francisco.
 John Metcalf, a well-known young Montgomerian. is also located in San Francisco, having gone there to accept a position only few weeks ago. No word had been received from him late last evening.
 At several of the down town hotels and restaurants last evening. consider able talk was heard of offering assist ance to the inhabitants of the stricken city. No action of official nature has been taken as yet, however. and prob ably will not be until after telegraphic communications shall have been re- established. and the full extent of the disaster made known.