The San Francisco call., 1906-05-20

ernor Pardee being unable to communi-
cate with General Lauck over the tele-
tue OF his position as commander in chief
OF the State troops, ordered out the Ma
tional Guard companies having their
Lauck arrived in San Francisco on the
first train that could bring him and the
need of additional troops being apparent
Sacramento and vicinity were ordered to
the bay. Later the need became ap-
parent first the Sixth Regiment from the
san Joaquin Valley and still later the
Seventh from Southern California and the
Naval Militia were ordered to the scene
Of disaster: These citizen soldiers rem
dered excellent service, not only in main
tanning order. but also in lighting fire. and
later in assisting In the distribution Of
food supplies and in caring for the sick
Altogether the first seventy-two hours
following the earthquake were very busy
ones for every one who sought in the
least to render assistance to his less for
tunate fellows. Particularly were they
busy times for the Governor who, at the
time Of the quake, was in Sacramento,
his official home. He established com
munication with Oakland by means %
the telephone and caused message to ; Q
sent to San Francisco that he would reaca
the bay on the first train possible. Is"
started for San Francisco, but learnIG
on his arrival at Oakland Of the fact that
San Francisco was cut out from tele
graphic communication he established :, $
least four days after .Npri! Is cOrl1nuni,--
ton between Oakland and San Francis
was maintained only by messenger. AZ
from satisfactory.
Th wires from Oakland eastward .vc~.,
N fairly good working order. howeveg.
and the arrangements for feeding {
army Of homeless We're made from IN
point. The messa ges flashed over Z,
wires. The supply trains followed
rapid succession Little attention w.
10 q CONS n
car, II that car contained footlstuffs.
the purpose Of all was to feed the mu
meal missing. because OF the dispat, !
with which the relief campaign was O.
ganized and the speedy and hearty re
aid received.
What was done for San Francisco wes.
In a limited way. done for other places
that suffered The work did not end wit
few hours or DAYS, and ii was no sns
task to see that there was no surfeit os
supplies or, whst would have been wors@,
shortage. Within a fortnight after the
quake and fire notification of the shin
ment Of over three million dollars worth
Of food supplies had passed over the desk
Of the Governor in his office in the Oak
land City Hail. and In addition to tbs
nearly a million dollars in coin or au-
thorfzation to draw for money had also
passed through his hands. And so busy
was the Governor that all the sleep he
got for four nights were the few hours
passed long after midnight with blanket
on lounge in Mayor Motifs office.
In attempting to briefly set forth what
was done in the Governors Oakland office
during the days following the quake the
account would be incomplete were il not
stated that the stories of plague and sick
ness that went broadcast that great num-
ber OF cases Of smallpox. typhus fever
and other dread diseases were raging
among the refugees was killed from that
office. ThE Governor had. early in the
relief campaign, communicated with many
towns in effort to find how many
refugees could he in
IL became necessary to ship them out OF
San Francisco. Replies came in rapidly.
but the rumor of sickness spread and in
quiries began pouring in as to the truth
of conditions. For days the Governor
added to every one of the thousands OF
kilograms that went out from his Office
Francisco or adjoining cities"
This had the desired effect and the ru-
NOR died before 1t had done any serious
harm. for at no time was there anything
to justify IT.