The French Broad hustler. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1896-1912, 1906-04-26

Notwithstanding Burial of Dead.
Oakland, Cal. The San Francisco
fire has become a colossal calamity.
The metropolis of the Pacific Coast is
gone. 1t is a heap of ashes. There
remains little of the city except outly-
ing suburbs, a few blocks on the water
front and a narrow district Of middle
class residences lying along Golden Gate
Park. No American city was ever so
nearly destroyed as this, and, outside
of the earthquake. the fire is the great
est'i i'll American history. Beside it the
Chicago, Boston and Baltimore fires
are almost unimportant.
The city had a population of more
than 100000 people. Not more than
one-fourth can have escaped to Oak
land or the peninsula, and at least
100000 people are homeless in the
parks or the Preside military rGserva-
ton.
Hunger. thirst and the terror of pes
thence have been added to the fire hOr-
ror. The municipal authorities, aided
by Federal troops, are doing every
thing in their power to relieve distress,
but were at first unable to provide
even sufficient food. Water was al
most unobtainable in the stricken city
and scores of thousands suffered for
it.
There are all told about $4,000 ref
ugees in Oakland, all that can be safely
accommodated. There are more than
100000 camping out in San Francisco,
moving from square to square, and
subSisting on whatever food can be
obtained through the kind services of
b Army and Navy, the Department
Of Health and the police.
The men who estimate the losses put
the money damage at $3OO,U00,OOO. No
more ridiculous estimate eve has been
made. They take offhand the assessed
valuation of San Francisco, divide it
= by three-fourths and then give the cold
figures. The loss will go beyond S1,-
OG0,OO0,O00,. utterly ruin more than 49,
900 families and destroy the honest
earnings OF years of hard work.
The Statisticians who figure out the
loss of $4,000 900 so nimbly do not
take into consideration that the thou
sands Of modest storekeepers have
lost everything on earth, including
their stock and their trade. They fail
to count in that more than 10000
h~ouseholderS are homeless, having lost
everything from furniture to clothing,
and lost their employment also. Then
h great poor district west of the
Sandhills, given almost over to COM
plete destruction, has not been taken
properly into consideration. Every lit
tie store there is gone. Every board
ing house is in luins. Only smoke and
ashes show the sites of what were
busy factories. Several thousand work
1ngmen had their own cosy homes.
They have lost everything that they
possessed. What is true of thi. Sec
ton is also true OF the great business
district and of Mop Hill, where MILL
1onalTes have the finest homes on the
Pacific Slope. When these personal
losses are taken into account the total
sum is appalling. and the suffering
which must follow is cure to appeal
within a very short lime tC the. Great
heart o. the United States.
Probably 100000 refugees are strug-
Cling to get out of the city. The streets
are swarming with people, some crying
and weeping and calling for missing
loved ones. Crowding all sidewalks
are hundreds upon hundreds of house
holders attempting to drag some of
their effects to places of safety. In
some instances men with ropes are
dragging trunks tandem style. others
having sewing machines strapped to
the trunks. Again, women are rush
ing for the hills carrying on their arms
only the family cat or a bird cage.
The flames spread everywhere on
the second day of the fire. borne by
an ever changing wind. The section
of the city west of Van Ness avenue,
which contains the homes of the
wealthy, was fired at 6 o'clock D. m.
The district was soon surrounded by
flames. Mayor Schmitz and Chief of
Police Oman decided that the only