Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1906-05-11
Newspaper oman's Thrill
ing Experiences In San
FranCiscO's Fearful
Disaster.
Helen Dare Describes FrightfuI and
Pathetic Scenes Which Followed the
Earthquake Vivid Pen Por-
trait of Panic In the
Quaking inferno.

Helen Dare, who escaped on April 10
from the earthquake stricken city of
San Francisco to Oakland and thence
to Stockton. telegraphed to the Los
Angeles Examiner the following thrill
ing account of her own personal ex-
perience In the Golden Gate cltys fear
full disaster:
Like thousands of others I was
awakened out of peaceful sleep into q
paralysis of fear 10y the violent and
continued rocking of bed, of floor, of
walls, of furniture, by the sounds of
crashing chimneys, falling ornaments
and pictures. breaking glass and the
startled screams OF women and chill
dren.
As If with a sudden impact / felt
my bed struck from the north and then
heave violently. l jumped out, putting
my hands out to steady myself. but the
opposite walls seemed to move away
from me.
Floor Rocked Like Boat In Gale.
The floor rocked like boat ON a
choppy sea, the violence of the motion
Increased and seemed ever and again
to take fresh start. 1t seemed as IL IL
would never end. and yet II lasted but
two minutes. My young son came
running from his room, and, clasped
In each others arms, we stood in the
doorway OF my room waiting. waiting.
With relaxing CULVER like the pass
ing OF sigh. the heaving earth and bill
lowing floor sunk into repose.
We dressed. and through the disar-
ranged furniture. over the broken
glass and fragments of ornaments we
made our way ont The streets were
full of persons In every stage of I'M
dress and excitement, one young moth
er In her night dress clasping her eight
months-Old baby In her arms and try
ing TO warm it 10y wrapping her thin
lawn garment around It,
A few blocks from Mayor Schmitz's
home and block from Mrs. Eleanor
Martins, the house where / have been
stopping. is the western addition.
where. owing TO the hills OF rock for
nation, the damage was least.
The swarming persons climbed the
hills. their first fear being that tidal
wave would follow. and all eyes were
on the bay. shining In the morning
light. but not even the sea wall of the
land that the Fair estate Is retaining
from the ocean was hidden by water.
The great gas tank near the waters
edge was In flames. and many believed
the disturbance had come from the ex-
plosion of that.
set out at once to see what damage
had been done, finding 1t more appall-
ing with every block / walked. My
way led along Pacific and Van Ness
avenues. through the district of splen-
did homes OF wealth and fashion, and
not one of the long lines of imposing
houses but had suffered severely.
The home OF John ID. Spreckels at
Pacific avenue and La Guiana street is
one Of the finest and proudest in the
city, and on 1t the parapet had cracked
and crumbled and fallen like so much
spun sugar out OF a wedding cake.
Blocks OF cement had fallen from the
entrance ceiling, and at one Of the up
per windows wan, white face peered
from the rich lace curtains at Rudolph
Spreckels' handsome house at Cough
and Pacific avenue. The lawn was
riven from end to end In great gashes,
the ornamental Italian rail leading to
the imposing entrance was a battered
heap.
Rudolph Spreckels, his wife, his little
son. his mother-in-law and sisters-in-
law and maid servants had set up their
household on the sidewalks The wom-
en- were wrapped In rugs and coverlets
and huddled In easy chairs hastily roll
ed out.
They We're having their morning tea
on the sidewalk and the silver service
was spread on the stone coping. At
house after house of the wealthy and
fashionable this scene was repeated.
Turning into Van Ness avenue, there
on the left was ST. Bridget's stone
church at Broadway and Van Ness,
with its tall towers fallen and the stone
walls hanging loosely from the top.
There on my, right, couple of blocks
away. was ST. Lukes church, a total
wreck, its tower Of stone just heap
OF waste. The churches have suffered
greatly. st. Patricks and st. Domi-
hicks are wrecked, and the old Mis-
sion Dolores of the Franciscan Fathers
has the ancient tiles OF its roof crush
ed in. though tie adobe walls still
stand, but the steeple OF the new
church beside Il In topping over crush
ed In its roof
Fashionables Flee In Bare Feet.
All along the two avenues Of fashion
not brick chimney was left standing.
In every block there are tons and tons
Of wreekags. Claus Spreckels' home
on Van Ness avenue had its cornices
and parapet crumbled like a pie crust.
Walter Hobarts house, that was built
for Amy Croker when she became
Mrs. Porter Ashe. has al ono si6s
wrecked
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