The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1906-04-20
DRIVEN INSANE BY
F. GREAT DISASTER
Citizens Lose Lives in Effort to
Save Trifing Personal
Belongings.
SOLDIERS DRIVE BACK
THE STRUGGLING M0BS
Thousands of Refugees Have
Not Even a Ten-Cent
Piece Left.

SAN FRANCISCO, April l9.-With each
succeeding hour the devastation and de-
structon In this stricken and, PROSTATE
ruin of a city grows and grows. At 6
o'clock tonight 1t seemed as II nothing
could save the comparatively small por-
tlon of the city that yet remains I'M
burned. The entire business and whole
sale district is now only glowing fur
mace, while the giant tongues Of fire have
reached westward far beyond Van Ness
avenue and are wiping out buildings and
seeking more to dcyour.
Effort to Check Flames.
At o'clock Mayor Schmiz and Chief
the Western addition, with Its forest OF
frame dwellings, and the Richmond dis
trict. with its thousands OF homes was
to check the cruel march of tho wall OF
fire at Van Ness avenue, which crosses
tho city from north to south. where the
retail stores and fine apartment house
district ends. and where the smaller res
licences begin This avenue is ninety feet
widc and the possibilities OF checking the
march OF tho flames here looked hopeful
10 those who were fgurlng ways and
means In the hour of awful horror. Tho
orders were given to concentrate overy
fire engine in the city at this avenue, to
marshal troops OF soldiers there, the po-
lice and all the army OF workers and
ths remainder OF the city.
Cannon and Dynamite.
Tho cooperation of the artillery was
secured, and huge cannon were drawn TO
the avenue by the madly dashing horses
to aid the dynamiters In blowing up tho
mansions of the milllonaires on the west
side OF Van Ness In order to prevent the
flames leaplnS across the highway and
starting on their unrestraIned sweep
across the Western addition.
Every aynlla ble mound of MO 4,
hauled TO the spot and tho sight was one
Of stupendous and appalling havoc as the
cannon were trained on the palaces and
the shot tore into the walls and toppled
the buildings In crashing ruin. At other
points the dynamite was used and house
after house-dwcllines worth millions
the believing blast and dropped to the
earth. mass Of dust and debris.
Dangerous to Workers.
The work was necessarily dangerous
and many OF the exhausted workers kept
going 1nd working through stretch Of
scarcely any food through force of in
stinctive heroism alone. Many OF tho
workers in placing the blasts took chances
that spelled injury or death
The hre line at 6 o'clock extends n
mile along the east side of Van Ness ave
nue.. from Pacific street TO Ellis. All
behind this excepting the Russian Hill
region, and small district along the
north beach has been swept clean BY the
flames. and great steel hulks OF buildings
and pipes and shafts and spires have
been dropped into the molten mass OF
debris like 30 much melted wax
Like Roar Of Battle.
The steady booming OF the artillery and
tho roar OF the dynamite above the howl
and cracking OF the flames continues
with monotonous and dazing regularity
Such noises have been bombardna the
ears OF the panicstricken popuIace since
the earthquake OF forty-eight hours ago
They have ceased TO heed the sound and
rush pell NELL drowning their senses in
q bedlam OF their own creation There
seemed 10 be an Irresistible power behind
tho flames that even the desperately
heroic measures being taken at Van Ness
avenue could not stay.
While the heroic fire-fghters were max
ing their last stand at the fire line on
Van Ness avenue. panic reigned among
the survivors In other parts of the city