Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-04-21
Human Rats ReoIn Work.

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And then the vandals formed and
went to work. Routed out from the
dens along the wharves, the rats Of
the San Francisco. water front, the
drifters who have reached the back
eddy of European civilization, crawled
out and began to plumber.
Early in the day a policeman caught
one Of these men creeping through the
window OF small bank on Montgom-
cry street and shot him dead. But
the police were keeping fire lines,
beating back oyerzealous rescuers
from the fallen houses and the burn
plundered at will.
Troops Ordered to XIII Thieves.
News Of this development was car.
ried ehrly to Mayor Schmitz, and It
was this as nuch as anything which
determined him when General Fun
ston came over on the double quick
with the whole garrison of the Pre-
sidio to put the city under martial
law.
Orders were issued to the troops to
shoot anyone caught in the act Of loot
ing, and the same orders we're iesued
to the First regiment, national guard,
of California when they were mustered
and called out later in the day.
And all this time, and clear up until
noon, the earth was shaking with lit
tie tremors, many of which brought
down walls and chimneys. At each
of these tremors rescuers, and even
the flremen, would stop for a moment
paralyzed The o'clock shock, the
heaviest after the big one. drove even
those who had determined to stay by
the stricken city to look for q means
of escape by water.
Wild Rush for Ferries.
There are only two ways out Of San
Francisco, one Is by rail to the south
and down the Santa Clara valley; the
other is by water to Oakland. the over
land terminal. Most of the Californi.
ans trying to get out OF the quaking,
dangerous city, made by instinct for
the ferry. since they knew that the
shocks always travel heavily to the
south, down the Santa Clara valley.
AS for the fasteners, they had
come by ferry and they started to get
out by ferry. But when the half
| dressed people, carrying the ridicu-
| lous bundles snatched up in time of
panic, reached Montgomery street.
they found their way blocked by ten
blocks Of fire.
They piled up on the edge Of this
district fighting with the police, who
held them back and turned them back
again toward the hills. They must
stay in the city. If it went, they went
with II.
The troops ended their last hope of
getting out Of town. So great had
been the disorder that, as afternoon
crme on and the earth seemed to be
quieting dowff, they enforced strict
| laws against movement.
Troops Stop Run on Banks.
This stopped strange feature OF
the disaster run on the banks by
people who wanted to get out their
money and 60. All the morning lines
of disheveled men had been standing
in line before the banks on Montgom
cry and Sansome street, ignoring the
smoke and flying brands and beating
at the doors. The troops drove these
away; and the banks went on with
their work OF getting out the yaluables
There is an open park opposite the
city hall. Here. in default Of build
ing, the board Of supervisors met and
formed, together with fifty substantial
citizens whom they had gathered to
gether, committee of safety.
1 The police and the troops, working
admirably together, passed the WORD
that the dead and injured should be
brought to Mechanics pavilion, since
| the hospitals and morgue had become
choked; and toward that point, in the
early forenoon, the drays, express wa
CONS, and hacks impressed as temper
airy ambulances. took their course.
/ There were perhaps 400 injured peo
iple, many of them terribly mangled
laid out on the floor before noon. Near
lily every physician in the city volun
teered, and they got together enough
trained nurses to do the work.
No Time to Care For Dead.
There were fewer corpses; too bus,
were the forces Of order in stopping
the conflagration and caring for the
living to care for the dead
| One of the first wagons to arrive
however, brought a whole family
father, mother, and three children
all dead except the baby, who had 6
terrible cut across It's forehead and 6
broken arm. These had been dragged
out from the ruins Of their home or
the water front.
A large consignment Of bodies, most
ly of workingmen, came from small
hotel on Eddy street, through whose
roof there fell the entire upper struc
ture of tall building next door. II
made kindling wood Of the two upper
floors of the lodging house, which 1t
self stood. Men from neighborinf
houses, running along the streets
heard the cries and groans from this
house and ran in. They reached the
second floor, and through hole in the
ceiling there tumbled man horribly
nangled about the head. who LAY
where he had fallen and died at theil
feet.
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