The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1906-04-20
Streets Were Filled With Panic
Stricken Citizens, Unclothed
and Frenzied.
FOUGHT LIKE BEASTS
FOR PLACES OF SAFETY
Those Who Escaped Tell Ter
rible Stories of the
Calamity.

LOS ANGELES, April 19.-Egbert H.
Gould. president of the Chicago Car
Heating company OF Chicago was one OF
tho three persons to arrive In Los An
geles on the first train from San Fran
cisco. which reached here at II o'clock
today.
AS one who passed through the terrors
OF those hours between 6.16 and o'clock
yesterday morning the description OF tho
scene Mr.. Gould witnessed is a story OF
flre and blood
Thrown Out Of Bed.
II was asleep on the seventh floor Of
or the first quake. / was thrown out OF
my bed and half way across the room.
Immediately realizing the import OF the
occurrence and fearing that the build
Ing was about TO collapse. 1 made my
way down tho six flights OF stairs and
into the main corridor, 1 was the 1rst
guest to appear.
All In Panic.
The clerks and hotel employees were
running about as II they were mad
other guests besnn to flock into the cor
ridor. Few IL any of them wore other
than their night clothing. Mon. women
and children With bianched faces stood
cried. the men were hardly less affected"
Wires Were Down.
IT returned to my room and got my
clothing, then walked to the Office Of the
Western Union In my pnJamas and bnre
feet to telegraph to my wife In Los An
geles. l found the telegraphers there. but
all the wires were down | sat down on
tho sidewalk picked the broken glass out
OF the soles OF my feet and put my cloth
Ing on. All this. l suppose, took little
more than twenty minutes. y. ..hin that
time below the Palace the buildings for
moro than three blocks were a mass of
flames. which quickly communicated to
other buildings The scene was terrible
the business blocks. soon half consumed.
to other blocks In the vicinity. only to
climb and loom again,
Buildings Leaned Over.
"The Call building, at the corner of
Third and Market streets. as l passed /
saw to be more than foot out OF plumb
and hanging over the street like the lean
Francisco until o'clock and then took
tho ferry for Oakland. but returned TO
the burning city al hour and half later
At that time the city seemed doomed l
mado m way back to the ferry station
hope i may never be called upon to
pass through such an experience again,
People Went Mad.
People by the thousands, and seemingly
devoid OF reason, were crowded around
the ferry station. At the iron gates they
clawed with their hands as so MANY
maniacs They sought to break the bars
and failing In that, turned upon each
other. Fighting my way to the gate like
the others. the thought came into my
mind OF what rats In trap We were
Had l not been a strong man / should
certainly have been killed.
Like Mountein Torrent
when the ferry drew up to the slip
and the gates were thrown open the rush
to safety was tremendous. The people
flowed through the passageway iike q
mountain torrent that meeting rocks in
Its path dashes over them Those who
fell saved themselves as best they could
II left Oakland at about o'clock At
that time San Francisco was hidden in
upon II without any seeming penetration
Flames at times cleft the darkness This
cloud was five miles in height and at its
top changed into a milk white"
j Ritter Of Houston. Tex. said:
Shook Like Cradle.
II was in the Golden West hotel when
the first shock came When | awoke the
hotel was shaking like a cradle While
was dressing the rear wall OF the hotel
fell into the dining-room. / was dressed
by the time the second shock came and
was going TO rush out of the building,
but the appeals OF the women on the
same floor stopped me With some of tho
other men guests on the nftH floor we
managed to get the women out. 1t was
no slight task-most OF the women were
hysterlcal
Naked in Street.
"The first sight outside was that OF
naked and half-drcssed persons in the
streets. running about crying. screeching
wild with fear while buildings were top
pline down around them and choking up
~TaDDeJ he'd
clothes.
1T took me two hours to get around
the fire and acress the bay. I think the
entire city will be destroyed
r A Cole, a horscman well known over
the country, was ut the Palace hotel, in
the midst OF the scenes OF horror Wednes-
day morning,
Beyond Imagination.
MY Cod I never saw anything like It"
said Mr., Cole. And l have seen things.
too. l WAS in the 81. Louis cyclone and
tho Baltimore fire, They were nothing.
BILE / saw all San Francisco staggering
and rocking, and then in flames.
wanted to rush down and jump in the
bay and shut out all the awful sight"
Mrs. Agnes link. Hotel Broadway. said
Saved by Front Room.
Il was stopping at 30 Fifth street in
San Francisco, The rear OF that house
collapsed and the landlady and about
thirty OF the roomers were killed. / es-
capcd simply because / had q front room,
and when l got out the roof and stair |
ways had collapsed In tho rear half OF
possible to find a clear pathway. l saw |
another lodging house near ours collapse |
I think IL must have been SO Fifth |
street-and ] know all the inmates were |
iilled, for Its wreck was complete In |
.en minutes the entire block 10 Mission |
street was in flames"