Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1906-05-01
ANOTHER LETTER FROM CALIFORNIA.
Describing the Horrors of the Great Earthquake and
Destruction on Every Hand and Great Suffering
Among the People

Mrs Mamie Clarke Dyson. daughter
of our fellow townsman, Hon. ]. O.
| Clarke who lives in Oakland, Califor.
MIA, writes her sister, Mrs. F. G. Perkin.
son, of this city, the following interest.
ing letter of the great earthquake, viz:
OAKLAND, Apr. 20, 1906
My DEAR SISTER:
| l wrote you a postal immediately
after the earthquake to let YOU know
we were safe, and know you want to
hear more fully from us, but how and
what to tell you is beyond me- One OF
our neighbors told his wife that they
said San Francisco was hell, but he'll
WASH in it with San Francisco.
| In our section of Oakland no serious
damage was done. All of us have a
chimney fallen and windows broken.
Many lost bric-abrac and dishes, but
no houses are down and we have had
no fires. They say every brick build
| ing in Oakland is cracked and unsafe.
The town was bonded to build its
grand new school houses, and every
one is total ruin. Some houses col
lapsed, but only five people in all were
killed here. But, now, when | come to
San Francisco, no pen or tongue can
| describe the horrors of the situation
there; no hell or infernio could be inn
agined like it. We have looked vainly
among the refugees for Fred and
Lillias, (Puttman.J Herbert (Dyson) is
gone now searching for them, aud will
advertise tonight if he don't find them.
Tie whole city is destroyed, they say.
Last night they gave up all hope of
saving anything and started driving
the people away who had not already
fled. Many went to the Beach and
Golden Gate park, and today they are
driving them out of there and forcing
them to come to this side, as at the
park there is not even drinking water
and no provisions. They blew up the
zoo there and the wild animals are all
loose, also al the insane people, many
of them have been caught and tied to
trees or posts and the flames devour
them as they 90 by-thousands of dead
and wounded are lying in the streets,
no attention paid to them-none to the
dead-and very little to the wounded.
Mayor Smitz authorized the military
and police TO shoot any person caught
stealing, and they are shooting the
people recklessly who are trying to
save their own poor little effects, and
now the military and police are
famished and are lOoting and shooting
indiscriminately. The citizens have
been forced to fight the fire at the
revolvers' point, and they are so ex-
hausted they quit fighting the flames
ard lay right down there and sleep-to
awake when
Herbert has not let me 90 down town
and has tried to keep the actual sight
of the suffering away from me; he says
| could not stand it, | went to Idora
park twice to hunt for Lill, and the
scenes there are beyond description;
people all over with their few belong
Iings tied up in sheets. There are no
wounded there, only refugees. Down
in the town they are wandering all
over, not knowing where to go. All
the paris and churches here are
crO,sC.GI wltb them. Last night there
were 100000 homeless.
Lillias' house was so far up and out,
we hoped they were safe, but now we
will be glad to find them alive. AS
you know | nearly died of horror at
San Francisco, would not have lived
there if they had given me the whole
thing, and now we are so thankful
that | was so homesick and heartsick
that | would not stay there. 1t was
God who led us, for truly have prayed
Him to lead us and protect us in this