Los Angeles herald., 1906-05-01
MARK TwAINS EARTHQUAKE IN "RoUeHlNe IT"
From the New York Evening POST

Now that the tragedy of the destfuc-
tion OF San Francisco has run its
course the anecdotes Of its youth as
told in "Roughing It," by Mark Twain,
and especially his experiences in what
was long known in the coast metropolis
as the great earthquake" are interest
ing. or his impression Of the city I'm
the days just after the civil war he
wrote as follows:
San Francisco, a truly fascinating
city to live in, is stately and handsome
at fair distance, but close at hand
one notes that the architecture is most
ly old-fashloned, many streets are
made UP Of decaying, smoke-grimed,
wooden houses, and the barren sand
hills towards the outskirts obtrude
themselves too prominently. Even the
kindly climate is sometimes pleasanter
when read about than personally ex-
perienced. for a lovely cloudless sky
wears out its welcome by and by, and
then when the longed-for rain does
come IL stays. Even the playful earth
quake is better contemplated at dis
However, there are varying opinions
about that"
Mark Twalns own opinion Of the at
tractiveness of an earthquake is given
later, after he had had an opportunity
to form one at first hand acquaintance.
He had just given UP mining venture
as a failure, and taken a position as
reporter on San Francisco paper. The
earthquake happened one Sunday morn
ing, and is described by him as follows:
"A month afterward l enjoyed my
first earthquake. 1t was one which was
long called the great earthquake, and
is doubtless so distinguished to this
day. 1t was just after noon, on a bright
October day. 1 was coming down Third
street. The only objects in motion any
where in sight In that thickly built and
populous quarter were a man in az buggy
behind me, and n street car vending
slowly up the cross street. Otherwise
all was solitude and a Sabbath still
ness. AS / turned the corner, around
a frame house, there was a great rattle
and JAR and it occurred to me that
here was an item!-no doubt fight in
that house. Before / could turn and
seek the door, there came a really ter
rifle shock; the ground seemed to roll
under me in waves, interrupted by a
violent jogging up and down, and there
was a heavy grinding noise as of brick
houses rubbing together.
Il fell up against the frame mouse
and hurt my elbow. L knew what it
was, now and, from mere reportorlol
instinct, nothing else, took out my
watch and noted the time of day; at
that moment third and still severer
shock came, and as I reeled about on
the pavement trying to keep my foot
ing, saw sight! The entire front of
a tall four story brick building in Third
street sprung outward like door, and
fell sprawling across the street, raising
a dust like great volume of smoke!
And here came the buggy-overboard
went the man. and in less time than
can tell it the vehicle was distributed
in small fragments along three hun
dred yards of street. One could have
fancied that somebody had fired
charge of chair-rounds and rags down
the thoroughfare. The street car had
stopped, the horses were rearing and
plunging, the passengers were pouring
out at both ends, and one fat man had
crashed halfway through a glass win
dow on one side of the car, got wedged
fast, and was squirming and screaming
like an impaled madman. Every door
of every house, as far as the eye could
reach, was vomiting a stream of human
beings; and almost before one could ex-
ecute wink and begin another, there
was a, fnassed multitude of people
stretching in endless procession down
every street my position commanded.