The Washington times., 1906-04-26
SCENES OF TERROR
WILDLY DESCRIBED
Earthquake Victim Writes
to Sister in This City.
1T SIMPLY RAlNED ROCKS
His Business Destroyed and Two Fami-
lies Were Driven to Dire
Extremities.

The following letter from w r
Mitchell, Of the firm of Mitchell
d Gooda1. wholesale commission
merchants. OF 3OS-3o2 washington street.
San Francisco has been received by
his sister. Mrs. /. 3. Stire, of l4O f
street northeast, under date Of April
19 1896:
4 know your heart is breaking over
our welfare. ! have not been able to
telegraph you up to this time. l do
not know when this letter Will get
started. Wednesday mornins at 5:10
q. m. we had the worst earthquake
that San Francisco ever experienced.
Immediately afterward the IRE started
and the wholesale and retail business
houses are certainly wiped out and over
Onc-half of the population is homeless.
was within three blocks of the store
when the earthquake came The bricks
and rocks fell around me from every
direction. 1 knew not which way 10
run but I looked ahead and saw some
two-story buildings. so made for them.
Horses Instantly Killed.
Il waited urtiI the shaking was over
and went on to the store. That was Il
sight. The roof and front were in the
street. The boys were unloading some
goods and ran at the first shake. But
the poor horses We're killed in their
tracks. Two isleu were killed in front
of our store from the falling front wall.
l helped TO pull them out and il was a
terrible sight. Our section was the first
to go by fire business sectfon) and suf-
fe-ed more by the shaking because We
were on made ground
Right after the quake we got into
the store. opened the safe and took out
cur books and valuable papers and
then closed it UP. We have not yet
beer able 10 get to the store, as the
city is under martial law and thousands
OF soldiers are guarding the city.
The fires are Just about cut after
having burned fOrty-eight hours The
fremen had no water as the earthquake
had broken all the water mains and
pipes and the soldiers brought IN tons
and tons of dynamite and blew up
blocks of houses at q time Golden Gate
park has l. 600 acres and II is full of
people. They had 70 go there as there
was no other place 10 go The gas, cleo
ITic lights and water are all shut OF
and we are not allowed to burn candles
now. They VIII not let US build fires
in the stoves for fear Of broken chin
neys and houses catching fire.
Cooking Under Difficulties.
You can imagine the state We are in.
We happen TO have a small oil stove
and are cooking on that for the two
families II being small only enough
can he cooked al Il time for two people.
When the fires began burning 1 imme-
diately bought a lot of eggs, ham, bacon,
bread. and bG,ter for ] imagined wha,
might come. We had plenty OF flour,
crackers. and canned goods on hand.
We will be all right for a few days.
The park Golden Gate) has its own
water and everybody is getting water
from there The earthquake did not
affect these pipes like the ones in the
citv. I understand 10000 Ioaves Of bread
came over from Oakland this morning
and the people fought for it like wolves
We hear that car loads of food are on
the way from Los Angeles. Salt Lake
and Denver. and no doubt from over all
tho East.
When we get ready for business We
will either start on one Of the docks OF
erect shanty on the city front along
the sea wall if we can get permit &c
do so. Our business will be the first
10 open up to get fruit, vegetables, poul-
try, and provisions from local points
We in our line. commission merchants
will have a meeting today and vii
adopt some line Of procedure.
1T is highly probable the board OF
public works will be asked to set OF
4 certain part for temporary quarters
until our stores are erected The new
buildings will be finer and fireprOOf
History proves that after such Catas
trophies cities are built up much finer
Chicago, Charleston, Galveston, and Bal
timore for instance L am nearly para
lived so viii stop
L B. Stine also has a brother il
San Francisco from whom he received
telegram announcing personal safety
OF self and wife