The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1906-07-06
GRAPHIC STORY OF QUAKE
A LETTER TO MRS. HUMPHREY
TELLS THRILLING EXPERIENCES
KILLS BOTH Or. AND MRS. KELLY
Former Norfolk Insane Hospital Su'
perlntendent and His Wife Were
Crushed TO Death at ST. Agnew--ln-
tensely interesting Description.

tensely Interesting Description.
Mrs. ]. w. Humphrey of Norfolk has
received n most interesting letter IRON
her aunt. Mrs. Carrie Stone, concern.
inc Mrs. stones experience In the Cal.
ifornla earthquake. Mrs stone tells
graphically Of the intense suffering ot
even those who survived with thelr
lives, and of the uncertainty that hung
over the coast for days afterwnrd,
when shocks continued every twerty
minutes She tells, also, Of the death
and burial Of both DR.. and Mrs. Kelly
In the St Agnow insane hospital
where DR.. Kelly, formerly superinten'
dent of the Norfolk insane hospital,
was assistant In speaking of her hus"
band and son. Mrs. Stone says:
They had dressed and gone down
two flights of stairs, and stopped nt
the office door to leave their key, when
the building began to shake. Glenn
said. whats the matter? Is the
house colapsng?' George replied
that he thought that they had Just
started the elevator and that 1t was
caught. But the shaking became
worse and strange noises rent the air.
Glenn said "Pa, let's get out OF
this believe the building Is col
lapsing." So down the remaining
flight of stairs they stumbled, the
building rocking so they could hardly
keep on their feet. At one step the
stairs would heave up level with their
feet, the next recede till they had to
lump to reach the step. Glenn was
ahead and being younger than his ia
ther and spryer, he reached the dou'
BILE doors at the foot of the stairs
first. He tried the door but 1t was
twisted and fast. He put ell his
strength on 1t and jerked 1t open with
such force 1t sprang back into the
spring socket and remained there.
He gave leap and landed in the mid
die of the street with such force that
he could not stop and went to the
side walk on the opposite side. He
had not landed when the whole brick
front of the building he had Just left
fell out with n crash to the walk and
street. On turning to look for his ia
ther, the dust and lime from the fall
ing wall was so thick that he could not
see a thing, and fearful thought
crossed his mind that his father was
buried In the debris. He started back
to look for him and the ground heaved
under hiS feet. The street sank sew
eral feet In places and rose In others
A., I,.N ,ta Al hn fhn building ut his
back began to fall. Heavy plate glass
flew in particles all around him, brick
and mortar fell like hail. He reached
the pile of debris from the Winchester
and saw n dark object moving at his
feet. He stopped down and found his
father struggling in II mass OF electric
wires-the electrician had thoughtfulll
shut off the power at the first warn
ing of the earthquake, otherwise h'
would have been killed there.
Glenn got him up and they got into
the middle of the street BY thGt time
the streets were alive with men, wo
men and children. Horses, dogs, anC
even cattle, that had broken out o
the stock yards half mile away
All were running trying to find safety
The most of the people We're in thei
night clothes, Strange to say no ont
made bit of noise or outcry Every
one seemed dazed and could not real
lie what was happening to them
George ran as fast as they could owe
the piles of debris and amid falling
bricks to the wharf. They worke,
their way around to the Third an,
Townsend street depot and found t
their horror that they could not &
home.
The tracks of the railroad were VI
heaved and broken. bridges wrecke
and no way out. They then turne
their steps to the mole, hoping TO ge
over into Oakland.
After tramping miles around to kee
out of the fire they reached the mol
and found a ferry boat just leaving
They managed to get on and when 1
Oakland found the trains running a
far as Niles, So they took the frs
train and by noon got to San Jose-a
hour and half ride ordinarily The
they learned that they could go II
further for all the bridges wer
wrecked for hundred miles south an
the track upheaved. Here they learne
that San Jose and Santa Cruz wei
fearfully torn up. But as ell wire
were down they could send no wor
and were wild about me. They trie
to hire team Oh auto or even a whet
to get home, but everything was
demand to so to the doomed city
look after relatives and friends.
Finally lady saw how nearly Graz
Glenn was and let him take her p,
pony and he started on horseback ov'
the Santa Cruz mountains, dstanC
of forty miles. He left his father ;
a safe boarding house that had part
escaped the wreck, but had lost all Il
plastering and chimneys.
I taI. hoa 70, sol