The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-04-19
WHAT DAWN REVEALED
Terrible Scene of Death and Destruc-
tion at Daybreak.

San Francisco, April 19-Day dawned
on a scene of death and destruction.
During the night the flames had con-
sumed many of the city's finest struc-
to the residence portions. They had
made their way over into the North
Beach. section and, springing anew to
the south, reached out along the ship
ping section, down the bay shore, over
the hills and across toward Third and
Townsend streets.
Warehouses and manufacturing con-
Germs fell in the path. This completed
the destruction of the entire district
known as the "south of Market
| street.
How far they are reaching to the
| south across the channel cannot be told,
as this part of the city is shut off.
Thousands Homeless.
/ After darkness thousands of the
homeless were making their way with
Golden Gate park and the beach to find
shelter. Those in the homes on the
hills just north of the Hayes Valley
wrecked section piled their belongings
in the streets, and express wagons and
automobiles were hauling the things
away to the sparsely settled regions.
Not Business House Stands.
4
Downtown everything is ruin. Not
a business house stands. Theaters are
crumbled into heaps. Factories and
commission houses lie smouldering on
their former sites. All of the news
paper plants have been rendered USE
less.
i 1t is estimated that the loss in San
Francisco will reach from $3.50, 100000
to $200,000,00O. These figures are in
the rough, and nothing can be told I'M
; til partial accounting is taken.
! Death and Suffering.
| On every side there was death and
suffering. Hundreds were injured
either burned, crushed or struck by
falling pieces from the buildings.
The number Of dead is not known,
but it is estimated that at least five
hundred met their death in the horror.
Martial Law Declared.
At 9 o'clock, under special message
from President Roosevelt, the city was
placed under martial law.
Hundreds of troops patrolled the
streets and drove the crowds back,
while hundreds more were set at work
assisting the fire and police depart
ments.
The strictest orders were issued and
in true military spirit the soldiers
obeyed.
In the afternoon three thieves met
their death by rife bullets while at
work in the ruins.
Curious Driven Back.
The curious were driven back at the
breasts of the horses that the cavalry
men rode. and all the crowds were
forced from the level district to the
billy section beyond to the north.
The water supply was entirely cut
off, and it may be it was just as well,
for the lines of the fire department
would have been absolutely useless at
any stage.
Dynamite Only Weapon.
Assistant Chief Dougherty supervised
the work of his men, and early in the
morning it was seen that the only pos
sible chance to save the city lay in an
effort to check the flames by the use
of dynamite.
During the day blast could be heard
in any section at intervals of only Q
few minutes, and buildings not de
stroyed by fire were blown to atoms.
Flames Leap Thru Gaps
But thru the gaps made the flame.
Jumped, and altho the failures of the
heroic efforts of the people, fremen and
soldiers were at times siekening, the
Continued on Cd Page, 9th Column.