The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-04-19
Destruction of San Francisco.

DESTRUCTION OF Sdll iddiCAs0o'
The disaster which has overtaken |
San Francisco is unprecedented. where
forty Eight hours ago there was beau
tiful, prosperous, populous city, teem-
ing with life, buoyant with ambition
and hope for the future, attracting to
her gates the people and the commerce
of the world-literally the gateway to
the western world-there lies today
scene of indescribable ruin, devastation
and death.
In that hour of the early morning,
before life has resumed its activities,
when the silence of the night is least
disturbed even in the most populous
centers, when sleep is heaviest and the
world is most unprepared. disaster
came. sudden and terrible and lrreslst1-
BILE. It was as if the foundations OF
the world were broken up, and with the
heaving and rocking Of the earth came
the topping Of buildings. the crash OF
falling walls and the cries OF the sud
den1v awakened, the wounded and the
dying.
No one who passed thru that awful
ovner;ence will ever be able to efface
from memory the scenes OF that pale
dawn soon made ruddy by the glare OF
leanino flames. The shattered earth IN
releasing the network OF mains con
vevine highly infammable gas, and at
i the same time breaking the water
mines. set loose without any means OF
/ control the ravages of fire, ana the
/ terrors of the rocking earthquake were
soon SUPERSEDED by the even worse oe-
1 struction of the unreslsted hre. AL
dav and all night. until now, and APP
j norent]v until the last morsel OF palace
Or howell is gone, the flames have con-
] timed to lick up their gluttonous leas'.
The mind staggers before the e11or'
rea,ize what this disaster has
brought to the people of San Francesca
The ravaees of fire may be repalreo'
INT the terrors of the earthquake may
never he overcome. At least, 1t Will
he a long while before people Will look
nnon the site of this ruined city as d
desirable place of residence or before
capital will be eager to rear upon l's
/ ash-strewn hills new houses Tor the ac-
commodation of the trade and traffic
/ which seemed naturally to center at
{ this point Chicago arose from her
ashes purified as to her architecture
and in the end greatly benefited by the
/ eonfaeration which swept away hel
miles of cheap wooden structures lily
ailapted to the demands made upor
/ them.
But the disaster which Chicago sui
fered was preventible. 1t is not like
" to be repeated. The ruin which the
] earthquake has brought to San Fran
4 cisco cannot be repaired so that it will
] not continue to be in some degree, a
- least, and certainly for a long time {
source of dread and apprehension. An'
this is the most serious phase of thu
matter viewing it from the standpoint
of material loss.
It appears that the most modern o
4 the steel buildings withstood the earth
uuake-at least they did not fall dow
/ and yet the best of them have bee
i seriously racked and damaged, showin
B that the best construction as it
Z known today is bound to take seriou
i damage from repetition Of the sam
3 cause.
While, of course, the earthquake ma
rnever be repeated, it is not withou
3 precedent in San Francisco and til
most violent manifestations of this III
a foreseeable disturbance of nature a,
pear to have centered about the bay c
San Francisco and particularly on tn
peninsula on which the city was bull
While the shock was felt and damae
was done thruout an area extendin
over hundred miles up and down til
coast and as far inland, nowhere in thi
Hlarge district were the disturbances
serious as on the peninsula ITSELF An
ISsyet, a look ahead into the future seen
to make it imperative that somewhel
Usupon that bay there should rise cit
.Eif not comparable with great and ma
gnifcent San Francisco, at least adequa,
to handle the traffic which seems to ce1
ter naturally at that point; but when
lfcomes to be built, it will undoubtedl
be built with reference to the possibil
gies of recurrence of seismic distur
Snces and its structures so framed ar
i Go limited in altitude as to minimize IL
k2consequences. The stone or brick SIX
scraper, altho it's stone or brick be on
aveneer, will not be conspicuous on Il
hnrizon of San Francisco bay. Nor, i