Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1906-04-27
WATER DRIPPEO IN TENTS
The ImpTOYlsed Shelters Afforded
Poor Protection Against the
Heavy DOVnpOuE
BEDDING THOROUGHLY SOAKED
Many Persons Driven Into the
Nearby Houses.
LESS DISTRESS At THE PRESlOlO

Associated Press Dispatches by Special wires.
San Francisco. Cal, April 27,-Many
of San francscos homeless people,
in the parks and lots, were awak-
encd early this morning, because the
water drpped through the improviscd
tents which afforded poor protection
against the heavy rain that began 10 fall
about ] o'clock and continued for several
hours Drenched TO the skin by tho
heavy dovnpour and with bedding thor-
oughly soaked many persons were driven
into nearby houses for shelter
Although the various camps were
better prepared for the storm than for
several days past hundreds Of tents
having been received and put up since the
last storm. still there are thousands who
are without proper shelter and who shiv-
cred in their wet clothes last night, vainly
trying To get warm aitcr the rain ccascds
hy walking or huddhng around little
camphres Tho least distress was nc tho
presidio. where nearly oil tho refugees
have been provided with tents by tho
Quartemastcrs Department wagon
load of picks and shovcla was furnished,
with which trenches were dug 20 carry
oil the water and the ground was banked
around the tents, making them compara-
lively comfortable.
In Cow Hollow, az the rear of Harhor
View. about 5000 Italians from Iele-
graph and Russian Hills and spnnklings
OF Chinese and Japanese are camped.
Few of them have been provided with
tents. and there was much distress among
tho women and children. of whom there
are many In the camp. A chill wind was
/ blowing this morning. and the difficulty
of preparing warm food added 10 the dis
/ tress of the homeless, especially those
noundering in the mud in the lower bot
toms.
In Lafayette and Hamilton Squares
comparativelv few tents have been issued
20 those camped there, but the ground is
high and the drainage good, Where the
rain penetrated the improyised tents of
blankets quilts and other like material,
the soldiers took tho women and chill
dren into the houses In the vicinity. Tn
many instances they gave mp their own
tents 10 shelter tho suffering. Many
fonts have been provided pt Jefferson
Square since the last rain, where several
thousand are camped A few who were
not adequately sheltered were taken into
the large automobile garage in the yicin-
itv and to the Lutheran Church. In
several instances people IN houses refused
TO admit women and children in distress
from the cold and rain, and the militia
unceremoniously broke down the doors
with the butts Of their rihea
Several thousand tents arc en- route
here, and IL is expected that within q few
days fully 10000 refugees viii be COM
iortahly housed.
Cans win start to run on several streets
in San Francisco, permission TO run cars
on Pacific avenue, Fillmore, Church and
Sixteenth streets and certain parts OF
Mission street having been granted by
Mavor Schmitz last night. IL is specified
that the cars will not run after o'clock
al night and that the United Railroads
will maintain q patrol of one man in each
block operated in the unburned district
as q protection against fire.
Over l5O stores were opened for busi-
ness yesterday, but before night numerous
complaints were received that store
keepers had raised prices TO prohibitive
figures. Capt. Rittcnhouse of the United
States Marines, commanding the district
from Bush 10 Oak and Fillmore to Di.
vision streets, called at the Central Police
Station last night and requested that dc
tcctives be detailed 90 investigate some
of the complaints made 10 him that eXorbi.
tant prices were being charged IN certain
J quarters.
The alleged systematic theft Of severa
tons of Red Cross supplies has been dis.
closed by the arrest of Arthur Jacobs
yesterday by Police Commissioned Grady
and Detective Mathewson. Jacobs Is saic
to have made a confession, implicatine
several confederates and revealing the
the place where he had hidden the loot
Jacobs is a teamstcr who volunteered
his services to haul supplies from The
water front TO the various relief depots
His offerswas accepted, and il was while
hauling Red Cross supplies that he Il
alleged TO have done the looting during
the first few days Of the relief, when il
was not organized as it is now. Undei
the present system Of handling supple.
, this would be practically impossible
About two tons OF the stolen goods have
! been recovered, and it is expected thai
. Jacobs, nails will soon be under arrest