The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-05-20

water pipes and the gas pipes and the
electric wires are broken. The escaping
gas has been ignited by the live wires
The fire engines are helpless. for the wa
ter supply is gone. The flames are creep
ing nearer and nearer To your house.
You rush forth frantically to hunt up
an expressman, How much?" you ask.
"Wil you carry my trunks out of the
reach of danger?" GIVE me fifty or a
hundred dollars" is the answer. Cant
YOU do it for Iess?' NO." he says;
there only a few wagons, and we
can get any price we ask" Or the flames
have burned themselves out and there
are only a few bakery stores left. You
enter one and ask for bread How much
is loaf?" lone dollar" says the ba
ker. Cant you sell the bread for less?"
mo. can raise my price. and instead OF
getting cents loaf I am going to get
a dollar" This was the condition con-
fronting the people of San Francisco dur
ing and Immediately after the conflagra-
ton. Now what happened? Why, Cen
eral Funston sent forth orders something
like this: IF any man who has horse
and wagon is found overcharging confs-
cate his wagon and horse. If any man
who owns bakery store is found over
charging take away his store and drive
him out from behind the counter" Thus
San Francisco horror the baker was not
allowed to charge more than an honest,
fair price for his bread nor the express
man to overcharge for his vehicles. The
extortionist was not then permitted to
fatten upon the likelihood of his neigh
bors.
Still Another Fact.
But there was still another fact which
wonderfully impressed me amid those
ruins. Though there were some mean
and contemplate people living in San
Francisco, as there are mean and con-
tcmptible people living in all cities, yet
the vast majority were noble in heart
and deed and were ready to go forth
and help those who could not help them-
selves No man could appreciate this
self sacrifice so much as the outsiders
who came to San Francisco during the
first few days after the city had been
burned out. | went from feeding station
to feeding station. There I found men
and women standing In line awaiting
their turn. They were there by the
scores, by the hundreds and the thou
sands. Some of these men and women
We're dressed in the garments of wealth.
Some had on Persian lamb coats. Some
wore sealskin sacks Behind them were
those who were dressed in the clothes of
the humble laborer They were all equals
now Their money was gone in many
cases. They had lost their all and could
lose no more But who are these people
who are distributing the food and cloth
ng?" | asked again and again. who
are these men who are running the auto
mobiles and carrying the sick to the hos
pitfalls and looking after the city?' They
are the men who, like ourselves, have
lost ALL" would come back the answer.
| Like us. when they want food. they
| take their places in line to get 1t. but
| as soon as they are fed they go on the
relief committees If they have houses
| still standing they open them to take in
| the homeless. II was the grandest sight
| ever saw. Having lost their all there
| were thousands upon thousands who not
only suffered in silence, but at the same
time gave their substance and energy to
care for others. This help was not given
by people of only one social station, but
OF all stations. The aristocrat was there
working side by side with the plebeian,
the college graduate with the illiterate
man. There they were all working side
by side to help each other.
But l cannot close without one other
word of congratulation as well as of
warning. No sooner did the cry of help
come from the burning city than at once
clothing and breadstuffs came pouring
in Within a few hours Sacramento sent
her donations. Then came Los Angeles
with her carloads. Then the Portland
and the Denver trains filled with food
supplies came rolling in. while off in the
distance we could hear the revolving
wheels of trains coming from cities of
the far east. San Francisco would have
starved to death had not this help come.
And so plentifully did it come that be-
lieve there was not a hungry man, woman
or child in all the city when ! was there.
BY the beneficent contributions of her
sister cities San Francisco was not only
fed but well fed. So impressed was I
with this fact that though l had in my
pocket some money given to me to dis
tribute to the sufferers, I found no one
hungry and no one naked.
Harder Times to Come.
Now, what did I do? I said to myself:
San Francisco is having a hard time
now, but the. hardest time will be those
DAYS that are ahead. In a few weeks
this free distribution of food and clothing
will stop. Then the laborers will go to
work, and there will be plenty of work
for every able-bodied man who can work
in the streets or at other manual labor.
Then the hard pinch is to come. 1t will
come to the widow and the old folks
who cannot work with their hands. 1t
will come to the boarding house keeper