The San Francisco call., 1906-04-22

Throughout all of San Francisco
swift touring car flew yesterday morn
ing carrying The Call to thousands of
eager, anxious people. hungry for news
of loved ones and further details of
the disaster wrought by earthquake
and fire. No charge was made for the
papers. AS from the first day after
the temblor, The Call was distributed
free in keeping with the general
scheme of succor that is bringing the
stricken multitude into hope and cheer
again. AS fast as the automobile sped
it left in it's wake groups of interested
people devouring every line OF It's re-
port of the days events, the best pub
lished by any newspaper. Though
several thousand papers were distrib-
uted, there were not enough of them
to give each of the still many more
thousands OF persons one. and they
had to be passed from hand to hand.
Sometimes one of group would read
aloud and the others would stand close,
deyouring every line of the fnforma-
ton impaired, every word of the
graphic description of occurrences that
the pages bore.
The Calls left Oakland, where they
were published, at an early hour, but
not so early that the masses of the
people were not bestirring themselves.
One of the fastest launches on the bay
had been conveyed to take them to the
San Francisco side. The little vessel
sped its way across and skirted the
stretch of tumbled docks and eharred
warehouses landing at the foot of
Hyde street.
FAST AUTO IN WAITING.
There stood in waiting one of the
swiftest touring cars in San Francis
Ca car that had been wont to chug
through happier scenes than the auto
mobiles view today. as ftheN fly fran
tically about on errands of assistance.
Into this car the bundles of Calls were
delivered and without delay the chauf-
feur started on the run to the portions
of the city in which population was
left-population densest in public
squares, where not a house stood.
All the streets in the Western Ad-
dition were covered by the flying auto.
Stops were made at all the parks, in
cluding the queen of them all. Golden
Gate. now giving shelter to the people
stricken as she nad given joyful hours
to the people happy. Fort Mason and
the Presidio were visited, and out into
the Richmond District the free Calls
were distributed.
The scenes attendant upon the pass
ing out CT the Calls were among the
notable features of the week in San
Francisco. Whenever the auto drew
up to a crowd there was a wild rush
for it and a clamor for copies of the
paper. The looting of a grocery
could not have excited a madder rush.
Free Calls here shouted loudly as the
machine dashed up TO some chosen
spot of distribution, was the signal for
a descent of surging hundreds upon the
auto, and the stretching of hands to-
ward the bundle of papers which would
have been swallowed up like oats in
hopper had they not been held high un-
til the number to be left among the
people at that particular spot had been
handed out. 1t was explained to the
eager throng at each place that every
body could not be given paper, Us
there would not be enough to go
around, but that those into whose
hands they were placed were expected
to pass them along until all had had
chance to get their contents.
EVEN "BREAD LINES" BREAK.
A glance back as the auto left the
successive stopping places showed that
each person who had been given 4
paper was surrounded as closely as the
auto had been, every one being deter
mined TO get a glance at the paper. In
the common brotherhood that prevails
among the people who are suffering.
every one did get to read Call.
There was no other occupation that
would keep the people from The Call
auto. Those preparing meals would