Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1906-04-24

ago does not hesitate TO assist the
Chinese scrub woman in the prepara-
tion of frugal meal, or to drink wa
ter from a tin cup that may have been
used for the same purpose by a day
laborer.
But the Golden Gate park Is only
one of the places in which the peo-
pie are congregated. In some of the
vacant lots a few days ago men, wo-
men and children stood almost shoul-
der to shoulder, while the military
doled out to them water and rations.
This congregation Of the people has
not been an altogether voluntary
matter. To a certain extent 1t has
been enforced. Along in the ruined
districts are numerous buildings in
which there are exposed various ar
ticles of value, money jewelry, bull
lion, etc., and shortly after the first
ghouls began prowling around at
great personal risk seeking what they
could find. The military authorities
promptly issued orders that people
of this kind who refused to obey per-
emptory orders should be promptly
shot. Several were shot on Wednes-
day, a dozen or so more on Thurs
day and still others since then. Dur
ing Wednesday night fourteen men
were killed at the mint. The build
ing which was partly demolished.
had been placed in charge Of a
guard of soldiers. The thieves, at
tracted by the hope of loot, came
singly and by twos and threes. The
soldiers would challenge and the
marauders would attempt to run.
Some got away; but fourteen were
killed. The same thing happened in
various quarters of the city, and the
death list from this cause is quite
large. On Saturday prominent
young man displayed a bottle of
whisky in passing a soldier. The
soldier ordered him to drop It, The
young man ignored the order and
the soldier shot him dead. A soldier
ordered a foreigner to cut down some
trees. The foreigner did not under
stand and started to pass on. The
soldier shot him through the body.
There has been much complaint at
this military severity especially insti-
tuted to keep down looters and pre-
serve order, and 1t has been very
much relaxed. Conditions generally
have begun to improve since the ar
rival of boat loads Of provisions.
Various efforts have been made to
secure some reasonably accurate
statistics of the dead, but all have
been without avail. In the first
place, 1t has been impossible to get
sufficient reliable help to engage in
the work and in the second place
accuracy Is an impossibility at pres
ent. While the firemen and soldiers
were fighting fire with dynamite
they rescued many dead bodies from
burning buildings and other bodies
they were forced to leave. In one
hotel alone, as many as seventy or
eighty bodies were rescued and numer-
Gus others bodies were taken out OF
other buildings: but with 1t all 1t is
certain that hundreds Of bodies have
been burned. Eleven postal men
were taken out of the ruins of the
postoffice, where they had been bur-
led for three days without food or
water and all still alive. And so 1t
goes. 1t will never be definitely
known what has become Of the miss
trace them up to the point where
there is no other way to account for
them. This will necessarily consume
weeks, for at the present time there
are hundreds of cases Of scattered
families where each individual mem
Der Is fearful that all the others
have perished. During the time the
newspapers were out Of business
there was virtually no way Of bring
ing scattered members Of families or
parties of friends together. Great
blackboards have been erected at the
parks for use as mediums Of intelli-
gence in advertising addresses, loca-
tions, etc. ............. .
While everything that is possible
Is being done for the comfort Of the
people encamped in the squares and
vacant lots, still 1t is recognized that
present conditions cannot be main
tanned a great while. Sanitary con-
ditions can only be raised to a mod
crate standard, and disease must
soon come 1t is claimed that small
have already begun their ravages In
the crowded refugee districts. Nu-
merous births have been reported.
This was last week. Then there was
no way in caring for those who
needed especial nursing. But now
that the fire Is out, and there are
still numerous buildings standing,
the authorities will have no he3ita-
ton in commanding hospital quar-
ters wherever needed The food
problem has been solved for the time
being by the arrival Of sufficient
quantities of stuff for present needs:
but the organization Of distribution
machinery has only been partially
perfected. General Funston, how
ever, has charge Of this task, and 1t
Is believed that he will prove fully
equal to the responsibility devolving
upon him.
Contributions are pouring in from
all parts Of the world with a liber-
ality that has never before been
equaled. The government on last
Thursday voted an appropriation of
$1,O00.0O0 and on Saturday appro-
priated another million. New York
city alone has already raised $4,000
600 and the understanding Is that
Massachusetts, has undertaken. with
the assistance of Boston, to raise $3,-
900, 900. Chicago Is easily good for
$1.000,000, and hundreds Of other
cities are raising amounts varying
from 100000 down. The city of
Charleston appropriated $4,000 from
the treasury and the citizens are sup
plementing the fund in liberal man.
ner. Many South Carolina towns
are subscribing in proportion to
their means, and the disposition to
help Is general throughout the south.
lHdl the CITY Will Dc anu
rebuilt at once goes without saying.
This Is the first really destructive
earthquake 1t has ever experienced
and men reason that the same Is not
likely to happen again for a long
time, perhaps never. But 1t must
not be forgotten that San Francisco
has the finest harbor in the world.
This fact alone makes 1t the site Of
great city. Then again 1t is the
principal gateway of the Pacific
trade. and this fact insures Its
rebuilding. 1t has developed also
that most of the modern structures
have withstood the shock splendidly
and the probability Is that in the re-
building. most of the expensive build
ings will be of steel. Already the
leading men of San Francisco are
making arrangements to do their
part In the rebuilding Of the city at
the earliest possible moment.
Rain Adds to the Misery.
A drenching rain fell upon the city
Sunday night. From midnight until 3
oclocked it poured and drizzled at in
tervals while a high wind added mel
ancholy accompaniment, whistling and
signing about the ruins of the buildings
in the burned district. Five days ago
when the fire catastrophe was In it's
infancy this doWnpOur would have