The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-04-22

cago arrived in the city this afternoon.
There were eight who came thru from
the scene of destruction aside from the
train crew. r.. ,.., -.
Vivid tales Of the awful sights in
San Francisco Wednesday morning
were told by the passengers.
The only Chicago men on the train
ter, and John A. Flovd, Pullman CON
ductor. Others on the train were:
Horatio n. Hovey, Mrs. Hovev and
three children, Eleanor, Sila and Viii
lard Hovey, of Detroit, Mich; Mrs.
William Winder, Erie, Pa; Robert H.
Gross, Boston, Mass, and one other
man.
When it became known that he was
witness of the terrible scenes being en-
acted in the western city, Mr.. Hovey,
was surrounded by an eager throng.
,.... Panic in the Hotels.
.<"My. family and I had apartments
on the third floor Of the Palace hotel
quake said Mr.. Hovey. cit was
about sis O'Clock when I was sud-
denly thrown from my bed by a ter
rible shock -.. =: --.'
"With the first shock part of the
building crumbled away. In an in
staut / was up. My wife was awak-
ened at the same time, and we started
to dress. In an adjoining room my
daughters were sleeping.
''The panic in the hotel was awful.
Everywhere persons were running
about, evidently crazed or dazed. My
daughters rushed into the corridor, and
almost at the some time my son, Will
lard, who was sleeping in. the third
room Of our suite, ran into my ROOM
He was dazed.
Clothes Torn from Bodies. =.
cit was only the work Of an instant
to dress. Finally we crowded our way
down the staircase to the main floor.
The big lobby of the hotel was crowd
cd People half clothed ran about the
place calling for their friends or rela
tives.
''We managed to reach the street,
tho our clothes were almost torn from
our bodies in the crush when we at
tempted to leave the building.
"The scene in Market street was
terrible. Great piles of debris were in
the streets and wherever we turned
we could hear the heart-rending cries
of the victims. Many of the buildings
had fallen and by that time the fire
had begun to eat it's way up Market
street. In front of the Palace hotel
great crowds had gathered.
Seems Like Awful Dream.
"The previous day I had made ar
rangements to leave San Francisco. I
had bought my berths on the Overland
limited and it was only a matter of
leaving the city and reaching the
train. As each second passed the
scenes became more terrible. The fire
was working it's way up Market street
and / saw that it would only be a
short time before that part of the city
would be burning.
81 finally got a cab, and after max
ing wide detour of the city, staying
out of the fire zone, l reached the
Union ferrv station. Just as we
reached the landing boat left. /
chartered a tug and in that WY
reached Oakland, where we took the
Overland limited.
"The whole thing seems like some
awful dream. In fact, it all occurred
so quickly that half of the details es-
capped me-
Woman Tells of Disaster.
Mrs. Williams Winder was visiting
the wife of naval officer at Mare
shock struck San Francisco. The of.
ficer, who believed danger was immi
nent, endeavored to have his wife and
Mrs. Winder take launch to Oakland
His wife declined to leave him, even
after the city began to totter and burn
Finally | was put in a launch, sald
Mrs. Winder, land landed OF Oakland
As We ploughed along, by the water
front of the city, could hear the build
ings crash and hear the rumblings, but
the water was so rough | just shut my
ewes and hung on.
"When we landed I was taken to the
railway station before the breakfast
room and given something to eat.
was so excited that / did not eat. = ]
was placed on the train and when | be
came conscious of surroundings, | founl
7 had cup. in one hand and saucer
in another
=. Awakened by Plaster.
-. J. A. Floyd, conductor on the Over
land limited who was in the Termina
hotel when the crash, came, described
his experiences as follows:
II was asleep in my room on thu
fourth floor of the Terminal hotel IL
Market street, two blocks up. from tn
ferry, when | was awakened by plaste
hitting me in the face. l was unable
to stand upright because the entir
building was rocking like boat in ;
gale. 1 chung to the sill of the door
While T could hear crash after crash o
falling buildings and the shrieks of thu
injured. a.o ~.
of course, before stopping to dress. an;
Joined the throng of unclad, maniaca
men. women and children who filed tn
street. All around us we could ,hea
the cries of the injured and helped then
as best we could. We broke open dru
stores and confscated what we foun
in our effort to help the injured.
"When things were quleter l. Wen
.lse' k to my room to dress. then dls
covered for the frts time that the en-
tier wall had fallen out. | then Jolne
in the work of rescue call 1T thai
altho there was nothing left to rescue
y, Flames Took Possession.
ssAll of this took only a very fey
minutes. When / arrived on the stree
level again the flames commenced
fThey seemed to jump from both side
of Market street lat once. A big whole
sale drug house, AT Seventh street eS
plo6led, throwing out brilliant co1ore
particles for hundreds of feet Th
ashes and sparks fell with awful tor
ture on the scantily protected back
and faces of women and children.
aSoon the wagons of dead began t
arrive. Express wagons, cabs, automo
biles and vehicles of all kinds passed b
piled high with CHASTITY loads.
g With three or four sailors from tn
water front, / ran up Seventh street t
aid score of men and women who ha
been crushed upder fat building w
could not help them. We had to stan
olliet and Inactive while thew wer