The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-04-19
FIRE FOLLOWS EARTHQUAKES.
Disaster OverwheIms tho Metropolis or
the Pacific Coast.

disaster tho Metropolis OF
the Pacific Coast.
OAKLAND, Cal. April 1s,-The business
part of a Francisco, across the bay,
was shaken into debris at 5:1s O'Clock this
morning by an earthquake which ran over
all the low lying parts of the city. 1t was
followed by a fire which was still raging
when all telegraph communication from the
city was cut of and which will probably
complete the ruin Of the downtown bust
ness district and most Of the enement
quarter.
Smaller fires have appeared throughout
the residence district, and probably a
great part Of the city will 60 before it ends,
for there Is a strong southerly wind blow
ing and the water mains are all broken.
No n a tell now how heavy Is the loss
Of life. The estimates run from 500 to
1000. 1t would be foolish to set any esti-
mate Of the life loss, for the city has been
thrown into such confusion with the shook,
the fall Of the buildings and the unoon-
trollable fires that followed that no counting
Of the dead is possible.
The city is under martial law, so that it Is
almost impossible even to cross the streets.
All that is known is that the morgue is
choked with dead, and that the men are
piling up corpses and injured people from
trucks, express wagons and every con-
ceivable vehicle. Just now the Hayes
VolIau to fha -aaf - ~, AEnah.oto. %.
vilion, which early in the day was used as
O temporary morgue, is afre and the big
Church Of st. Ignatius is burning.
The city is shaken every few minutes
with the explosions Of dynamite by which
the iremen, in default Of water, are trying
to stop the fire. On foot-for there are no
street cars running-the people from out
lying districts are providing to the hills
which top the city. and the parks and streets
until the troops came were alive with panic
stricken Chinese. The fire has swept all
the waterfront and the railroads which enter
the southern part Of the city by land are not
running, so that the people OF San Francisoo
are prisoners in a city which Is still trembling
with little minor shocks.
WENT DOWN FIRST.
The great shock which did the damage
happened at SIS o'clock this morning,
just about daybreak. Beginning with a
slight tremor, it increased In violence every
moment. Before it was over. the smaller
and older buildings In the business districts
had fallen like houses OF cards, the great
steel buildings were mainly skinned Of
walls, and the tenement district, south Of
Market, was in ruins. In the Western Ad-
dition and the hills, where live the wealthy
and well-to-do people, few houses went
down; but the shock was 80 great that
streamed out into the streets, where
the ground was still quaking from repeated
small shocks which succeeded the great
Hardly were the people Of the hill district
out of their houses when the dawn to the
east was lit up in a dozen places by fires
which had started in the business district
below. The first of these came with q sheet
Of flame which burst out somewhere in
The warehouse district near the waterfront.
Men from all over the upper part Of town
streamed down the hills to help. No cas !
could run, for the cable car slots and the
very tracks were bent and tossed with the
lpheavals of the ground.
WATER SUPPLY RUINED
The fire department responded. Chief |
Of the FIRE depa rtment was injured |
nortally by the cr,pola OF the California
Hotel, which had fallen through the roof
IF the fire house where he was sleeping. |
His assistant rang In a general alarm. The
making for the nearest points, got
heir hose out. There was n rush Of
then the flow stopped. The great
supply Of San Francisco, ran through 'the
uined district. It had been broken, and
he useless water was squirting up through
he ruins In SCORES of places.
The hremen stood helpless, while fire
fire started in the ruined houses.
Most Of these seem to have been caused by
he ignition OF gas from the gas maine, which
we're also broken. The fires would rush
Ip with astonishing ~suddenness, and then
Imoulder in the slowly burning redwood,
II which three-quarters Of San Francisco
s built. When day came the smoke hung
,ver all the business part Of the city. Fur
her out fires we're going in the Hayes
Valley, a middle class residence district,
in the old Mission part Of the city.
Dynamite was the only thing.
GEN. FUNSTON ORDERS U troops.
Mayor Schmitz got early to the centre
II the fire. By that time the inhabitants
Rere rushing through the streets, hamper
ng the work Of hremen and rescuer by
heir efforts. Chief Of Police Oman got
,ut the whole police force, and Gen. Funston,
lcting on his initiative, ordered out
Ill the available troops In the Presidio
military reservation. After a short con-
DeWar's Scotch stands for whisky-purity.
Doctors know this and recommend N.-Adu. |
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