Mount Vernon signal. (Mt. Vernon, Ky.) 18??-current, 1906-04-27
SAN FRANCISCO DESTROYED


est, most careless city on the con
tiuent, into a wreck and hell no
pen can describe now. 1t was a
pandemonium, restless, appalling.
in which tens of thousands fell into
the streets: -. =,
The First shock was. felt at 5:I3
People woke with a start to find
themselves Laundering on the hpor
They stumbled out Of the house 10
find that even the earth was sway
ing and raising and falling so that
the sidewalks cracked and great
rents opened in the ground. Per-
sons died Of pure fright in that
thee minutes.
There vas roar in the air like
a burst uf ,luader. and from all
above came the. crash OF falling
walls. II died down at last leaving
the earth quaking and quivering
like jelly.
People would run forward. stop
as another shock, which might be
.greattr any moment, seemed to
take the earth from under the ir feet
and throw themselves facedOW IL
ward on the ground i'll perfect ag-
Ony of fear. Then followed the
screaming of women beside them
selves with terror. With one inn
pulse people made for the parks, as
far as possible from falling walls.
These soon became packed with
people.
The gas and electric mains were
gone, and the street lamps were all
e. out. But before the dawn was
white there came light from the
East-the burning OF the ware
house district. The Drawer men
and those without families to watch
over struck out, half dressed as they
were. In the early morning light
they could see the business district
below them all III ruins The
Streets from every direction were
filled with fremer and engines.
The Chinese came out Of their
burrows like rats and tumbled into
the square beating gongs and play
ing such ACCOMPLISHMENTS as they
60 had snatched up. They were met
on the other sids by the refugees Of
the Italian quarter. The panic be-
came a madness At least two
Chinese were taken to the mOrgue
dead of knife wounds given for no
other reason than the madness of
panic. There are 10000 Chinese
in this quarter and thousans ofItal-
lans, Spaniards and MeXiCans OH
!. the other side.
Cabmen, driver OF express wag
ons aid truCkmen, hired at enor
nous prices. began carting away
from the lower city the valuables
OF the hotels, which saw their doom
in the fires, which were breaking
out every where 10 spirits Of gas
mains. Even the banks began to
take out their bullion aud securi-
ties to send them to the hills,
whence came the salvation of the
city.
Men pulling corpses of injured
from fallen, buildings could be seen
in almost every direction. Thieves
began to loot.the city and Mayor
Schultz and Funston gave orders
to the police and soldies to. shoot
all caught in the act of looting
Several were shot during the early
hours. And all this time, and con-
tinueing. the earth was shaking
with little. tremors. many of which
brought down walls and chimneys.
At each OF these the rescuers would
step ior a. moment-paralyZed.
The s o'c'oCk shock, the heaviest
after the big one. drove even those
who had determined 10 STAY by the
stricken CITY to look for means of
escape oy water There are only
two ways ont,ofSan Francisco-ore
hy rail TO the South and down the
Santa Clara Valley, and the other is
by water to Oakland, the overland
terminal. Most of the Californians
trying 70 get out of the quaking,
Ganeero IS city, made by instinct
for the ferry, since they knew that
the shocks ALWAYS travelled heavily
TO the South down the Santa Clara
. Valley. The earth seemed to quiet
down by noon. Troops stationed
in The banking district Of Mont
po,ner, street dispersed the lines of
people and prevented runs on the
banks: The troops drove them
away and the banks went on with