Danville intelligencer. [volume] (Danville, Pa.) 1859-1907, 1906-04-20
SAN FRANCISCO REAL inferno
DUE TO EARTHQUAKE AND FIRE
Worst Earthquake in American History Visited Upon
San Francisco Observation-Disclosures Dam
age Done-Fires Still Burning and Fire
Fighters Are Powerless.

| The most horrible and the greatest
earthquake in American history occur
red yesterday morning at San Francis
co and the magnitude of the horror
seems to grow with each succeeding
bulletin. 1t destroyed telegraph and
p, railroad facilities.
There were a succession of shocks,
many of them of great destructive
violence and the messages indicate
that large part of the city's business
section has been razed to the ground
and the debris is on fire without ad
equate water protection to fight the
flames.
Other bulletins indicate loss of life
that cannot be measured in the con-
fusion attending the cataclysm.
The earthquake shocks ceased at s 80,
eastern time, having commenced at
5:13, and it is probable that the worst
is over so far as the movements of the
earth are concerned. But the awful
fire fiend still remains to be reckoned
with.
Panic has reigned in the city since
the first shock, none knowing when
another upheaval might render them
homeless, or hurl about them buildings
of the sort that have already fallen
The worst feature, after the earth
quake shocks had passed, arose from
the fires which broke out simultaneous
ly in many parts of the city and SEEM
ed to be spreading in every direction.
Late messages indicate that the
flames are fast approaching the magni-
ficent docks and wharves for which
| the harbor of San Francisco is famous
and that these may fall victims to the
devouring monster which broke water
mains and destroyed fire apparatus.
The most alarming part of the dire
event is that each succeeding telegram
| increases rather than diminishes the
| terrible news.
SAN FRANCISCO, April 1s.-San
Francisco was partially wrecked by
| earthquake at 5:l0 this morning
| Shock lasted three minutes. A thou
sand buildings damaged and destroy
ed. Loss of life reported great. No
water and fires all over city. All wires
except one gone. City hall, costing
seven millions in ruins. Modern build
ings suffered less than brick and frame.
Terror and excitement indescribable.
| Most people asleep and rushed into
streets undressed. Buildings swayed
and crashed, burying occupants. Panic
| in down town hotels. Lick house bad
| ly damaged but no loss of life report
| ed there.
The Palace and St. Francis hotels
stood the shock. People fiocked to the
| telegraph offices to send messages to
| friends and were frantic because there
were no wires The greater damage
was done to buildings south. of Market
street, where mostly they are frame
and tenement houses. Fires occurred
in every block in that district.
8 A. Mn the confusion which
reigns everywhere it is almost impos-
sible to learn details of the disaster
caused by the earthquake this morn
| ing. In general it may be said that
the district lying between Market and
Howard streets from the bay as far
west as the City Hall has been badly
wrecked.
The hotels in the vicinity of Third
and Market streets were badly shaken
| up but there seemed to be no loss of
| life. The "Call' and Examiner
buildings as we'll as the Western Un-
ion building have been badly wrecked.
The large department stores in the
neighborhood were also ruined, but the
earthquake occurred at an hour when
they were empty and no loss of life is
reported.
The Valencia hotel, bewteen Seven
teenth and Eighteenth streets, ON Val
encia street, five story frame build
ing, toppled over into the street, bury
ing seventy-five persons in the debris,
only the top story remaining intact.
Farther east ON Market street toward
the ferry slips, is a section occupied
by cheap lodging houses and hotels.
and here the loss of life is reported to
be very great, though the extent of it
could not be ascertained at this hour.
Fires are burning in number of
places along Market street and the
water mains having burst, the author
tiles have resorted to dynamite to
check the progress of the flames. The
residence section of the city while
badly shaken. reports no loss of life or
erious damage.
Loss OVER 500. 100000
As Associated Press dispatch last
night said that conservative estimates
placed the loss in San Francisco we'll
over 800, 900, 900, and growing larger
with each report.
LELAND STANFORD DEMOLISHED
Leland Stanford university, the great
est school of the West, and in many
particulars the finest in the world, was
practically demolished. One student,
from Nebraska. was killed
BETWEEN 500 AND TOO KILLED
Late Associated Press dispatches last
night placed the killed between SOC
and 700 The figures are constantly
changing, however, and it is impossi-
BILE to tell as yet the extent of the
fatalities.