Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1906-04-24
PRIEST. ROBINSON
WRITES Of FIRE.
Mormon Elders and Saints
Escaped But Some Prop.
erty Lost.
CHURCH SENDS MORE MONEY.
headquarters Of Mission VIII be- Es-
tablls,lcd at les Angclcs---Mlsslon-
aries Assisted In Relief Work.


by President Joseph +. Smith from Ell
der Joseph r. Robinson. president of
the California mission. from which the
following is taken:
4 have Just arrived IN this city
Oakland with my family. and am
located here for few days. when
VIII take them TO Los Angeles and
make our headquarters there. We are
all quite well but worn and weary
through watching and labor. We feel
mat the LORD has been wondrous kind
to US IN preserving our lives and so
lar as the Elders and the nesion Is
concerned, we have lost nothing in
property to speak OF; but several tamil
Hes OF the Saints We're not SO FORUM
ate, they saved nothing but the clothes
they wore and "A few articles they car
ried away In their hands. Some VIII
return to their homes In UtHh as trans
portaiion viii be given tn them by the
railroad company, but the local Saints
VIII need some assistance,
SEVERE BLOW TO FAMILY.
One case In point viii serve as
criterion fer many others The Hooper
were dependent on the father and :,
grown W son, lost nearly everything.
including Brother llOOper's tools. val
ued at 500. while Sister Hooper is bed
fast with rhoumatca They are out
IN san Mateo county camping in "a
barn. OF course, we expect employ
mrnt for the mechanics soon in the
rebuilding Of the clay, but they must
have tools To work with Several Of
our sisters VINO We're dressmakers. etc,
win not be able to obtain employment
for some time to come II they remain
here; I'm fact,we shall need 81 800 TO take
care OF our people, until they can take
care OF themselves, This money has
been telegraphed to President Robin
SOM
GENERAL CONDITIONS.
AS to general conditions you are fully
Informed by the public prints viii
merely say that In my opinion no esti-
mate of the lives lost can be relied on,
for scores Of buildings collapsed and
others took fire without giving the least
opportunity to the inmates to escape.
Bodies were burned beyond identiica-
tion, and many are lying IN the debris
in sight, and cannot be approached be-
cause of the geat heat: others of course
have been entirely Cremated.
CAMPED IN PARKS,
Several of our people are camped OUT
in Golden Gate park, where my family,
and we Elders have been for two days
and nights. Others of our people are In
Jefferson square, where the sanitary
conditions are exceedingly bad because
Of the lack of care and water to flush
the sewers. etc. We viii try at once to
get our people out from there. Others
are in the burned district not far from
our old quarters. Five families have
THEN homes still and -four or five main
tain the places they rented all of whom,
are doing what they can to help the
unfortunate ones, Bread is a great need
now, as the rations thus far distributed
consist mostly of canned goods. tea and
coffee. am now about TO leave with
l6 loaves To take back to the women
and children IL can get across the bay,
which is difficult 10 do, owing TO the
strict discipline maintained by the state
militia.
We are indeed grateful to know that
not a single one Of the Saints or Ell
ders so far as we can learn, received
scratch, or We're hurt in any way.
Nearly every room In the French hos
pital was wrecked, and all were dam
aged, excepting the one room in
which one Of our young sisters was
nursing. and she went calmly about
her tasks and succeeded in getting
her patients out and into tents in the
vacant lot where they are safe. Every
room In one Of the new hotels was
badly damaged excepting the one I'm
which one of our Elders slept, and he
escaped without Il scratch, and this has
been repeated In many other lnsta ices
GOOD WORK OF ELDERS.
The mission house was not badly
damaged by the earthquake, but we
were ordered TO ya1ate il early in the
afternoon of Wednesday, but not until
all the personal effects of the Elders
records, books furniture and best car
nets were removed. so the loss Is moth
ing TO speak Of As soon as the rail-
road company will receive freight we
VIII ship the most of our things
south. The fine organ recently pre-
scented to us by the mayor and other
friends. is safely stored with one of
the Saints, In the main, all Of the
people appear TO be cheerful and well
hut few attempts to loot have
been made During the height Of the
connagration the first day | noticed
a spirit of abject apathy In the faces
of many people, while few became
hystericaL Some OF the Elders have
been serving as relief corps with the
Red Cross, and Others with the fremen
I'm various capacities
The Elders en- route TO the Pacific
Islands will not be able to sail until
the 2Sth inst They are all well and
with Us No mails Will be distributed
IT. san Francisco for some weeks and
our friends therefore should address
NIL mail intended for this section, to
sol Twenty-fourth street. Oakland, |