The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1906-04-27
SAM M'CLARY WAS AT SALINAS
HIS WIFE IN FRISCO.
RACED TO CITY IN FAST AUTO
BUT WAS FORCED NOT TO ENTER
BY MUzzLE OF MUSKET.
HER PLUCK IN BURNING CITY
Mrs. McCIary, With Her Mother, Gath.
cred up Their Best Clothing, Jewels,
Fire Insurance Policy and Mining
Stock and Fled to Salinas.

Fire Insurance Policy and Mining
Stock and Fled to Salinas.
Until this afternoon Mr.. and Mrs.
J. S. McClary had not known whether
their son, S. II. McClary, with his
wife, was alive or dead in the ruins of
San Francisco. Their home was in
San Francisco, and all kilograms
faile to reach them. Today letter
came from them, describing the ter
rible confusion of the place and show
ing bow Mr.. McClary, who was at Sa
linas, raced in an auto at sixty miles
an hour to Frisco, in whose burning
ruins somewhere was his wife, only
to be kept out of the city by soldiers
He returned to Salinas, to which point
Mrs. McClary and her mother arrived
exhausted, two days later. Following
is the letter, graphic story of the
catastrophe:
Salinas, Cal, April 22.-My Dear
Folks: First of all thank God we
both of us escaped the most terrible
calamity of modern days" | don't
know how | can describe the awful
scenes that we all have passed
through. Here at Salinas there was
no loss of life, but a great loss of
property. This hotel is a complete
wreck inside, not a single room has
a patch of plasterng as large as your
hand, and how it stood up at all is a
miracle. The first motion was a sway
ing motion from north to south and
the next kind of rotary or churn-
ing motion and all this time the build
ing was in motion to such an extent
that it was difficult for one to stand
on their feet, the only thing | can
compare it with is the deck of ship
during a storm, and with it the awful
feeling that the next instant the build
ing will collapse and you Will be bu-
ried in the ruins. And it is all SO
sudden that you don't have time to
do anything to save yourself.
Soldiers End Race.
Al noon, the day of the catastrophe,
I secured an automobile and started
for San Francisco to try and find
Flora and her mother. Every town
we passed through showed the awful
power of nature. And this sight
coupled with the fact tha+ | could not
get any word from my wife and
speeding along in an auto 60 miles
an hour, kept me in state of mind
beyond description. When | got to
Oakland | found the troops had taken
charge of the city and would allow
no one to enter. If the command
'halt" was not obeyed you were shot
down at once. So we were compelled
to turn back. | tried to make myself
believe they would come out some
way, but that was hard when you knew
hundreds were killed and whole city
in flames | got back to Salinas at 8
O'Clock Thursday night and at 2
O'Clock in the morning | got a phone
from Flora that she and her mother
were on their way here in an auto
mobile and they got here at 10 o'clock
Friday morning. My, what load was
lifted from my heart. | will give you
brief description of their trip.
Confusion in City.
The house in which we lived was
not at all damaged by the quake, but
the folks of course rushed down four
long flights of stairs to the front door,
only to find that It has jammed and
could not be opened, so back up stairs
that seemed miles long, they rushed,
and through the house and down the
back stairs to the street below clad
only in wrapper or night clothes,
and after the excitement had subsid-
ed somewhat they went back up stairs
and dressed themselves. BY this time
fire had broken out not many blocks
away, SO they hastily gathered up
few of their best clothes, tied them
in sheet and again went to the
street, all the time fire was creeping
closer and the explosions from dyna-
mite which they were using to blow
up buildings sounded like minute guns.
They stayed close to the house until
late in the afternoon, but seeing the
fire would soon reach them and cut
OFF all escape, thed hired passing
wagon and went toward the park, fin
ally stopping and spending the night
in a large yard far out in the city.
The next day at noon they secured a
laundry wagon and drove to one of
the outside depots and took train to
San Jose, which is as far as the train
could go, on account of railroad be-
ing torn up and bridges wrecked, and
there they secured an auto and came
on to Salinas, arriving here more dead
than alive. The next morning after
the earthquake cur house burned to
the ground and all we had in it, We
of course have insurance and Flora
saved the policy, but whether we get
anything remains to be seen.
Long for Nebraska
These two little women went