The Topeka state journal., 1906-04-18
Earthquake Shock Destroys a Large
Portion of the City.
Thousands of Lives Are Believed to
Have Been Crushed Out.
Fires Break Out in Many Places and
Rage Without Hindrance.
THE WATER MAINS ARE DESTROYED
The City Hall Costing $7,Ooo,ooO Is
a Total Wreck.
Property Loss Is Already Estimated at
Forty Million Dollars.
Santa Fe's Buildings at Point Rich
mond Have Collapsed.

San Francisco. April 1S.-San Fran
cisco was practically, wrecked by
earthquake at $40 this morning. The
shock lasted three minutes. Thou
sands of buildings were damaged and
destroyed. The loss Of life is report |
ed to be great. No water. and fire
RACES all over the city. All wires.
with the exception Of one. are gone.
The city hall costing seven millions,
is in ruins. Modern buildings suffered !
less than brick and frame.
The terror and excitement is inde-
scribable Most of the people asleep
were aroused and rushed into the
streets undressed Buildings swayed
and crashed. burying occupants. A
panic in down town hotels. The Lick
house was badly damaged, but no loss
OF life is reported there. The Palace
and St Francis hotels stood the
shock. People hocked to the teIe-
graph Office to send messages to
friends. and were frantic because there
were no wires. The greatest damage
to buildings was done south of Mar
ket street, where there were mostly
frame buildings and tenement houses
Fires occurred in every block of that
district.
San Francisco. April 1S.-10:45 a. m.
The Palace hotel is now on fire.
other buildings on fire are the Claus
spreckles structure, seventeen stories
high, the Phelan building and the
O'Farrel store.
The south side Of Market street, be-
tween Fourth and Fifth streets, is now
on fire and the flames are spreading in
all directions. The city is now under
martial law. It seems that the entire
business section of san Francisco must
be destroyed.
Mayor schmitz has called for the as
sistance of the entire Oakland IRE de-
partment and has ordered that all
dynamite available be used to blow up
buildings in order to stay the progress
of the flames
New York April 1s.-At II O'Clock in
employees of the Postal Telegraph com
pany had to leave their office on ac-
count of the FIRE. At the time they left
the Palace hotel and the Grand hotel
were not yet on fire but were in i'm
mediate danger. The military is in
aharEe of the town
san Francisco. April 1850 A. NJ
A disastrous fire has broken out on
the south side Of Market street and is
now within one block of the Palace
hotel. The water mains have burst and
the fire department is practically help
less. The utmost confusion exists. An
business Is suspended At this moment
there is only one wire out of San Fran
cisco-a Postal wire. The Postal build
ing is badly damaged. The operating
room is total wreck. The power of
every kind is gone and there are no
lights, either gas or electricity. Neither
the Palace hotel nor the St. Francis is
gone. that is, so far as the outside goes.
but the inside plastering. etc. is great
~ damaged.
Between the Postal office and the va
ter front there has been great damage
BY FIRE which is burning hercely. and
there is little or no water. The fire is
burning both on the east and south
ads Of the Postal telezranh building