Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1906-04-24
Mr.. and Mrs. Douglas, OF Cedar
Rapids, Arrived From City.
of Frisco
DESCRIBE THEIR EXPERIENCES
Were Tnrown From Their Bed in the
Hotel st. Francis-Buildins swayed
Like Ship at sea-YeIIow Light
Pervaded the Observation-Disclosures
othe Details of Disaster.

! ing passed safely thru one of the worst
calamities in the history of the nation,
/ Mr.. and Mrs. George B. Douglas and
! little daughter, Margaret, Baby Ellen
I and nurse arrived home yes
| terday from San Francisco. The
party passed thru the recent
catastrophe safely, and were able to
save their trunks and heavy baggage,
altho the hand baggage was all lost
they having left it in the hotel, hoping
| to get it later, but the hotel was de-
stroyed that same evening. The fam
| lily mad spent the winter in Santa Bar
bara, and had reached San Francisco
on their way home, having reached
/ that Inflated city the night before the
earthquake.
I'VE left Santa Barbara on Monday,
the Nth said Mr.. Douglas to a Ca
zette representative yesterday, AR
irving in San Francisco that evening,
and went to the ST. Francis hotel,
where had made reservations. Owing
to the heavy tourist travel, and also to
the fact that the grand opera season
was on, all hotels were crowded and
we were fortunate in securing suite
Of rooms on the twelfth floor.
The First Awful Shock.
1--WE retired Tuesday night with all
arrangements made for leaving for
home by the Overland Limited We'd
nesday forenoon, but our plans were
necessarily considerably changed
About 5:15 the next morning we were
awakened by a violent upheaval Of the
bed, and upon jumping out ] was
thrown across the rom. Mrs. Douglas
managed to support herself by the wall
and then hurried as best she could to
the adjoining rooms to the children.
followed, but the violence of the shock
after the first few seconds prevented
me from making Roadway. All chung
to anything that offered support and
waited. It was just at dawn, and a
sinister yellow light pervaded the at
mosphere The commissions were ac-
companied by a roaring as OF
mighty wind, and the floor heaved and
fell AS the moments passed and the
shock reached it's most extreme stage,
it seemed as If the building could not
stand, as the great structure rocked
and swayed like ship at sea. The
iron construction groaned and
wrenched and shrieked and every sec
ond it seemed as If the building would
collapse. But it did not-with one final
titanic shake those terrifying moments
passed, and after twenty-eight seconds
which were the longest have ever
known-quiet reigned again.
Descent to the Office.
Realizing that other shocks might
follow at any moment we dressed as
fast as possible and prepared to de-
scend. Within ten minutes after the
earthquake three fires were to be seen
from our windows and this new dam
ger was to be reckoned with. The he
tel elevators were not running, neither
were the electric lights burning both
having been put out of service by the
shock. AS we made the trip from the
twelfth to the office floor it became
evident that the lower floors had suf-
fered the greatest damage. No psas-
ter had fallen on our floor; but the
lower we went plaster, broken glass
and debris generally greatly jmpeded
our progress. The main floor was q
: =
scene of extreme confusion. Every
guest In the hotel appeared to be try
ing to leave the building-many In an
extreme stage of undress.
'.The st. Francis faces Union Square,
and this small park was soon crowded
with hotel guests and others who had
fed from nearby buildings. There
was no panic or excitement; every
one seemed to be composed, but did
not know what to do. An hour passed,
and no shocks recurring confidence re-
turned and a majority Of the hotel
people entered the building for some
thing to eat. BY this time some at
tempt at order had been established
and all who visited the dining rooms
were served with coffee and rolls. The
hotel lobby filled again, and many re-
turned to their rooms; but about 8
o'clock the second shock came and
forthwith the hotel emptied again.
The vibration was light but the crash
of falling plaster and the panic that
followed in the crowded lobby was
sufficient to strike terror to many who
were already in 8 high state of ner-
vousness.
Fires Raging Everywhere.
"We returned to the park and now
the fires were blazing in many places
and assuming alarming proportions.
The danger was still some squares
distant, but with no water supply 1t
was not to be expected that the fires
would be easily controlled. I there
fore determined to move on 10 some
place out of probable danger, and at
ter hanging on to the hotel carriage
agent caught cab, which YVES want
ed by hundreds of others also, and
putting my party aboard started them
for Van Ness avenue, where we had
an acquaintance who we thought
might be able to put us up temper
arily or direct us where to go. But at
Van Ness avenue the people were as
badly off as in any part of the city and
there was no use in staying there;
besides other fires had broken out in
this section and the fire menace was
as great as at Union Square. My
cabman had hurried away for other
fares SO I was forced to seek new
transportation-and this was a hard
thing to got Great numbers Of car
riages and automobiles had been press
ed into service b5 the municipal au-
thorities, and the supply for general
use was alarmingly cuEtaileA.
IN an Auto Thru Fire.
Immediately across from whore we
had stopped was a garage and while
the proprietor promised the dEst ma
LIT =, d. Y