The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1906-04-24

LOOters Begin Their WOrk-GhOuls
at Work Among the Dead-Orders
to Kill all DespoiIers OF Dead Bodies.
San Francisco, April 19.-It will be
many days before the complete story
Of the ruin wrought by the double ca
lamity of earthquake and fire that
visited San Francisco today will be
written, and her there will still re-
main untold countless tales Of woe
The exact loss of life will never be
known, as hundreds of unfortunates
have been incinerated in the flames
which made the rescue Of those buried
under the topping steeples and falling
walls impossible. Temporary mOrgues
were imprOvised at many points, only
to be RACED by the flames. Tonight
the city resembles one vast SHAMELESS,
with the red glare Of fire throwing
weird shadows across the worn and
panic-stricken faces Of the homeless
who are wandering the streets or
sleeDing in piles Of mattresses n
clothing in the parks, and on the side
walks in those districts not yet reach
ed by the fire.
Thousands have fled the city. For
getting for a moment the terrible SUI
ferings, physical and financial that
Ill. =. 49, x,olya of tho 1iSaCfar ths
scene presented by the names is one OF
unspeakable grandeur.
A falling wall from Of the dyna-
mited buildings on Mission street
crushed out the life of Fireman Max
Fenner, while many other fire fighters
met a like fate. Through all the
streets automobile and express wagons
are hurrying. carrying dead and injur-
ed to mOrgues and hospitals.
1t the morgue, in the hall OF just &c.
fifty bodies lie. The flames rapidly
approached this building, and the work
of removing the bodies to jackson
SQUARE began. While the soldiers ana
police were carrying the dead to what
appeared safe places, a shower OF
bricks from a building dynamited to
check the flames, injured the workmen'
and sent soldiers in procession hurry
ing to hospitals. The work Of remoV-
ing the bodies stopped and the remain
der of the dead were left to possible
cremation in the morgue.
From the Barbary coast, the horde
of vicious and criminal that infest thai
quarter poured forth and started early
in the evening to loot srores, and rot
the dead. Fearing such a fiendish eli
max to this day of horrors, Mayor
Schmitz and Police Chief Oman ISSUED
orders for the soldiers to kill all whe
engaged in such work. Before TIT
ewes of an Associated Press represent
alive three thieves were shot in TN
back and fatally wounded, in the com
mercial burning district.
The earthquake worked astonishin;
havoc in San F~rancisco's famous Chl
atown. Chinese theatres and JOS
houses are in ruins, and rookery afte
rookery has collapsed, covering Nv
hundreds off Chinese. Panic resign
among thousands of Chinese, and the
fill the streets, dragging in whateVe
they an save.
The Japanese quarter has been burr
ed, the people fed in terror, packln
on their backs what household effect
they could tie together.
ETENT OF BURNED DISTRICT,
The burned district extends from til
water front south of Market street
Market street, and west to 18th stree
north Of Market. The fire extends o,
Hayes and McAllister streets near
to Fillmore, and from the water frol
along Market to Montgomery ar