The Hawaiian gazette., 1906-05-08
Ell Lisbon street,
san Francisco, Cal,
April o5th. 1905.

san Francisco, Cal,
April 25th. 1905.
On "Wednesday morning, April is, N
fourtecn minutes after five o'clocl
the city Of San Francisco and th,
surrounding country was subjected I,
an earthquake shock of vigot ant
duration unprecedented in the history
Of California Shocks, diminished in
force, hut beyond the average, have
eoBtinucd since the first severe tenn
bier, this morning at six clock, one
week after the initial fatality, the
city having been visited By sharp
quake, which aside from the continued
alarm and nervousness produced by
these recurrent quiverings of the earth
was not without its usefulness in
bringing down the dangerous standing
walls Of the burned district.
The effect of the first shock on We'd
sesday morning was tremendous. Tall
business blocks swayed, and where not
built of steel, twisted and split por-
tions of them falling to the ground.
The City Hall, built at the cost of
many millions, was wrecked. The
dome stood intact on skeleton frame
work, while the main buildings were
shattered and buried beneath debris.
Flat buildings were cracked from their
foundations. The morasses on which
many portions of the city were built
helped to wreck the buildings over
them. Stately Van Ness avenue was
twisted, erevasses opened, and on Va.
Iencia street an hotel slipped into a
yawning void, carving with it its occu.
pants 10 instant and horrible death
MANY smaller buildings collapsed in
some cases the front was taken off a
Mouse exposing the rooms within like
an opened doll S house. The churches
were not spared, roofs crashed in and
steeples fell. Hardly chimney in
town remained. The power houses were
demolished. water mains distorted and
escaping gas caused many subterranean
explosions Car tracks were torn up
and twisted. In Oakland and Berkeley
the shock was less severe. Alcatraz
Island alone felt no tremor At Stan
ford many of the fine buildings were
completely ruined. San Jose was Sc
vereIy damaged, also Santa Rosa. The
shock ran east and west with circu-
lar motion that created most of the de-
Northward Sacramento was
uuhuIned. Southern cities knew moth
ing of the first quake and felt in but
minor fashion tremblor twelve hours
later. In nv own fat on HYDE street,
overlooking the Golden Gate and four
stories up the shaking was terrific, the
effect, 10 use homely simile. resem-
hled nothing so much as the feeling a
rat must have on being shaken by
terrier. Destruction seemed imminent.
and the duration of the shock, some
forty-fye seconds, seemed at least FIVE
Pictures crashed from the
walls, crystal from shelves, chimneys
fsn through ceilings, heavy furniture
moved across rooms. Our house was
cracked from top to bottom. Alright
ened people rushed into the street in
scanty raiment. refusing to return, their
terror aecentuated by continued shocks.
So,ne clothed themselves in newspapers,
Others shivered in the early morning
5ill some. more courageous returned to
elothe themselves and bring raiment
for the timid. Dressing was completed
IN the streets. Gradually calm returned
and people started to seek for friends
or view the damage done to the bust