The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1906-05-05
All That Is Left
Of The Great City
BY FRANK L. HOOGS.

SAN FRANCISCO, April 29.-All that
remains of San Francisco is afringe of
buildings along the docks, along the
hilly south boundary and the Western
Addition. The map of San Francisco
looks today like the picture of fringe
of hair around a bald head. The hous-
es that are left are wooden residences,
corner grocery stores and the like on
the outskirts of the city.
The populace has fed from many of
these, for they were shattered by the
earthquake and many of them are UNI
safe.
Those houses that are intact and
safe for occupancy are being turned
into temporary hospitals and the hun
dreds of patients that reach the field
hospital for first aid are sent to these
houses.
Fires for cooking are allowed only on
the streets and the houses are cold,
and for the most part bare, as most
Of the residents prepared for a quick
move with their valuable belongings
Until the danger from fire passed they
did not clean up nor replace their fur
nlture.
Out in the parks, in the squares, over
in Oakland and in the bay cities, the
| people are huddled in all sorts of tenn
po9ary camps. Food is arriving and
Is being distributed by the car load.
The sight from the Ferry Building IS
| appalling. On every hand as far al
mos as the eye can reach, the metro
| polls of the West is gone, an din it's
stead, bearing silent witness to the
awful destruction of three days and
three nights Lies the city of the dead
! Where once stood skyscrape are now
! piles of tangled Steel fallen walls and
heaps of mortar. The distant slopes of
| Telegraph Hill and Mob Hill are bare,
while the downtown streets and bust
TESS districts are lost in a maze of
ruins. There are few streets in San
Francisco today. The few that are
not FILED foot deep with debris are
twisted and far out of line as though
grasped and shaken by some monster
iron hand. The Hall of Records and
tn" Mint are practically the only pub
lie buildings in the business districts
that are fit for occupancy.
Between sun and sun every great block
in the business section was destroyed
A roaring. seething hell of flame sweep:
It's way from the ferry station west
ward and the magnificent fire depart
ment of San Francisco, pitifully handi-
capped by lack of water and scarcity
Of dynamite was forced back to the
residence, district, fighting every inch
of the way. 1t was a bitter warfare,
but the odds were with the fire fiend
All night long. the losing battle con-
tinued, until firemen dropped exhaust
ed in the street, still clinging to the
nozzles which they refused to desert.
So the flames crept over the hill from
| Kearny street.
South of Market there is nothing but
desolation. Not a building stands in
that dreary waste of smoking ruins,
and miles to the southwest, dozens of
marching smoke columns mark the de-
struction of the Protrero and the Mis-
| sion.
At o'clock the fire was threatening
Mob Hill, and in dozens of historic res
licences. Here the firemen made one
last desperate stand. Down the hill as
far as the eye could reach the city was
afire. The rumbling crash of dynamite
told that the department was fighting
the advance all along the line, but it