Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-04-21
A THRnLIHa RxpxRIxNcB.
Four Reached Los Angeles In Pitt
able Condition

able Condition.
Los ANGELES. Cal. April 2i.-Most
thrilling Of all stories yet related of adj
ventures in stricken San Francisco during
the days of horror and nights OF terror Is
that or party OF four. two women and
two men. who arrived here yesterday after
having spent night and the greater portion
OF two days on the hills about Golden Cato
Park This party was composed of Mrs.
Francis Winter, Miss Bessie Marley. DIR.
Ernest w. Fleming and Oliver Posey. all
prominent local people. All were guests at
the Palace Tuesday night.
They returned with feet swollen ana
bruised from miles OF walking over ragged.
broken streets and with flesh scared ana
blistered from cinder and fame The wom-
en- FASTENED to a local hotel, where they re-
manned all the afternoon and evening. pros
trated from the shock and the exposure ana
denying themselves even to all friends Mr.
posey went directly home but Dr. Fleming
unkempt and disheveled. went TO the Cham
Der of Commerce 10 give suggestions for
succoring the stricken ones who had not
been fortunate enough TO fee from the city
of desolation.
1t was on his advice that the relief COM
mittee made, purchases OF linen and band
ages to send north. He said that the num-
Der Of killed has been greatly exaggerated,
but that hundreds. probably thousands, are
suffering from burns. and hundreds of thou
sands from hunger and exposure
The party of which he was member was
formed In the streets of San Francisco
Wednesday morning after the second shock
had made the Palace Hotel untenabe. They
were strangers until then.
To reporter DR.. Fleming told OF his ad-
ventures
Il was sleeping in a room on the third
floor of the hotel" said DIR. Fleming. when
the first shock occurred. An earthquake in
San Francisco was no new sensation TO ne.
i was there in 1868 when a boy ten years
old. when the first great earthquake came.
But that was a gentle rocking of a cradle
to the one of Wednesday.
Sensation on Awakening.
Il awoke 90 the grooming of timbers, the
grinding. creaking sound then came the
roaring street. Plasterins and wall decora-
lions fell. The sensation was though the
buildings were stretching and writing Ike
a snake. The darkness was intense. Shrieks
of women, higher shriller than that of the
creaking umbers, cut the air. l tumbled
from the bed and crawled. scrambling to-
ward the door. The twisting and writing
appeared TO Increase. The air oppres-
sive. seemed to be saying to myself, VIII
1t never, never stop?' / wrenched the lock.
the door of the room swung back against
my shoulder. Just then the building seemed
TO breathe, stagger and right itself.
But l fed from that building as from a
falling wall. | could not believe that IL
could endure such shock and still stand.
THE next / remember L was standing in
the street laughing at the unhoiy appear
ance of half hundred men clad in paja-
mas-and less. The women were in their
night robes; they made a better appear
ance than the men. The street a rain
bow OF colors In the early morning light.
There was raiment of every hue-and in
many cases raiment never intended TO be
seen outside a boudolr.
looked at q side. hA
laughing at me. Then for the first time I
became aware that / was in pajamas my
self l turned and Ned back to my room.
There i dressed, packed my grip and
fastened back to the street All the big
buildings on Market street toward the ferry
We're standing. but marked four separate
fires. The front of the small buildings had
fallen out into the streets. and at soma
places the debris had broken through tho
sidewalk into cellars.
Il noticed two women near me. They
were apparently without escort. One said
to the other, What would | give to be back
in Los Angeles again7
THAT awakened a kindred feeling and I
proffered my assistance I put my over
coat on the stone steps OF building and
told them to sit there.
Debris Falling on All Sides
In less than two minutes those steps
appeared to pitch everything forward-to
be- flying lat me. The groaning and wrIth-
ing started afresh.
But was Just stunned / stood there
in the street, with debris falling about me.
1t seemed the natural thing for the tops
of buildings to careen over and for fronts
to fall out. l do not even recall that the
women screamed.
THE street gave a conclusive shudder
and the buildings somehow rlghted them
selves again. l thought they had crashed
together above my head The two women
arose and started to walk. l followed in
Iii n Of fr,71nG anvt. ~ f,a csr
was filled with moving things again"
Thrilling Experience.
The rainbow raiment had disappeared and
all were clad in street clothes. Every ono
was walking but there was no confusion.
We did not even seem in a hurry. Down
Market street the flames were growing
brighter.
I'VE walked with our luggage to the st.
Francis. Fires were burning down toward
the ferry, but the fire department had
turned H. We had faith in the fire depart
ment
.'soon became aware that squads of sol
diers were patrolling the streets. 1t APP
peared perfectly natural. / do not think L
wondered why they were there.
Men and women were all about US. we
looked at each other and talked, even tried
lamely to joke. But every few minutes
convulsive CULVER swept through the city.
The others seemed to be sniverng.
People Talked Strangely.
81 noticed that the eyes of the men ana
women were rolling restlessly. Their tones
were pitched high. 1t seemed to CRATE on
my nerves. Then I fell to wondering
whether I was talking shrilly too.
II went to a grocery without a front and
bought few supplies-things that would
make a cold lunch. The grocer did not
even oyercharge me. He was particular TO
give me the right change.
THE soldiers came and told US TO move
on. 1t seemed the natural thing to do. BY
this time the fire was creeping dangerously
close. We would have walked to the ferry.
We tried it on a score of streets, but that
wall of fire was always there. 1t seemed
to creep across in front of US.
And in front of the fire always walked
the soldiers A number of times l hired
express wagons. We would ride for a few
blocks and get out on the sidewalk.
THE BARNES NOMINATION.