The Rathdrum tribune. (Rathdrum, Idaho) 1903-1963, 1906-04-27
SAN FRANCISCO'S LOSS.
One Of Greatest Of 6atastr5phes u
Modern Times is Over

One Of Greatest Of 6atastr5phes ii
Modern Times is Over.
| The fire which followed the eatth:
quake In San francisco April ID, and
| devastated the ereatet patt bf tht
city, had practically burned ltsetf out
on April 81.
After all due alldwauce Is tftade fuf
the exaggeratlon of the press dis
patches concefning the extent Ut the
disaster, there Is NO room fot doubt
that 1t is really one Of the greatest
catastrophes of fiiodern tiiness san
Francisco, the tenth city Uf the
United States in population aud the
seventh In bank clearlngs, had otef
500, 900 Inhabitants anti was enjoying
the distinction OF the greatest sea-
port on the Pacific coast with d large
and growing commerce. With the
Orient. The actual loss by the earths
quake, though very considerable, was
small compared with the desttuctiun
wrought by the tire which it caused
and which the stiff Paciht bteeAe
famed into fury that was beyond
all human effort To control. All OF
the business part of the city was
swept by the flames while half Uf the
residence district was laid in ashess
Observers describe the city as presents
Ing the aspect OF vast and desolAts
smOldering stretch OF ruins, With
here and there building but partly
damaged or almost wholly uninj1red.
The brick and stone structures sufs
Tered mostly from the earthquake,
the wooden buildings we're leveled by
the flames, but the modern steel sky
scrapers withstood the shock and re-
mained intact through the fire. In !.
surance authorities at latest accounts,
carefully estimate the property loss
at the immense sum or $500, OO0. 900,
the insurance being $l75, 900, 900,
The loss of life is uncertain. The
dead that have been found lead to
the belief that 500 are about all that
lost their lives, but others believe
that in all probability the deaths
will be found to reach into the thou
sands although 1t is generally admit
ted that the exact loss will never be
known. A great manv were killed
by falling buildings while many were
caught in the debris and burned to
death. In chinatown, which was
totally destroyed by fire, hundreds OF
the Chinese slaves are believed to
have perished in their subterranean
prisons.
The problem Of keeping order was
left to the military under General
Funston and martial law prevails.
The dead are being sought out and
buried and the wrecks OF buildings
are being cleared away. The inhabi-
tants of the stricken city faced star.
walton for several. days but money
and foodstuffs were hurried IN from
all points from generous nation and
famine has been averted. Thousands
are homeless, 10000 being cared for
at Oakland and many more In other
i places. i1
There Is no Encouragement, how.
ever. On every hand are heard ex-
pressions of flrm conviction that from
the ashes will rise greater and more
beautiful city. Plans for the new
San Francisco are already Icing per-
fected.
The earLhQ shock was not con.
fined to San Francisco alone. Oak
land, Sacramento, Los Angeles, San.
ia Rosa and other California cities
suffered damage and loss of life. The
Leland Stanford university was also
badly wrecked.