The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1906-05-01

not attempt to describe the Iuii0 oi'oi
the earthquake or the subsequent fire
which devastated the Imperial CITY OF
the Pacific for twenty-six miles. 1t
would require the descriptive talents
do that. But of San Francisco today,
I'm the words of Bret Harte, it can be
said, she is
Serene. Indifferent to fate
She sitteth at the Golden Gate"
1t is Just eight days since we were
aroused from our early morning
they always do. only very severe. The
house and bed l was in rocked for
few seconds. then it seemed to calm
down, but really was only getting its
wind for the end of the round, and
earth was out of her orbit and careen-
ing through space The house rocked
chimneys falling, china. crockery, lamp
chimneys flying around. 1t lasted At
seconds, and in that time the damage
was done. Hurriedly dressing. we
went out on the streets; here were
frame houses flattened like a broken
egg, brick buildings all piles of bricks
and mortar; street car rails lifted up
or fallen in several feet in places; the
asphalt and stone blocks the same.
This was in the Mission district.
Sank Into the Ground.
The Valencia lodging house had
sunk one story completely out of sight,
buryng over one hundred souls. nearly
all of whom are said to have been
killed. Then a fire broke out on Mis-
sion street. and only the hardest work
of the firemen confined it to the block.
There was hardly any water, as the
mains were all broken. There was no
wind or this district would have gone
up right then. This fire out we went
home and after crust of bread and
cup of coffee started out to see the
other damage Until we got to the city
hall the same ecenes occurred. houses
either demolished or leaning against
each other then whole blocks without
a bit of apparent damage. When we
got near the city hall. where there
were more brick buildings. it was aw-
full. We could hardly get over the
piles of brick that filled the streets
from both sides. The immense dome of
the city hall appeared as a skeleton of
steel, the stone on the outside hav-
ing slid off: it was all complete
wreck. Going down Market street, the
fires had already reached the Empo-
rum. the second floor being ablaze
The Call tower building was smoking
at the top. The Examiner and Chron-
icle We're apparently safe from our
point of view. The guards would al
low no one to pass, so We had to &C
around Kearney street to Montgomery
Here We found the fire had spread to
Sansome street and all the way from
the Ferry building nearly to the Palace
hotel. At the Occidental they were
moving everything they could. but ole
Montgomery street was as yet intact
1 went to the offices of several friends
to see if 1 could help them any way
but they all evidently had bushes.
elsewhere, as their doors were locked
The interiors were full of plaster an(
bricks. The Merchants Exchange wa:
all safe then, as We're the other sky.
scrapers. but the fire behind them was
making rapid progress. We ther
started homeward to the Mission. bu
by the time we got to the city hall the
buildings of Market street on botf
sides were aflame. The Mechanics Pa.
vilion and St. Ignatius cathedral haG
just caught and soon the whole of The
surrounding streets were seethins
flames. BY this time the horrors anC
probabilities of what might harper
began to dawn upon the crowds anG
they all hurried homeward to attend
to their homes.
Sea Of Fire.
All the streets leading back of Mar.
ket. Mission. Howard Folsom. Bran
nan-in fact. all We're in a sea of fire
and rapidly coming our way, with no.
a drop of water within two miles Oh
more Everyone got his bedding to-
gether to take to the hills and very
anxiously did we watch until midnigh