The Kemper herald. (Scooba, Miss.) 1875-1908, 1906-04-26
SAN FRANCISCO EAR RTHQUAKE
Greatest Catastrophe the Country Has Ever Known Beggas De-
serption Followed BY Fire. and Today Only One
Fourth Of the Golden Gate City Stands Monument to the
Disaster Entire Country Stunned by News From Scene

/ uge camps located in the districts
which were untouched by the flames
Golden Gate Park was the mecca OF
the destitute. This immense play
ground has been converted into vast
mushroom city that bears striking re-
semblance to the fieeting towns To-
Gated on the border of a government
reservation about to be opened to pub
lie settlement.
The common destitution and suffer
ling have wiped out all social, fnan
cial and racial distinctions.
Money has little value. The family
that had foresight to lay in the larg.
est stock of foodstuffs on the first day
Of the disaster is rated highest i'll the
scale Of wealth.
A few families who could secure
willing expressmen are possessors OF
cooking stoves, but over 95 per cent
of the refugees are doing their cook
ing on little camp ovens of brick OIL
| stone.
Many of the homeless people are
in possession of comfortable clothing
and bed covering, but the great bulk
of them are in need. Fresh meat
disappeared Wednesday morning anc
canned foods and bread stuffs is the
only food in evidence Not alone are
the parks the places of refuge. Every
large vacant lot in the safe zones has
been invaded and the cemeteries are
| crowded.
A well known lady of social posi-
ton when asked where she had<spent
the night replied: con grave. :"
Throughout the entire western por
tion Of the peninsula county of Sar
Francisco these camps are located
The municipal safety committee has
had plans for concentrating these un
fortunate people in several camps but
unless they are forcibly herded to,
gether like cattle this scheme seems
Impossible Of accomplishment.
Major McKeever of the United
States army has been appointed com
mandant of the camps and with his
staff of associates brought some sort
of system out of the chaotic situa,
tion. His first thought was to supply
food and water and then to arrange
sanitary measures.
The grave question is Chow soor
will an adequate supply of food arrive
from outside points to avert famine
and destitution. H."
There is little food in SanFrancisct
outside of what little each person pos
sesses and this can not last more than
few days. San Francisco is geo.
graphically an isolated city. Its near
est large neighbor on the south Los
Angeles, 500 miles away. To the
north is Portland, nearly 800 miles
distant, and its nearest sister in the
great east is Salt Lake 1000 miles
away. These cities and nearer small
towns are making sacrifices for the
destitute here, but it is to the big
cities of the nation that San Francisco
looks with anxious eyes for relief. In
vitations were issued by Mayor
Schmitz to break open every store
containing provisions and to distribute
them under police supervision.
Both the mayor and Chief of Police
Dinan when asked for statements by
the Associated Press expressed them
selves as thankful that the fire was
virtually controlled. Chief Dinan said
that the order of the city astonished
him. He thought it due to earlier Sc
we're measures taken by the soldiers
and police in shooting down offenders.
The only bank in the huge ruined
district that escaped destruction was
the Market Street Bank at the corner
of Seventh and Market streets. It is
in the gutted Grand building, but the
fremen saved the ground floor. 1t
will pay out money just as soon as it
hears from the clearing house officials.
Thousands of members of families
are separated, ignorant of one anoth-
er's whereabouts, and without means
| of ascertaining The police have
opened up a bureau of registration to
bring relatives together.