Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1906-05-02
MIDST OF RUIN AND DEATH
GENERAL ROGERS RELATES PER.
SONAL EXPERIENCE.
Writes OF the Sensation Of an Earthquake
Shock. and Ruin of Santa Rosa,
Where He Was at the Time.

Where He Was at the Time.
We are privileged to take the follow
ing from letter written by General f.
NJ. Rogers to his son, Henry:
Thirty miles from here are springs
which for ages have been flowing. boil.
ing water, indicating down Ia the depths
is a mighty ealdron kept boiling by in
ternal heat. Wednesday morning Just
after sunrise, a terrible roaring noise
was heard, followed by seismic distur-
bance, an earthquake, which cracked the
earth and popping noise like volley of
pistols. The earth shivered and tren.
bled aud rolled in waves The chimney
fell, the house shook and trembled and
seemed to ba tossed like boat ON the
waves. Chinaware fell, milk split, Jam,
sauce and preserves went TO the floor
tried to get mp bat could not stand. 1t
was like standing In a canoe on water
Mrs. Rogera tried to get mp but failed
The windows ratified, the doors banged
and for one minute 1t did seem as though
everything was to be shivered into splin-
ters, The mountains ieveled and valleys
go NJ louise, Howard and Hattie were
sleeping upstairs nd they came tumb-
ling down and ran out doors in great
fright. Soon the disturbance wae over;
then there was "a puIselees stiffness; not
leaf moved the song birds were silent;
the barnyard fowls seemed to have been
quleted. The sun was dim, shining
Lhrough cioads of dust made by the
earth cracks. We looked towards Main
street where we had heard the noise of
falling buildings, and there rose great
volumes of smoke and flames We hnr-
sa1 %. 1.a ~
paling sight The wave came from the
west, and first 10 fall was the wineries,
the flooring mill and warehouse. II
rolled up Main street one.half mile, lev
cling everything built of brick and stone
and wood all the business houses, the
hotels filled with guests, banks court
house and city hall fell the armory, the
l. o. o r. building the Carnegie libra
ry and the Masonic temple nearing com
pletion, all were as heaps of stone, brick
and mortar When we arrived the FIRE
was leaping from the ruins and the en-
CINE in the fallen engine house. The
water main was broken, gas exploded,
kerosene and gasolene cans blew up,
then the fire reached the armory arsenal
and the cartridges exploded for many
minutes adding more terror TO the
scene
The early hour, out few were astir.
Men and women ran to the streets in
| their night robes some with sheets, 9TH
ers with quilts over them Barefeeted
mothers with infants in their arms,
small children clinging to the mothers,
who in the terrors Of fallen city SEEM
ed to despair. All the chimnies on the
residences either fell through the roofs
or were sent whizzing over the yards
Many houses had the foundation shaken
from under; others were askew many
tipped partly over and fell porches were
separated and kitchen annexes Topped
| off to one side. Many killed and many
injured; the number can only be told
when the space is cleared. The hotels
were known to bs filed, many of them
strangers. Howard and Will Rogers
and many others worked all day and
night to uncover the dead and living
Will worked all day on the Santa Rosa
hotel, worked to the call for help and at
night reached man pinioned between
timbers, yet alive Sunday the churches
were beautifully decorated for Easter;
the lilies and roses were numerous be-
cause Christ is risen Today th schurches
are morgues for the fallen ir one of tbs
awful laws of nature TIE X nights
1ElUUtdi 10 hl1C GuAAGh Az h4C
splendor of their uniforms then to their
temple now fallen and some of their
number lie with the dead The business
houses had decorated with splendor and
taste for Easter. now piles Of undistin-
guishable material on Sunday morn.
ing the rector had proclaimed: This is
the Lord holy temple; let all the earth
remain silent. Today the holy temples
are the resting place Of the dead.
Information comes of the terrible des.
truction of San Francisco and other cit
les. Many of the people here, like Isra-
eI. are in tents, while others, like the
Druids. are resting under the wide
spreading branches of the life oak, in
yards and parks. San Francisco, the
great entire port of the Pacific coast, the
great mart for oriental trade, is fallen,
leveled by the seismic wave; the flames
have done their worst and the gilded
city, the marvel of the world, her Palace
hotel of marble, her banks, the rich and
poor are homeless and San Francisco is
a smouldering rain the heavens aglow
at night from the hames visible even
here fifty miles away and terrible clouds
by day. The awfulness OF the tragedy
Is too terrible to describe.