The Hawaiian gazette., 1906-05-01

early this morning over two-thirds of
Frisco had been wiped out by fire, and
nothing can save the city.
[Some of the city, however, was
saved
SToRRER' OPINION.
NEW YORK, April 2o.-The officials
of the Postal Telegraph Company in
this city at $50 a. m. received the fol-
lowing message from MIR. Storrer, the
superintendent Of their service in
Frisco: 1.-THE FIRE is still going on,
and will probably consume the whole
city, except those streets situated be-
tween the Golden Gate Park and Web
ster street, in which the fire depart
ment can work with some chance of
success
A DETAILED STORY.
SAN FRANCISCO, April 20.-When
the heroic fre-fghters were making
their last stand at the FIRE line on Van
Ness avenue, panic reigled among sur
vivors in other parts of the city. In
tense heat and absence of water have
been so terrible that scores have be-
come frantic and others have dropped
from exhaustion ir the streets.
The streets are still choked with
refugees hurrying hither and thither,
scrambling wildly for an avenue of
escape.
FRANTIC TO ESCAPE.
Since early morning, when the great
rush of fame doomed the hotel and
apartment house districts along Ellis,
o'Farral and Sutter streets, men,
women and children have been rushing
under heavy loads, some to the ferries
in hopes of getting to Oakland, others
to the hills. Golden Gate Park and the
ocean beach. Famished women and
children and exhausted men were kept
walking several miles around North
Shore in order to avoid the flames and
reach the ferry. MANY dropped to
the street under the weight of their
loads and willing fathers and husbands,
their strength almost gone, strove to
pick them up and urged them forward
again.
CANNoNADING FLAMES.
At clock Mayor schmitz and Chief
of Police Dinan saw that the only hope
of saving the Western addition with its
forest of frame buildings and the Rich
mond district with its thousands of
homes was to check the fire at Van
Ness avenue, which crosses the city
from north to south where the retail
store and fine apartment house district
ends and where the residence section
begins. Orders were given to concen-
trate every fire engine at this avenue,
to marshal troops of soldiers there, the
police and all the army of workers, and
| make one last determined stand to save
the remainder of the city.
The cooperation of the artillery was
secured and huge cannon were drawn
to the avenue to assist in checking the
rapid advance of the fire. Every avail
able pound of dynamite was hauled tc
the spot and the sight was one of great
havoc, as the cannon were trained or
the palaces and the shot tore into walls
and toppled the buildings in crushing
ruins.
USING DYNAMITE.
At other points dynamite was uset
and houses worth millions of dollars
were lifted into the air by the power o.
the blast and dropped to the earth ;
mass of dust and debris.
The work was necessarily dangerous
and many of the exhausted workmei
kept going through stretch of Al
hours without sleep and scarcely an!
food, through force have been killed il
the last stand.
The fire line at 6 o'clock extends {
mile along the east side of Van Mes
avenue from Pacific street to Ellis.
All behind this, excepting the Rus
sian Hill region and a small distric
along the north beach, have been swep
clean by the flames, and great stee
hulks of buildings and pipe shafts an,
spires have been dropped into the mol
ten mass of debris,
The steady booming Of the artiller,
and the roar Of the dynamite rise abov
the howl OF the crashing OF falIin
walls with monotonous regularity,
LACK or FOOD,
SAN FRANCISCO, April "a, PEI
sons IN the city are unable TO got food
The last loaf OF bread and can Of sal
dimes sold for $500. People are sol
ting down on hands and knees drink
ng the muddy water IN the streets Al
Oakland restaurants are out Of hFeaC
Nearly every person in Oakland "a CIT
Of 10000 mhahtanls op the east sid
Of aan Francisco Bay four and bal
miles from Han frAnelseol, has yell