The Mena weekly star., 1906-05-03


 San Francisco, April 2S.--Many of San Francisco's homeless people camp. ed in the parks, squares and vacant lots were awakened early Friday morn. ing because the water dripped through inprovised tents, which afforded poor protection against the heavy rain that began to fall about one o'clock and continued for several hours, Drenched to the skin by the heavy dow1pour and with bedding thoroughly soaked many persons were driven into nearby houses for shelter.
 Although the various camps were better prepared for the storm than for several days past, hundreds of tents having been received and put up since the last storm still, there are thou, sands who are without proper shelter and who shivered in their wet clothes vainly trying to get warm after the rain ceased, by walking or were hud- dled around little camp fires. The least distress and suffering was at the presidio where nearly all the refugees have been provided with tents by the quartermaster's department A wagon load of picks and shovels was furnished with which trenches were dug to carry of the water and the ground banked around the tents making them com, paratively comfortable
 In "Cow Hollow" at the rear of Har- Dor View, about 5000 Italians from Telegraph and Russian Hills and a sprinkling of Chinese and Japanese are camped. Few of them have been provided with tents and there was much distress among the women and children of which there are many In the camp.
 A chill wind was blowing Friday morning and the difficulty of prepar- of the homeless, especially those who are laundering in the mud in the low bottoms.
 Ill Lafayette and Hamilton Squares comparatively few tents have been issued to those camped there but the ground is high and the drainage good Where the rain penetrated the impro- vised tents of blankets, quilts and oth- CT like material, the soldiers took the women and children into the houses in the vicinity. In many instances they gave up their own tents to shelter the suffering. Many tents have been provided at Jefferson Square since the last rain where several thousand are camped. A few who were not adequately sheltered were taken into the large automobile garages in the vicinity and to the Lutheran church In several instances people in houses refused to admit women and children in distress from the cold and rain and the militia unceremoniously broke down the doors with the butts of their rifles.
 Several thousand tents are en route here and it is expected that within a few days fully 150.000 refugees will be comfortably housed.
 Permission to run cars on Pacific avenue, Fillmore, Church, Sixteenth streets and certain parts of Mission street was granted by Mayor Schmitz late Thursday night. It is sn.. .cified that the cars will not run after o'clock at night and that the rrn;tod Railroads will maintain Da- trol of one man in each block operated in the unbu.ned districts as pro- lection against fire.
 Over l50 stores were opened for business Thursday but before night numerous complaints were received that storekeepers had raised prices 70 prohibitive figures.
 Capt. Rittenhouse, of the United States marines, commanding the dis- trict from Bush to Oak and Fillmore to Divisadero streets. called at the central police station and requested that detectives be detailed to investl- gate some of the complaints made to him that exorbitant prices were being charged in certain quarters.
 The alleged systematic theft of sev- eral tons of Red Cross supplies has been disclosed by the arrest of Arthur Jacobs by Police Commissioner O'Grady and Detective Mathewson. Jacobs is said to have made confes- sson duplicating several confederates and revealed the place where he had hidden the loot Jacobs is . teamster who volunteered his services to haul supplies from the water front to the various relief depots. His offer was accepted and it was while hauling Red Cross supplies that he is alleged to have done the footing during th' first few days of the relief when | was not organized as it is now. Under the present system of handling sup plies this would be practically impos- sibls. About two tons of the stoler goods have been recovered and 1t i' expected that Jacobs pals will sooI be under arrest.
 Fatal Railroad AecideDt