The Democrat-sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1906-1935, 1906-05-17
Related by Miss Anna Pos
ton, of Oakland, Gala,
INTERESTING LETTER
Received by DR.. Rannells.
Of this City.

DIR. d. A. Rannells of this city ha
received most interesting lette
from his niece, Miss Anna Poston o
Oakland, California, under date o
April 90, two days following the earth
quake at San Francisco. Miss Poston'
experie ce during the day of the
earthquake and the following days o
horror and terror are well worth per
using. The letter follows
/ hope that our telegram reached
you in plenty of time to save you any
worry the terrible news from Cali.
fornia may have caused you.
We are all safe and are everyone OF
us seated now around the table in
Uncle Sans library.
John and | were the only ones who
really had narrow escapes, and thank
goooness he cid not have to go through
anything to compare with my eXper-
fences.
shall try and give you an outline
of my adventures on Wednesday, the
day of the earthquake.
Mrs. B. had been feeling rather
poorly and so her husband decided
Sunday morning that she had better
go down to the bigg hetel, The Ven
dome, at San Jose, and take a.,few days
rest. She only thought of going Sun
day morning, so she telephoned, asked
me, and we left Monday afternoon.
Such thing as an earthquake never
occurred to us and until Wednesday
morning at 5:13 we had splendid
time.
The Vendome is great, big hotel,
almost as large as that at Delmonte.
The annex of the hotel is built onto
the old building so thBt it is contin-
uation oft. There is no passageway
between them.
AT. 5:l3 on Wednesday morning we
were awakened by the most terrible
earthquake ever felt in California.
Nhe annex was rocking like ship at
sea. First our end 'uf the building
would lift clear off the ground and
then the other would go up in the air.
| don't know why we did not try to
raise up in bed but we did not, To
that fact we owe our lives.
OF course, we would have been un-
able to stand, but we would have been
crushed had we gotten up. 1t seemed
like hours we lay there waiting forthe
crash to come. L remember thinking
would cover my head with the bed
clothes, and how dispairingly |
thought that the beams when they
fell would hurt me as much as if 1
were uncovered so | lay there with
out even trying that Soon the laths
and plaster began to fall, striking me
on the back OF the head and on the
side of my face, yas lying on my
stomach when the shock came.
L remember opening my eyes and
seeing the corner of the room come
way over my bed and then swing as
far out again. At last the prayed for
crash came. How we welcomed 1T.
You cannot imagine how had hoped
it would come soon and end it ali
quickly All we wished was that
we might be killed quickly for we
mad no hope that we might be saved.
For minute we lay there without
moving and then we got out or bed.
The room was in ruins The floor
tilted to an angle of 40 degrees; the
walls burst out; the windows broken
the doors and ceilings utterly crushed
and our beds twisted all out of shape
The laths and plaster lay all around
us, so that we could not not see the
floor; the dust was so thick we could
hardly distinguish each other; and
our clothes were buried out OF sight.
After it was over we were so stun
ned that we acted as if nothing had
happened. 1 found and put on my
shoes and stockings so that could
walk on the fallen plaster and laths.
MIS-. B. could not find her shoes so
she dressed in all her clothes, but
skirt and waist, while / hunted them
and got ali our other things out OF
the closet ana dresser We saved
everything but one Of my side combs
and q bottle -of toilet water, which
was smashed by marble slab falling
on It, We racKed all the small things
in the suit cases and some men came
in and tied our other things in sheet
and threw them out of the window.
BY that time Mrs. b was all dressed
and a man said we must leave Il o
building. He threw blanket over my
night gown, and we were lifted out
aud taken over to the main hotel,
where we could finish dressing and
packing our things.
Perhaps you have read that the
anne of the Hotel Vendome was
demolished Demolished was not the
word which fits the occasion. 1t was
literally taken mp, twisted around,
and then thrown ON the ground.
Where before 1t joined the main
building, there is now a gap OF TWEEN
ty feet. 1t was three stories high,
and now at one end the roof is fiat on
slo ~.~1wsa fa.w uoos,a xxan IN eha aaa