The Baraboo news. [volume] (Baraboo, Wis.) 1884-1911, 1906-05-09

From San francisco Telling
of the Disaster.

DR.. B. E. Mills of this city, has
received an interesting letter from
Mrs. Clara L. Taylor of San Fran
cisco. telling of the earthquake and
fire. Mrs. Taylor will be remem-
bered by the older residents of Bar
aboo as Clara Sumner and it was
her father, Col. Edward Sumner,
who erected a hotel where Reink-
ing's store is now located. Col.
Taylor went to California about
1850.
Her husband, Robert L. Taylor,
is the son of John Taylor who first
erected business places on Third
avenue at the west end of the busi-
ness block. One building is on the
corner where Thuerer & Woodruff
are located, one is where J. Briggs
has his feed store and two were
where the Fair store is situated.
That end of the street was former
ly known as Taylor's row. In the
corner building all kinds of enter
tainments were once held in TaYlor's
hall. Robert Taylor has been very
successful and gained compentency
in shipping Washington lumber to
the Orient and elsewhere.
The Letter.
The letter to DR.. Mills is dated
April 28, 1906, at IA Broderick ST.,
San Francisco, and reads as fol-
lows:
Just line to let you know that
we are safe and we'll and none OF
our property was destroyed by
either earthquake or fire. We live
in the Western Addition near two
large parks which escaped the flames
and the shock was not so heavy out
here on the hills as in the lower
parts of the city. Two-thirds OF
our beautiful city is in ruins; all of
the business portion, and some OF
our finest residences. We could
have recovered from the earthquake
shock in a short time for the steel.
frame and stone buildings stood
well, but the dreadful fire is what
ruined US. Of course chimneYs and
walls were thrown down everywhere
but the wooden buildings are little
injured. Our house is damaged
very little, only few things were
broken, and we feel very thankful
for many of our friends have lost
their all. The earthquake broke
the water mains so the fire engines
were of no use and they had to
resort to dynamiting the buildings.
Our city (the most Of it being
built of wood) burned like kindling
and with our fierce summer winds
blowing the fire spreadverY rapidly
a d it seemed impossible to check
it, but they succeeded at Van Ness
Ave, a very broad, beautiful street,
where some of our finest residences
were. One of our richest men
offered million dollars to spare his
mansion, but it was in the way, so
it fell, but the heroic efforts were
successful and to that we owe our
salty. We thought at one time
the whole city would be in ashes
and we we're ready to fee to the hills
in our parks which were covered
by thousands of people who remain
ed there for days without cover or
food but now everybody is housed
in tents and are we'll fed. But oh,
the misery and suffering that the
poor people endured. There were
eighteen babies born in one night
in the park. Now the sick are all
gathered into hospitals and well
cared for. J can give you no idea of
the horrows of the clamity. Never
| in the worlds history was there a
worse catastrophe, so it is said. The
Chicago fire was only little blaze
compared to this.
| Courage of Business Men.
| You would be surprised at the
courage and spirit of our business
men. Only ten days have passed
and all the teams and men they
can get are working to clear away
| the dell bis preparatory to laying
! foundations for new sky scrapers.
Millions of money are here ready to
be invested and all believe that our
uuch loved c;fv will arise from her