Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1906-05-05
What an Earthquake Means.

From the Chicago Inter Ocean,
The destruction of the business dis
trIct of San Francisco means just
what the destruction of Chicago
meant in 1871. Earthquake and fire
have turned a great center of business
actively into a desert. Property is
gone, assets have lost value, and all
the machinery of organized CONNER
cial and industrial actively has been
destroyed.
In Chicago there was only fire to
deal with. In San Francisco the
dread of another earthquake becomes
a handicap on reorganization, because
among the disheartened and distress
ed people it VIII be natural to assume
that what happened on Wednesday
is likely to happen again.
The truth Is, however, that earth
quakes have changed the destiny Of
only few of the worlds great cities.
Constantinople, as beautifully situat-
ed as is San Francisco, was shattered
by earthquakes in 557, 936, 1909 and
1900, but it still stands on the Golden
Horn, the capital of a great empire,
and the desired of other empires.
Toxic was overwhelmed by earth
quakes in 1903 and 1855, but was re-
built time and again on Toxic bay.
1t is the political center of another
great empire and one of the largest
and most prosperous cities in the
world.
In location, strategically and COM
mercially considered, San Francisco
is not unlike Constantinople or Toxic.
The great city of the Pacific coast
will be at the Golden Gate or on San
Francisco bay, earthquakes or no
earthquakes San Francisco has had
a life as city of only fiftv-six years.
1t grew from a struggling town of 20,
900 Inhabitants in 1850 to a city
fortyseven square miles in extent,
with population of 342, 900 in fifty
years.
The heart of the city, covering
eight or ten square miles, has been
DESTROYED, but the men who gave
San Francisco power, wealth and in
f1uence are alive and the great inter-
ests that have contributed to the de-
velopInent of San Francisco and Cali
fornia are only temporarily crippled.
Chicago, New York and hundred
other cities are reaching forth help
ing hands with more than promises
in them All the signs point TO the
quick restoration of order, to the
prompt reorganization of resources,
and to the rebuilding of the city.
AS to another earthquake, no one
can tell. San Francisco may never
have another such visitation as that
of Wednesday. But no city is i'm
mune in this particular. The London
Standard of yesterday morning, re-
ferring to the disaster of San Fran
cisco, said: I'VE are we'll convinced
that there will not be lacking in this
land. so happily removed from these
sudden calamities, an impulse to sue
cor our brethren in distress. THE PLAIN
inference is that England is beyond
The earthquake belt, and cannot have
any such disaster as that which over
whelmed San Francisco.
The truth is that England has had
more earthquakes than San Francisco
had previous to Wednesday, There
were severe shocks in 1889, 1142, 1874
and 1918. In the earthquake of April
6, 1880, many buildings in London
were wrecked, among them st. Paul's
and Temple churches. There were
earthquakes in 1850, 1852, 1871 and
1884, each doing considerable damage.
Peking, China. lost 100000 inhabi-
tants in the earthquake of 1871, but
has not been materially injured by
earthquakes since. Cairo. in Egypt,
lost half its houses and 10000 of its
Inhabitants in 1854, but has had no
disaster of the kind since.
The precedents of the past do not
sustain the contention that San Fran
cisco more that any other city of the
Pacific coast states is to be subject to
earthquakes: On the other hand, the
record of earthquakes is favorable to
the city that just now has the SYM
pathy of the whole world.
Church Notice.
There will he no Dreachinp service