Putnam patriot., 1925-08-14

had to get their meals over camp fire in the back yard-even the hotels that were open for business had To ao this. No gas in town and on aeconh, of fire danger, no one was allowed 4. hav. any kind of fire !n the house until the house had been inspected The trouble was that the plumbing an over town was broken and run gas pipes would have been very dan gerous. As you we'll know, fre atter the quake, is the greatest danger.
 ssThig city was saved from that oxtra horror by the heroic act Of the foreman of the electric light plant here who crawled on his stomach across a large room and turned oh the power though in that trip he re- ceiyed a mashed foot. broken arm and fearful burns from flying wires and hurtling machinery. Wasn't that nerve?
 The Telephone Girl
 And speaking of nerve, the people of Santa Barbara have a different feeling towards the telephone girl than they formerly had. The night force at the switchboard that morn ing sat there until the last wire went down and the floor began to give under their feet, and they had to make their way to the street with walls falling about them and the stair Yays gone. The bobbed-hair, the lip- sticked girl whom we all have wor, ried about, is still a real woman and is ready to face death when by so doing, she can save others.
 sI wish 1 might tell you of the brave things done that morning-the unselfish risking of life, the wonder ful way everybody helped the best they could, the work of the nurses and doctors at the hospitais-the story ia thrilling as we'll as glorious For two days We had some trouble to get food, but when Los Angeles began to send in train-loads, we were well supplied. All over town the Red Cross opened canteens to feed the people who were homeless, and ev- erybody in town received their ra- tions through them. Santa Barbara was & sorry sight that day and it still is in terrible mussed-up condition.
 Only Seventeen Killed
 "We were very lucky in having only
 
 hundred dollars will cover all, l think. But scores of houses were wrecked and scores badly damaged in town and in the surrounding country. The loss of china, glass and bric-a-brae. is awful. Collections that have taken many years to collect and worth for tunes. are gone Furniture was also ruined, and many fine old family heirlooms, are all gone. But the small loss of life We are grateful for--only seventeen were killed by the quake. and only about thirty-five badly hurt. There were scores more or less in- iured-we had several friends who received broken arms and other hurts, by flying pictures, rushing about of furniture and other causes. But think what the loss of life would have been if the quake had been one bour lateri No question but thou sands would have been killed in the stores, in the office buildings and on the streets. Reba and l feel as If we had been through real battle, and like everyone in town, our nerves are badly wrecked.
 Santa Barbar is going to rebuild at once, and everybody is agreed to rebuild under the plans of the Com munity of Arts, so in few years the old town will appear AS the one real Spanish city in America, and If you know. or rather want to know what q real Spanish city looks like, come out here and see us and we will show you one.'