VARIOUS INCIDENTS.

Press, Volume LXII, Issue 12506, 19 May 1906, Page 10

VARIOUS INCIDENTS.

STAMPEDE FROM THE BUILDINGS.

(SrECIAL TO " THF PBESS.")

AUCKLAND. May 18

The Moana brought passengers from San Francifco who were booked to leave that city by the Sonoma, which was to have mailed on the morning aft«r the earthquake occurred, a:id some of these have been interviewed her© regarding their experiences.

Mr T. Garrick, who was staying at tho St. Francis Hotel with the Coll.or Comedy Co., said: "I was awakened by a cracking sound and pieces of plaster fulling on to my bed. I jumped up and looked outeide to see c r<ut buildings rocking to and fro. The St. Francis lioiel honied like a ship at sea. Rcalisim; it was an earthquake wo all rubiu-'C pe'.l-niell downstairs, and into tho little i-quaro in front of the hotel. I shall never forget tho teriibio flcrfvams of men and women wtiich foilowod tho toppling of tho buildings. 1 saw one great piaca bulge out and fall in a cicud of dust. Tr.ere wore several people on tho side-waik when ie fell, and ail were biolted out—not one could have, escaped. I got away from tho fcCjtiarc, but I had to le.ive a \ol cf behind. would not move a stick for us witnout th? panneut of 10, 20 and 30 dollars a tinio. The extoition was w.ck.<l, but. the authorities grappled with ii as well a.s they could, "ior the city was put nuder martial law immediately. 1 w«is under tho law, too, r.s J found out when I got into the 6treet. Alter a fruitless endeavour to gel on board the Sonoma, I was walking a ong, when a young officer came up to mc and ca.d, • bear a hand here, and get sonio ot these rocks ofi the track. I told him that I was a sti anger and was going to see about my luggage at. the St. Francis llctel. He said no more, but whipped out his revolver. 'Get to work now right away, or by , I ehoot.' It was" no idle threat, I can assure you: in fact I think he was rather indulgent, for I afterwards saw four men deliberately shot dead for refusing to help to clear broken masonry off the tram lines. I saw a young fellow—a resident of San Francisco, I was told— shot dead by a policeman or soldier. He was carrying a bottle of whiskey, and was called on to halt. Hβ took no notice, and !ho was shot dead on tho spot. Reginald Roberts, who has oomo to Australia to form a Royal Comic Opera Company reached Auckland with only a suit of clothes in his possession. "I have lost everything," ho said, "and ths whole business seems even now a bad dream. I spent the night of Wednesday out in the open. It was the refugee camp of guests from tho St. Francis Hotel. Tho noise of falling buildings was terrific, but above that rose the shrieks of the injured and tho dying. I must say that the ladies of the Collier Company behaved splendidly under the awful circumstances. There was no panic, no hysterical conduct of any sort, but all settled down as if an earthquake were quito a normal occur renoe.