THIRTY YEARS AGO

Evening Post, Volume CXXI, Issue 128, 1 June 1936, Page 10

THIRTY YEARS AGO

THE "FRISCO EARTH-

QUAKE

HOW IT WAS* REPORTED

Thirty years ago today San Francisco lay in smouldering ruins, said the "San Francisco Chronicle" on April 18. Temblor after temblor had rocked the city until her buildings toppled over like toys. Then fire razed the structures still standing. Faced with this catastrophe of unparalleled magnitude, newspapers of San Francisco temporarily forgot rivalry and united to publish a clear, unbiased picture of the situation The "Chronicle," the "Examiner," and the "Morning Call" jointly issued a paper the morning following the disaster, a paper printed in Oakland. Following is the verbatim text of the lead story appearing April 19, 1906, telling of San Francisco's tragedy:— Death and destruction have been the fate of San Francisco. Shaken by a temblor at 5.13 o'slock yesterday morning, shock lasting 48 seconds, and scourged by flames that raged diametrically in all directions, the city is a mass of smouldering ruins. At 6 o'clock last evening the flames seemingly plying with increased vigour, threatened to destroy such sections as their fury had spared during the earlier portions of the day. Building their path in a triangular circuit from the start in the early morning, they jockeyed as the day waned, left the business section, which they had entirely devastated, and skipped in a dozen directions to the residence portions. As night fell they had made their way over into the North Beach section and springing anew to the south they reached out along the shipping section down the bay shore, over the hills, and across towards Third and Townsend Streets. Warehouses, wholesale houses, and manufacturing concerns fell in their path. This completed the destruction of the entire district known as the "South of Market Street." How far they are reaching to the south across the channel cannot be told, as this part of the city is shut off from San Francisco papers. THOUSANDS HOMELESS. After darkness, thousands of the homeless were making their way with their blankets and scant provisions to Golden Gate Park and the beach to find shelter. Those in the homes on the hills just north of Hayes Valley wrecked section piled their belongings in the streets and express wagons and automobiles were hauling the things away to the sparsely settled regions. Everybody in San Francisco is prepared to leave the city, for the belief is firm that San Francisco will be totally destroyed. Down town everything is ruined. Not a business house stands. Theatres are crumbled into heaps. Factories and commission houses lie smouldering on their former sites. All of the newspaper plants have been rendered useless, the "Call" and the "Examiner" buildings, excluding the "Call's" editorial rooms on Stevenson Street being entirely destroyed. It is estimated that the loss in San Francisco will reach from 150,000,000 dollars (£30,000,000) to 200,000,000 dollars (£40,000,000). These figures are in the rough and nothing can be told until partial accounting is taken. On every side there was death and suffering yesterday. Hundreds were injured, either burned, crushed, or struck by falling pieces from the buildings, and one of ten died while on the operating table at Mechanics' Pavilion, improvised as a hospital for the comfort and care of 300 of the injured. The number of dead is not known, but it is estimated that at least 500 met their death in the horror. UNDER MARTIAL LAW. At D o'clock, under a special mesage from President Roosevelt, the city was placed under martial law. Hundreds of troops patrolled the streets and drove the crowds back while hundreds more were set at work assisting the fire and police departments. The strictest orders were issued, and in true military spirit the soldiers obeyed. ■ During the afternoon three thieves met their death by rifle bullets while at work in the ruins. The curious were driven back at the breasts of the horses that the cavalry men rode, and all the crowds were forced from the level district to the hill section beyond to the north. The water supply was entirely cut off and may be it was just as well, for the lines of fire department would have been absolutely useless at any stage. Assistant Chief Dougherty supervised the work of his men, and early in the morning it was seen that the only possible chance to save the city lay in effort to check the flames by the use of dynamite. During the day a blast could be heard in any section at intervals of only a few minutes, and buildings not destroyed by fire j were blown to atoms. But through the gaps made the flames jumped, and although the failures Of the heroic efforts of the police, firemen, and soldiers were at times sickening, the work was continued with a desperation that will live as one of the features of the terrible disaster. Men worked like j fiends to combat the laughing, roar-j ing, onrushing fire demon. j