THE FRISCO DISASTER.

Greymouth Evening Star, 25 May 1906, Page 1

THE FRISCO DISASTER.

A TERRIBLE DEATH-TRAP. NUMBERS ROASTED ALIVE. AUCKLAND, May 18. Mr 11. Walker, of (Jisbome, who lias been on a short visit to tlio United .Stales, relates a terrible tragedy that occurred on the lop of Telegraph Hill on the Friday night after the earthquake. Some 200 or 250 people had lied for shelter to the top of jhe hill, when- they believed (hey' would be safe from the ravages of the flames. They carried or dragged a large quantity of their household belongings (o this spot, only to find that they had entered a (rap from which escape was nexl I" impossible. A precipitous cliff 400 or 500 feel deep, prevented them from going forward, and eventually when (ho lire reached the buildings behind and around (ho crest of (he hill, they were roasted alive, despite the most frantic efforts fo escape. Some of them rushed hack between the burning houses, but others who did not lake advantage) of the first opportunity of this means oi escape, found all means of retreat cut off. On (he previous night Mr Hunter and Mr Walker had passed the night on this bill, after covering themselves as well as possible with grass and pieces of timber. The rapidity with which Ihe fire sprang up in every part of the cily immediately after the earthquake was responsible for some iragic incidents. One of (he most painful of these was witnessed bv Sir Young, a passenger for Sydney by the Moana. He states that lie saw three men on the l f of the Windsor Hotel after it was on lire. They bad no means of escape, anil were shot as a means of saving them from the torture of (ho slow and agonising death that stared them in the face:

AX ACTORS EXPERIENCES. •A GREAT SOCLVL LEVELLER.'' Mr William Collier, the eminent American actor, who was on the point of leaving San Francisco for Australia when llio earthquake occurred. saiO : - • "The disaster has been a great soeial leveller; it spared neither class nor creed. ] was slaying at tho St. Francis Hotel when it happened—l was asleep, iii fact—hut I was rudely awakened by being pitched right out of bed across into a bathroom next, to my room. [ was bruised a bit. but not much hurl. The whole building was moving—-wriggling, so to speak. All around were to bo" heard the thunder of the falling buildings, (he groans and shrieks of the dving and injured. Half an hour after the earthnnake a fire broke out in the hotel. We all went out and sat in a little park opposite the hotel, with as much baggage as we could carry in our hands. Wo all had to sleep in the little park, for nobody thought of .sleeping under a roof that night. Then we tramped oilt to Golden Gate park. I shall never forget the scene there as long as I live. Enormous crowds of men, women and little children were there—some lying peacefully asleep, others sitting on the grass swaying to . and fro distracted, many weeping for , someone who was missing, perhaps killed in the ruin of the city. Ministers of religion did their best to comfort tho people. In somo cases services were held in the ruins of the wrecked churches. Tho worst feature of tho disaster was shortness of tho food supply, and the interruption of tho water supply, for all tho mains had burst. There, was an enormous amount of suffering among the very poor, and even the wealthier classes had to suffer too, for goods were an enormous price immediately, and carters charged a pretty penny for tho removal of goods. So stiff were tho demands that many people had to leave their things to chance in the streets.

"Well, on leaving Golden Gate park wo went over to Oakland. Wo could get no cables through, nor receive any. Of couso wo were all short of money, and tho banks did no busi-

ness. As a matter of fact, I lost' in American and English gold, about £SOO. Wo had no clothes excepting those into which wo jumped when we got out of bed—or, I should say, when wo were thrown out of bed. Wo waited over in Oakland, and the first wire wo got was 'You leave for Vancouver.' We gathered a little money —to buy a few little things for the trip. My loss had been very heavy. All our properties were stored at the hotel, and all the dresses of the company were among them, but the fire burned everything. Luckily the scenery was to be made in- Australia, so we were spared that loss. The memory of San Francisco immediately after tho firevwill never bo effaced from my mind. The hotel St. Francis is, or was, a great high" brick building, but it rocked about like n cork in the water. When I rushed downstairs and reached the vestibulo I heard a sharp crack above me, and there clattered down at my heels a great chandelier. I was hit by a few fragments, and it was a very close shave, for the thing was'about 15 feet across. There were no elevators, at work in the hotel, Mid I had to get doWfl she

I ffik oil q b ' nS * C°Uld'•'go, for Ibe dl ,:, V 0 COU,d **« re ft™ w „ " ,,,ly P*»»» lost " l "»y «n.I ir„„ Wor , TJ O S" gfmascrap book uith ~.. ■ of ln J "f greater ,il "f n ° ticeB ' is °»« *'' Collier remarked (»,,,, *.„, • «»•* arc thoroughly i„ e „ies ' ■» ovorj-lJunsr. but i„ holhin* more tha he enfor cement of martial W The ™».»;/«rv in San Francisco gave i shift to lootm-nor did II »«»P, »ill.»„l .nil 1 ,S"lent stores, provided for the moneyess refugees. Ho denied it, but a ;;'!;-l gathered quickly, and then a ml. ary-ofheer forced his way through l.e cumd, revolver in hand. The wile seller repeated bis sto ry, but, (he officer said "G'ivo the people the coffee and send m your claim (o tho Governlm.;'! • 'he People had to obey the military. If they did not, well A Japanese, who for some reason fired oil the soldiers, took refuge behind ; nl automobile, and held the men at bay until he was despatched. "I Ihink the people as a whole realised (hat such, stern measures as wen. taken were for their benefit. At any rale, the majority of them readilv acquiesced in everything (hat was "done to maintain order, and considering the terrible ordeal through which they had passed, they behaved splendidly, and as well as ono expects Americans (o behave in a time of national disaster. Almost immediately after the earthquake had brought the city to ruins, there was talk of re-building; even while the flames were sweeping away blocks at a time. Tho San Franciscans are possessed of any amount of pluck, and their prediction that a larger and nobler city will arise out of the ashes, will, 1 have not the slightest doubt, bo fulfilled."