THE SAN FRANCISCO DISASTER.

Timaru Herald, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 13012, 27 June 1906, Page 5

THE SAN FRANCISCO DISASTER.

A-FEW DAYS AMONG THE RUINS. Among the passengeis by the second express south yesterday, war* Mr Williett, Va.-ntember'of the Dunedin Post Office staff, whV -had returned by the mail steamer . ' tfroin San-Francisco, where he had been as assistant mail agent far one trip. Mr Williett .missed being in the ill-fated city at the time,of the great disaster, through ' his having stayed over at Honolulu, and-he arrivec 7 at San Francisco a few days afterearthquake and fire had done their work. In the--course of a brief chat at the rail*. 4 way station, Mr Williett told a "Herald" reporter that there had been a good deal of "hushmg-up" of the bad features of the disaster and its consequences. A good deal of dismal news had' reached the NewZealand papers, he understood, but it could! not equal the reality: The destruction: and the misery that he saw during his eleven days' stay beggared description. The earthquake did more damage than had been; generally published, in breaking up and buckling-up the site of the city. At one point a building sank to the second storey; at another, ,the street was ridged up like a wave six feet high. (Photographs of both these results been published' in "Home papers.) There had been some careful hushing up , too of reckless shooting of citizens by the soldiers sent out as guards. Some of ' them got drunk, and shot people on very little excuse. Two officer.' were arrested/ and are to be tried for wilful murder. There had been an: extensive exodus of people before Mr'Williett-'reached there, and it still continued, the rpiln-ay companies giving free tramsit to esc.-.pes, as far as they chose to go. There were still five-and-twenty thousand people camped in the principal park, the weather was wet and stormy part of the time, and :the people, crowded in the Tents, were by no means l too comfortable. Mr Williett went over much of the fire-destroyed part of, the city, and in dry weather these excursiOßß were unpleasant from the lime dust blowing about. It was necessary to wear goggles to avoid being blinded. Im the rest of the city every chimney was db>vm or damaged,, and cooking indoors was fopbidden until the chimneys had been officially examined, an operation that wottW take a long time to; complete. The streets were therefore converted into kitchens, and eome very curious.cookery was to be seem, going on. The wnarves were not much damaged, and they were > all in use again when the mail steamer left. , ' Regarding the future. Mr Willieft found that opinions varied. While some- T?ere anxious to get the city going again, others had lost faith in the safety x>f the, site, and it seemed to be generally .udmitte*" * that San Francisco will never - recover the ' standing it had lost, that ■ it will never be the city it was before the shock &u& i&6 fire.