Frisco's Fearful Fate

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XXXVI, Issue 17, 28 April 1906, Page 27

Frisco's Fearful Fate

■/- THE early morning of April 17th must iver remain engraved in the imperishable history of the world as the date on which occurred one of the most disastrous and destructive earthquakes of all time. It would seem—thanks be to God—that the loss of life may not equal that

occasioned by the Mount eruption and earthquake at Martinique, when 30.000 persons inhabiting St. Pierre perished in three minutes: but while its awful suddeness nearly approached that terrible disaster, the ruin and desolation occasioned in the fearful fate of San Francisco makes pale the most awful occurrences since the destruction of Herculaneum and Pompeiii by Vesuvius. Nothing more terrible can be imagined—imagination indeed fails to grasp sa vast a cataclysm as the collapse of this noble, rich and progressive citv. nroud in its youth and enterprise, and daily spending hundreds of millions of dollars in the erection of more and more magnificent ami imposing structures. No doubt the cablegrams, scanty enough, as they were, have been read ami re-read with deepest horror, warmest sympathy. and. alas, in many New Zealand homes with aching anxiety for friend* and relatives resident in the fated city. But a permanent record of this, the most momentous and terrible event of the present < or the past » century, a

condensed summary of the event* of th* fateful seventeenth of April and following days will doubtless be welcomed as an accompaniment to the splendid collection of pictures of the destroyed city which appear in the current issue. FAIR CITY IN THE EARLY DAWN. When a quarter-past five pealed from the bells of the ’*( hroncile” newspaper office. San Francisco stood the noble ami stately city, known to so many travelled New Zealanders, and so well depicted in the following pages. ONE MINUTE LATER. came the first awful ami devastating shock. The city was. we are told, tossed as a feather is tossed by the wind, thgreat buildings swaying like poplars in a storm, ami then, with a roar, the like of which can never have l»eeii heard on earth before, the mighty structures fell this and that way; the dominating

Spreckels building collapsing like an egg-hell. At the same second its mighty rival across the street, the ’’Chronicle.” was hurled into the roadwav. ?\o brain can conceive of the horror of the moment : the unfortunate people rushing from their beds into tlx* leading streets, only to witness fresh horrors on everv side, or haply to be killed by the build ings falling like avalanches into the Instantly, with the awful escape of gas from ruptured mains, the fin* kin J advanced to heap HORROR ON HORRORS HEAD. and to complete the work of desolation the eart hipiake had Iwgun. What wonder that the terror and excitement of the people. as they ran hither ami thither in helpless bewilderment, was bevond description. That more did not lose

their reason outright is marvellous indeed, and the general orderliness and good behaviour which ultimately prevailed must arouse universal admiration. Entire sidewalks were, we are told, torn up; the tramway tracks were twisted as a child might twist a piece o£ flower wire, and rents and crevices opened themselves in the roadway. Naturally, the greatest damage was in Marketstreet, the busy main thoroughfare, which traverses the entire city, and in .which were situated the largest and most splendid and most modern buildings in the city. The following were amongst the notable buildings to go:—The “San Francisco Call” Oflice, better known to many as the Spreeskies’ Building, built and owned by the millionaire who runs the Ventura, Sierra and Sonoma on the ’Frisco service, which is now suspended until further notice. The vast “Chronicle’’ Office, to which at the time of the occurrence further stories were being added; the “Examiner’’ Oflice, the “Western Union” offices, the Post and Telegraph Offices, City Hall, which cost over a million to build, the Palaee Hotel with its sumptuous accommodation lor a thousand guests, and its famous American dining room, where COO people could dine a once; the Union Ferry Depot, one of the busiest parts in the city, being the starting-place for trams and ferry boats; the Rialto Store, Dhelan’s warehouse, one of the finest buildings in the city; while the rest of the street followed in quick succession, and fire everywhere completed what the earthquake had begun. This was aggravated by a steady breeze which was blowing at the time, and which speedily carried the flames to the residential quarters. The brigade, one of the finest and bejt-organised in the world, made herculean efforts to suppress the spread of the flames, but their utmost efforts were rendered useless by the wrecking of the water mains. Meanwhile, affairs on the water-front were equally calamitous. The great Ferry Building, with its huge tower, collapsed early. The ferry service to Oakland and other' towns across the bay was immediatelydisorganised, while a huge tidal wave did incalculable damage, and several sheds slid bodily into the sea. CLIFF HOUSE DISAPPEARS. The well-known pleasure resort, Cliff House, which is built on the seashore and partly overhangs the ocean, slid bodily into the waves, and the Tutro Baths, the finest and best-appointed in the world, were completely wrecked. Desperate diseases need desperate remedies, and the firemen now had recourse to dynamite to blowing gaps in the flaming city, in vain endeavour to stay the progress of the ever increasing fury of the flames. A further difficulty also arose from the rightul odour which permeated the city from the broken gas

and mains; an outbreak of typhoid being greatly feared. MISCREANT LOOTERS. Some scum of humanity will always rise to the surface on such dreadful occasion, bnt prompt measures were taken to deal with thieves and looters by Major-General Funston, who commanded the troops in ’Frisco, and declared martial law immediately after the fatality. “Shoot looters and thieves at sight,” was the order given, and about 40 met a shameful death red handed in this manner. * A TERRIBLE FATE. Awful as must have been the death of those killed in the collapse of the buildings, a still more horrifying fate met hundreds who had been imprisoned by falling debris, and who thus penned in had to wait to meet inevitable and excrusiating death by being roasted in the advancing furnace of fire. CHINATOWN DESTROYED. The “City' Within a City,” the Asiatic quarter known as Chinatown, but inhabited by Italians, Spaniards', Greeks and others besides Celestials, was completely destroyed, and here the mortality was exceptionally heavy. Two thousand frantic Chinamen, aud thousands of Italians, Spaniards and Mexicans fought desperately in reasonless panic until the soldiers restored order. OUTSIDE THE CITY. Though news from outside ’Frisco is still of the scantiest description, it is yet proved the shock was felt over hundreds of miles of country round the doomed city. In San Jose, Santa Rosa, Santa Cruz, hundreds of lives have been lost. Oakland, the town across the bay, has suffered terribly, and the news slowly coining in is of the gravest description. HOUSELESS AND HALF STARVING. Hundreds of thousands are homeless in the parks, ruch and poor, black and white, virtuous and frail, huddled together, all caste and false veneers of society forgotten and all endeavouring to be of mutual service. TORTURES OF THIRST. The absence of water has caused untold suffering at first, as did, of course, also the shortage of food. Trains of provisions and water are now however arriving, and monetary relief is being lavished with generous hands. THE WORST OVER. At the time of writing the worst would certainly appear to be over. The tire is well in check, several blocks of millionaires residences having been blown away to create a gap the fire couple not overleap. World-wide sympathy and universal offers of financial assistance have been received, but President Roosevelt has gratifully and gracefully intimated that outside subscriptions are unnecessary. A description of the city as it was prior to the destruction, is compiled from the best sources available. Being written prior to the destruction, this is naturally in the present tense. This also include# some description of the founding of the, city, its gold days, and its immensely rapid rise. That it may spring up like the Phoenix, from among its ashes, will be the universal wish of every section of the community.