Bishop Grimes in San Francisco

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXIV, Issue 27, 5 July 1906, Page 19

Bishop Grimes in San Francisco

The Very Rev. Father Lc Menant des Chesnais, V.G (writes our Christchurch correspondent), has just received <a letter from his Lordship Bishop Grimes, who at the time of writing was at San Francisco. After leaving Auckland (writes his Lordship), we had tw o Saturdays in cno week. On the Sunday we celebrated our first Mass at sea in ihs social hall of the mail steamer assisted by two. fellowrpasskngers, the Rev. Father Gaynor, O.S.F. (who was at the opening of the • Christchurch Cathedral), and Father Befiernan, a Passionist of Sydney. On the following Monday we touched at Pago Pago, where Father Bellwald, whom I ordained when last in Europe, met us with his mission boat, and got Ins principal natives Ho give rs a reception with a friendly kova. This good Father's life must be a very trying one, with his twelve stations to attend to, and the sight of a colleague barely once a month. The heat was extreme on leaving Pago Pa^o. 'We spent a day at Honolulu, where, unknowingly we took up a smallpox passenger, his state being discovered the next 'day. We all had to be vaccinated, and it was the general opinion, from the captain down, that we would be quarantined on arrival at San Francisco. When we reached there on April 28 eight health officers hoarded' us, and it was only on consulting the chief on land tbati we were told the next day we should be allowed to disembark. Three Fathers (Guibert Thiery and Nort) met us at the wharf and informed us that their church and presbytery wene in ruins, but they had thoughtfully secured us a residence in one of the spared quarters of the city. The residence of one of th*> principal Catholics; a noble mansion, had been placed at the disposal of a community of Sisters . ('Heltoers tff- the ?°H y .fS ls . ln , I Pu^ t^y I ). Their own fine convent had suffered the fate of many another religious institute, which; had been levelled to the ground by the earthquake and subsequent fire and dynamite. ' Saveral times during my three days' stay in San Francisco, the Fathers accompanied me through the ruined, city. Jhe sight was one. of the most awful ever witnessed, the memory was most vividly impressed -upon my mind; and I .am sure it can never be effaced thereJrom. Ido not think any similar catastrophe ever befel a- city m modern or ancient times, save the destrucr tioh of Jerusalem of bid and perhaps the' great earthquake of Lisbon. - ■< The earthquake of San Francisco on the morning of April 18 lasted 47 seconds, but there were repeated

shocks for several days after the great one. Every' chimney m the city was thrown down and many 'of the modern buildings, and nearly all oa the made up ground were tumbled to the ground. Those built on hard rock sites, like the- one where lam staying, escaped -. witb scarcely a crack. . One of th 3 worst oficcts of the earthquake was to break all the water pipes of the city' causing the fusing of tiie electric wires, the eas to explode in vjanous parts and fires to become almost univer- « ill- v ? -, d J^ ys lt Y as Wossibie to control the fires. Public buildings, churches, schools, convents, hospitals, and residences were dynamited to arrest the progress of the flames • but all in vain. The work of destruction w r e n nt , , on ', and t °- da y seven and a half square miles, or 350 blocks of the once fair Golden City are but so many heaps of ruins. Thousands and thousands have ocen rendered hornless, and they are now dwelling in theparks, w.lnch' the Government have, with praiseworthy speed, provided for them. Clothes and provisions- are doled out to them under the supervision of the military-, who pitilessly shot down looters and all who refused to help the distressed. It is a sad and sorrowful sight to go amongst the ruins, but sadder still to meet so many who luyve lost the sa\ings of a lifetime extending over a period of half a century. ' Sixteen tlatholic churches have been destroyed or badly injured tyy the earthquake or fires, convents, colleges, seminaries, and many hospitals and charitable institutions laid low. Outside the city and in other parts of California the greatest grief of the Archbishop is the destruction of the ecclesiastical seminary, which had only recently been completed, and which was one of the show sights of San Francisco -and the pride'of the Archbdshop, who assured me that he had spent on it more than he could say. Some have asserted' that he had spent well nigjh a million dollars en it-. He had indeed, donei much to build up his archdiocese, and make it one of, the grandest in the United States, and in a few hours all was reduced to atoms. But in the midst of so much desolation it is a sub ; ect of wonder to find so much peace and resignation reigning throughout all classes, high and low, rich and poor, young and old. ' Archbishop Riordan, who has suffered' so much in mind and body and material cares, gave me the keynote of the otherwise startling situation of the stricken people when he said to me in a quivering though strong voice • "Tell the Holy Father, whin you see him, that though we have lost all, we ha> c not lost confidence faith and courage. We are far from yielding to despair' We have a whole-souled, generous reople to deal with and, pleas© God, they will willingly help us to repair th> havoc, and in a year or two we will be right again." Noble, and prompted, by a notle spirit of faith ani trust in a noble-minded flock. Another great consolatun is that not a priest nor reJigipus, nor inmate of the many Catholic charitable institutions of the city jvas lost in the midst of the disaster. ' No one will ever know how many lives were lost The general estimate is that they did not rea<h more than six or seven hundred, though it is believed that some hundreds were buried alive Tvcneaih th? crumbling ruins of many a low or poor boarding-house. I am informed that over six hundred persons lost their reason . on the occasion of the great calamity. The churches and institutions that suffered, not from the earthquake but from the su'bseqrent fires, will ha^e fared better than those demolished by the eartriqual'?. ' Our Fathers are daily expecting to receive Ihe insurance, one third of the tot-1 value of the buildings t n enable them to start rebuilding. They were barely ?hle to save the sacred vessels and a few vestments ; their library, household and other church furniture were' wholly destroyed. ' It is resolved to build up another and more reauliful San Francisco on the ruins of the afflicted city On May 30 I expect to start for our college at Salt ■ Lake City, and, aftrr a few day?,, proceed further east, leaving New York some time in June. ' The berths on several of the vessels p-oing to Europe from New York have been secured months ago.'