The Call-chronicle-examiner. [volume], April 19, 1906, Page 4, Image 4

About The Call-chronicle-examiner. [volume] (San Francisco, Calif.) 1906-1906

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4
LOSS IS $200,000,000
HEARTBREAKING
SCENES AT
THE PAVILION
• The Immense Mechanics' Pavilion,
the former scene of many pleasure*
and sports, was utilized as a huge
morgue and hospital, and soon Its
space was filled with dead, dying and
Injured, and Its vaulted oelllng echoed
their cries and groans. Fully 300 per
sons were treated. Doctor* and nurse*
by the score hurried to the scene and
volunteered their much-needed aid.
Drug stores were broken Into for med
ical supplies, and the department
stores ransacked for pillow* and mat
tresses for the Injured.
The scenes and cries were fearful to
behold and hear. The operating table*
were filled all the time. Infanta were
brought In In their mothers' arms,
burned and bleeding. Men and women
had been caught by falling walls and
horribly mangled, In many cases the
broken bones protruding through the
flesh.
.At 1 o'clock in the afternoon the
flames, which had been gradually
creeping nearer and nearer to this Im
provised hospital, finally reached it.
Dr. Charles Millar, chief surgeon of
the Emergency Hospital, immediately
ordered all patients removed.
Every scrt of vehicle was pressed
into service, and the dead and injured
removed. The wounded were taken to
Golden Gate Park, for there was no
other havrn of refuge not In the dan
ger zone, and were laid upon the
grass. Many were taken Into near by
houses by kind-hearted people and
cared for.
At the Harbor Hospital fully 100 In
jured persons had been treated up to
10 o'clock in the morning.
Upon the receipt of the new* of the
disaster torpedo boats and tugs loaded
with navy and army doctors, nurse*
and sailors, were dispatched from the
Mar* Island Navy Yard and Goat Isl
and, and rendered great aid to the In
jured In the Harbor hospital.
Never was there euch \u25a0 roeno In Ban
Francisco as was there In Mechanics'
Pavilion yesterday. Too much praise
cannot be given the doctor* and the
nurses who gave their aid to the In
jured. Their work was beyond praise*
As assistants to Dr. Millar, Doctor*
Plnkham, Herzog, Tillman, Roche,
Qoodale and fifty or more volunteer*
performed the surgical work.
And tho nurses. Well, their effort*
will long be remembered. Young wo
men from the hospital*, graduate* In
the nurse** homes, neighbor women
and those who drove to the door of
the Mechaalo*' Pavilion In their pri
vate automobiles, all took a hand In
the work. Cathollo Bister* worked by
the side of Salvation Army lasses, and
the priest* and minister* made their
way among the cats, giving the oom
fort of their cloth.
MAYOR MOTT
OF OAKLAND
SENDS MESSAGE.
The following message was sent
last evening to Mayor Schmitz
by Mayor Frank K. Mott, of Oak
land:
yff Oakland, April 18th.
Hon. E. E. Schmitz:
Mayor of San Francisco:
Large committee formed to
night ready to go to San Francis
co and render whatever assistance
you need in caring for the injured
and helpless. Los Angeles has
wired me offering similar help
Let me know at once, and will act
immediately.
. FRANK K. MOTT,
•Me/or. • ,
FIVE KILLED IN
OAKLAND THEATRE
OAKLAND, April 18.— The
earthquake shock began in Oak
land at 5:14 a. m., lasting* twenty
eight seconds, in which time neai
ly all the principal business build
ings were badly damaged, five
people were hurled to death in
the ruins of the Empire Theater
building, and scarcely a residence
in the city escaped without more
or less damage. Those who met
death amid the ruins of the the,
ater were Otto Witcher, 45 years
of age, Amelia Witcher, 13 years
of age, Louis Marney, 25 years
old, and his wife, aged 25 years,
and an unidentified man. J. P.
Judge, a locomotive engineer,
died from heart failure caused by
shock and excitement.
All were caught by the falling
walls of the building, and were
buried beneath tons of brick and
broken timbers, the bodies were
removed from the ruins by the
firemen, and were removed to the
Morgue.
j The buildings which suffered
most from the terrific shock, were
the Physicians' Building on
Washington street, between
Twelfth and Thirteenth streets,
the entire front of the upper floor
being torn away and hurled into
the street below; the Central
Bank Building, the walls of both
corners fronting on Broadway be
ing wrecked, the First Baptist
Church, a handsome stone build
ing at Telegraph avenue and Ho
bart street, was so badly wrecked
that it will have to be torn down,
a three-story building on Thir
teenth street between Broadway
and Washington streets, a com
plete wreck; the building occu
pied by the Crane Company, at
Thirteenth and Webster streets;
St. Francis de Sales church, one
wall of which was torn loose from
the building; St. Mary's College,
and the First Unitarian church.
Not a brick or stone building
in the city escaped damage, in
most cases a part of the walls of
the upper stories being torn away
arid thrown into the streets. At
the corner o fEleventh and Clay
streets, a bakery wagon was
caught by the falling debris, be
ing reduced to kindling wood, and
the horse killed.
Awful as is the damage to this
city, however, it is nothing com
pared to the appalling calamity
which has overtaken San Fran
cisco, and the people of Oakland
are thankful that the horrors of
fire were not added to those of
the earthquake.
Owing to the fact that the en
tire telephone and telegraph sys
tem has been rendered temporar
ily useless, it is impossible to se
cure details a sto the amount of
damage done in the interior of
the county. The newly erected
magnasite plant at Fruitvale hae
been entirely wrecked, and a num
ber of other buildings more or
less damaged. Among the Oak
land and East Oakland, water
front a number of warehouses
and wharves have been partly de
molished and will have to be re
built
At Niles large boulders dis
lodged from the hill and crashed
through the pipe line of the
Spring, Valley Water Company,
and the flood of water released
from the big main washed out
the tracks of the Southern ' Paci
fic Company, delaying trains for
several hours, and helping to
cripple the water supply of strick
en San Francisco. A number of
buildings in Niles were hadly
damaged.
At Centerville the entire front
SAN FRANciscO, THURSDAY, APRIL 19, 1906
MARTIAL LAW IS
DECLARED
After a conference between
Schmitz and Chief of Police Di
nan, San Francisco was placed
under martial law at 9 o'clock
yesterday morning.
All the troops at the Presidio
were rushed to the city and
mounted couriers were sent out
to notify commanding officers of
nearby garrisons that the Feder
al troops were needed in thej
stricken city.
In less than an hour more than
2000 regular soldiers were pat
rolling the streets under orders
to shoot thieves and vandals on
Mounted men drove back the
frantic crowds by riding into the
press of people, and many were
injured in trying to escape from
the riders.
Disorderly throngs rushing over
the fire lines called for quick and
effective methods in handling the
jam of people.
A Many acts" of vandalism were
committeed and during the ex
citement crooks looted countless |
damaged stores and office build
ings.
Colonel Morris commanding
officer of the Presidio, is in com
mand of the troops guarding the
city, and Major Brown is in com
mand of the artillery division,
comprising the First, Ninth and
Twenty-fourth Light Batteries,
mounted troops and five compa
nies of heavy artillery, dismount
ed.
One , troop of the Fourteenth
Cavalry is acting as mounted
couriers.
The Twenty-second Infantry
arrived at noon from Fort Mc-
Dowell.
Drafts of troops were sent from
Alcatraz and Angel Islands.
More than 5000 regular soldiers
in addition to the militia, police
and special officers kept order in
the city last night.
wall of the Centerville Bank col
lapsed, and other buildings were
damaged.
Berkeley escaped with little
damage, a few chimnies being
thrown down,' and -the - walls of
some of the brick buildings
slightly damaged. Not one of
the buildings , of the ; University
of California was affected by the
shock.
The Southern. Pacific sheds,
and the coal bunkers at Long
Wharf collapsed into. the bay, car
rying with them 'thousands of
tons of coal.
AnotHer heavy shock was felt
at Martinez at 6 o'clock .tonight,
which still further wrecked the
already tottering buildings, and
should there be any further dis
turbance, many of them will col
lapse. The damage \ already done
by the earthquake is estimated
at $50,000. .
SAN JOSE
IS RUINED
Passengers arriving on trains
from other cities in California
bring tales of - death and disaster
from nearly all of them. The loss
of life and .property in San Jose
was great, it being estimated that
nearly 50 people were killed and
many moreinjured. The Vendome
Hotel Annex was badly wrecked,
between 10 and 15 people being
killed there. The St. Francis Ho
tel there was badly damaged, one
aged woman being killed. 'Hiram
Bailey sustained internal uv
juries. Dr.; DeCrow was killed
and his wife. badly injured.. Every
business building in the city was
demolished to such an extent that
nearly all will have to be torn
down. The building
was half demolished, the front of
the new Court house fell into the
street and the entire building is
a wreck. The First Presbyterian
Chuch is completely demolished.
Martial law has been declared,
the State militia guarding prop
erty together with 500 special
deputies.
From Santa Cruz, Monterey,
Gilroy and Hollister come reports
that all of these cities have been
completely wrecked, the damage
at Hollister being greatest, even
all of the frame residences at the
place Jbeing razed to the ground.
The d«/ath' | list r st[ Santa Cruz is
reported to be .very large. \u25a0, ; .; ; ,.,. ;*„
.'...A1l of the Stanford University
buildings at Palo Alto with one
exception, are r reported demolish
ed. No loss of life has been re
ported from there. ".
The State-) lnsane Asylum at
Agnew is reported demolished,
the superintendent and his wife
being killed and seventeen nurses
injured. Two hundred inmates
of the asylum escaped and are
roaming over the countryside. .
. .The military academy at War
ren was partly demolished and
the students are making every ef
fort to get away from there.
MESSAGE COMES
TO PARDEE FROM
ROOSEVELT
OAKLAND, April 18.— Early
this morning : Governor Pardee
received the f . following message
from President Roosevelt :
"It was difficult to credit the
news of the calamity that had be
fallen San Francisco. I feel the
greatest concern for you and the
people, not only of San Fran
cisco, but of California in the ter
• rible disaster. You will : let me
know if there [is anything that
the giyernment. can do.
'THEODORE? ROOSEVELT."
Governor Pardee also received
telegrams of/ sympathy and of
fering help from the governors
of Louisiana, and
Oregon. ';.
The following message was
sent by Governor. Pardee to
Mayor Schmitzjof San Francisco:
• "Am appalled and overwhelm
ed by the great calamity to San
Francisco, " only meager; details
of which havereached me. I ex-j
tend sympathy and assurance of •
my earnest -desire to help, those •
inj distress inianw manner in ;
which I am able. I
"GEORGE iC: PARDEE.''
REFUGEES GO TO
OAKLAND
OAKLAND, April 18.— Thousands' of
refugees, rendered homeless by the J
terrible calamity which has overtaken j
San Francisco, have come to this city I
to escape from the terrors across the
bay. On learning of this the Realty
Syndicate at once offered Idora Park
for the use of those left without shel
ter by the earthquake. The offer has
been gratefully accepted by the Police
and Fire Commissioners, and two hun
dred cots have been placed in the the*
ater for the use of the refugees. Re
lief stations have also been established
at the City Hall, and at the various
public parks throughout the city.
Other relief stations have also been
established in such of the ohurohes
throughout the city as are considered
safe for use as such.
Mayor Frank K. Mott has issued the
following appeal to the people of Oak
land to aiid the authorities in preserv
ing peace and order:
"To the People of Oakland!
\u25a0 "The earthquake this morning visit
ed upon our city a great calamity, yet
It Is a source of much satisfaction that
we were spared from a conflagration
and serious loss of life. The officials
of the city have, the situation well in
hand, but I desire to appeal to the peo
ple to co-operate^ with -the authorities
In maintaining peace, and' order.
"As many- buildings are in an un
safe condition the public are admon
ished to keep off the streets, and par
ticularly warned against congregating
In groups. It Is also very essential that
precaution be used in the building of
fires until the chimneys have been In
spected and repaired. Those who have
not either gas or oil stoves are advised
that danger may be avoided by mov
ing their stoves out of door*.
"FRANK K. MOTT, Mayor>
Chief N. A. Ball, of the Oakland Fire
• Department, ha* made the following
suggestions to -householders regarding
fire* In houses the chimneys of which
have fallen:
"Build no fires In coal stoves, grates
or fire places until the interior of the
chimneys has been Inspected, cleaned
out and put In repair. In many places
where the chimneys appear to be all
right, they may have cracks In the In
terior or may be stopped up with
refuse, which might cause a blind fire.
, While the earthquake was at its
height, the two smokestacks at the gas
works at the foot of Grove street fell,
crashing through the roof of; the
works, crushing the boiler and killing
one of the firemen, whose identity has I
not yet been learned.
The force of the earthquake has
caused the Twelfth street dam, oppo
site the boathouses -on Lake' Merritt,
to sink eighteen inches.
A report •comes from Martinez that!
the Martinez Bank Building, one of j
the finest structures in the town, has
been completely destroyed.
It is at present impossible to esti
mate .the amount of damage to'prop
erty in. this city, owing to the fact that!
practically no inspection has been \
j made of the buildings, except by Fire
i Warden 'George McDonald,* and this/
> only . for .the purpose' of condemning ;
'those which are unsafe and must be >
tornrdown. { Many of the structures j
: which from the outside show little ap
: parent damage, -on closer examination
; prove to have been so badly twisted (
iisfis^^^^^^s¥^?BP^Bff^HHsW^^BlSB^^Ss» i^^^^^'«^^s*^^ff^*¥ii
I and racked by the shock that it I*
faared thav will have to be torn* down. |
SANTA ROSA IS A
TOTAL WRECK
SANTA ROSA, April 18— This
city is a total wreck. There are
10,000 homeless men, women
and children huddled -together.
The loss of life is not to be esti
mated. It will probably reach
the thousands.
As the last great seismic tre
mor spent its force in the earth
the whole business portion tum
bled into ..ruins. The main
street is piled many feet deep
with the fallen buildings. Not
one business building from the
California Northwestern Pacific
depot, in the extreme west end of
the city, to the Atheneum on the
est, is left intact.
This destruction includes all
of the county buildings. The
four-story court house, with its
dome mounting high into the
heavens, is merely a pile of brok
en masonry. Nothing is left.
Identification is impossible.
What was not destroyed by the
earthquake has been swept by
fire. Until the flames leaped
into the heavens there was hope
of saving the residence district.
It was soon apparent that any
such idea, {hat might have been
entertained, was to be abandoned.
This was appreciated by the
citizens and they prepared to de
sert their homes. Not even their
household, goods were . taken.
They made for the fields and
hills, to watch the destruction of
one of the most beautiful cities
of the West.
The water system of the muni
cipality was destroyed by . the
earthquake. Fire fighting, was
not to be thought of.. The city
was at the mercy of the elements
and crumbled and cracked as the
gentle west breeze from the great
Pacific blew from the hill to fan
the flames to undestroyed local
ities. Thus the citizens watched
from the Rincoon hills their
homes erased.
In a few cases some attempted
to return to the burning city to
rescue valuables. Many of them
who ventured too close were
overcome by the. heat and smoke.
They dropped, choked and faint
ing, in their tracks. In many in
stances these foolish souls were
left to their fate. There were too
many injured and dying who
needed attendance, and who had
been injured in the first awful
crash to allow those who had re
turned o f their own free will to
be cared for.
Later in the day some water
was pumped from Santa Rosa
Creek. This was, comparatively,
of no use, as the fire-fighting
force of the city was limited.
Among other buildings ruined
are the three leading hotels: Oc
cidetal, Saint Rose and Grand.
It was in these hostelries that
the greatest number of deaths oc
curred. \u25a0-• They were all brick
structures, the Saint Rose having
a stel frame. They fell as if con
structed of playing cards, and in
tahe heaps were buried the hun
dreds of 'lodgers.
. .Relief was immediately dis- i
patched from Petaluma. Carts |
and .wagons loaded with provis
ions) and clothing were brought j
in from the "adjoining city dur
ing'the day. These supplies j
were distributed among the
homeless.; , ; . . -
: When the flames allowed,- the
ruins were searched :f or dead.
The undertaking was far greater
than had been imagined. ,' It was
found that besides the hotels, the
many lodging houses • and room-
OFFICER KILLED
IN DYNAMITE
EXPLOSION
Lieutenant Charles C. Pull*,
commanding the Twenty-fourth
Company of Light Artillery, was
blown up by a charge of dyna
mite at Sixth and Jessie streets
shortly before noon, and was £a-^
tally injured. He was taken to
the Military Hospital at the Pre
sidio. He had a fractured skull
and several bones broken, and in
ternal injuries. He will not re
cover.
Lieutenant Pulls placed a
heavy charge of dynamite in a
building on Sixth street. The
fuse was imperfect and did not
ignite the charge as soon as was
vi
expected. Pulis went into the
building to relight it and the
charge exploded while he was in
the building.
The injured officer Is. a gradu
ate of the Artillery School at For
tress Monroe, Virginia. He is
thirty, years of age, single, and a
native of Chicago. £
ing quarters of the dty contalo-
Wlth the limited number of men,
and th» mass of ruins, month* must
necessarily elapso before any kind of
an appreciation of the fatalities can
be learned. The mangled forms will
be found as long as excavations are
• made.
| On the north conditions are fully as
( shocking as here. There la no com
imunlcation by wire or railroad between
here and Healdsburg. Besides, tha
wires all being on the ground, the
[ bridges crossing the Russian rtver at
| that point are in the stream. This
j makes all communication by rail from
•the northern part of Sonoma oounty
impossible.
Many have arrived, however, on
horseback and in wagons.
These messengers bring the saddest
tidings of the destruction of Healds
burg, Geyserviile, Cloverdale, Hoptand
and Uklah. This repor takes in the
country as far north ta Mendocino
and Lake couutles, and as far west tts
the Pacific Ocean. These are frontier
counties and have not as large towns
as farther south.
In every case the loss of life and
property Is as shocking "as here.
In the country the .farmers have
converted their spacious \u25a0 homes and
outhouses Into dwellings for the people
left without shelter in the cities. Every
man of the country is working to ra*
lieve the suffering of their more un
fortunate urban brethren.
That the beautiful old summer re*
sort of Skagga Hot Springs, the sec
ond oldest watering place of Califor
nia, Is in ruins, was reported late this
afternoon. This place is located far >
back in the coast range of mountains,
and communication with it is cut off.
The report carries, however, that
many were injured who were regis
tered at the hotel. \u25a0 \
West of here seven miles the town
of Sebastopol is no more. The bank
building is the only structure left
standing In fhe village. This hamlet
is located in the most fertile locality
and was noted for its prosperity.
Here too many have suffered death
and Injuries. As here they are being
cared for by the country people. The
shook, from the condition of the frame
buildings at Sebastopol,* was even
more severe than here. In most cases
homes constructed of wood withstood
the twisting effect of the disturbance.
In this country place buildings of wood
were dsetroyed along with the brick
and stone structures.
As the residences are all constructed
of wood, the injured will number large.
There are 'not, however, so many dead
in the residence section as might be
expected. They were saved. In many
cases, by the peculiar way In which
the buildings fell. The timbers did not
give way entirely and. the occupants
were able to crawl from the tangled
; mass.
! Although the city of Petaluma lies
! but sixteen miles south of here, it es
\u25a0 eaped the more violent shock. But
> few \u25a0 buildings . were totally destroyed.
(The injured and dead are small.
j In view of their escape tho citizens
[ of Petaluma are organizing relief par*
( ties that- are being sent into the neigh*
boring cities and towns. t .
To the southeast of here* Sonoma,
Glen Ellen and a "dozen other small
towns "throughout the Sonoma Valley,
i aro all reported in ruins. The country
I far and wide, from the meager. reports
received , by horsemen, must be in
, ruin.
; How many are dead and suffering in *
I these outlying districts cannot be as* '
\u25a0 certained at this writing. It seems
that to say, "Some are alive," la the
easiest and most accurate report |a>
send to the outside .world.'