The Spokane press. [volume], April 18, 1906, Image 1

About The Spokane press. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1902-1939

Image provided by: Washington State Library; Olympia, WA

                
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I WEATHER CONDITIONS, TOMORROW: FAIR.
CITY OF SAN FRANCISCO
DESTROYED BY EARTHQUAKE
YAWNING CREVICE IN FRISCO STREET 6 FEET
WIDE THREATENS TO SWALLOW
FLEEING PEOPLE
Thousands of people dying and dead bodies strew the streets of California's greatest city. Mayor
Schmitz telegraphs for dynamite with which to stay the flames that are now raging in all
parts of the metropolis. Late reports show that two thousand bodies have been recovered.
The United States government asked to lend transports to take dead to sea because there
so many that the city can not bury them, Ferries stop running and panic stricken peo
ple are penned up within the city limits. Two hundred bodies have been taken to Mechanics'
Pavilion, which is being used as a morgue. Many other coast cities suffered from the shock
, but death list is confined to San Francisco.
SACRAMENTO, April 18. —The latest report from San Francisco says that the business section
north of Market and east of Montgomery is a solid mass of flames and in the absence of water
the panic stricken people are using pynamite in various parts of the city.
The shock occured at a few minutes after five o'clock and the first news of the awful
catastrophe was through a notification received by the local telegraph and telephone companies that
the wires were out of order.
Business is entirely suspended and appeals for aid have been sent to all cities on the coast.
Just how extensive the damage will be is unknown nor can it be ascertained how large it
is effected.
THE WESTERN UNION TELEGRAPH BUILDING AT THE
CORNER OF MONTGOMERY STREET, AND THE GREAT POSTAL
TELEGRAPH BUILDING ON MARKET BTREET ARE BOTH A
MASS OF RUINS. THE CALL BUILDING IS SAID TO HAVE TOP
PLED OVER AND MORE THAN A HUNDRED LIVES LOST IN
THAT ONE STRUCTURE.
ALL TRAINS BETWEEN SACRAMENTO AND THE STRICK
EN CITY ARE STALLED BETWEEN BUIBUN AND BENECIA
WHERE THE TRACK OF THE SOUTHERN PACIFIC HAVE SUNK
OUT OF SIGHT. THERE IS A REPORT THAT A PASSENGER
TRAIN WAS THROWN FROM THE TRACKB NEAR BENECIA AND
THE ENTIRE TRAIN LOAD OF PASSENGERS KILLED OR FA
TALLY INJURED.
IN THE OFFICE OF THE SUNSET TELEPHONE COMPANY
)N BUSH STREET ALL THE OPERATORS BUT THREE ARE
)EAD AND THOSE ARE 80 SERIOUBLY INJURED THAT THEY
JANNOT LIVE. THEY ESCAPED FROM THE BUILDING BY JUMP
NO FROM THE WINDOWS.
THE RESIDENCE DISTRICTS ARE SAFE, SO FAR AS HEARD
: ROM.
THE POWER OF EVERY KIND IS GONE AND THERE ARE
MO LIGHTS, EITHER GAS OR ELECTRIC.
/THE ST. FRANCIS AND THE PALACE HOTEL BTOOD THE
SEATTLE, April 18—The Call
nd the Examiner building* were
laken down by the earthquake
nd are In flames. All the city
>uth of Market street It on fire,
he big department store* on Mar
FOURTH EXTRA EDITION
kte street have collapsed and fires
are burning In all directions. Over
5000 lives are believed to be lost.
The water mains burst and the firs
department Is trying to obtain wa
ter from the bay by a relay system.
The Spokane Press.
r The Sunset telephone building is
on fire, and an explosion blew off
its roof. Eight whole blocks col
lapsed on the south side of Market
street and the flames are approach
ing the Palace hotel.
A second shock at 10 o'clock this
morning.
The city Is In a wild tumult and
all business Is suspended.
In Sacramento the street cars
were thrown from the track and
other damage done.
CHICAGO, April 18.—A communi
cation from San Francisco secured
first late this morning says the
most terrific earthquake In the his
tory of the Pacific coast occurred.
Buildings fell in all directions.
Fifty blocks south and east of
Market street to the bay, includ
ing the Sansome mission and bat
tery front, Davis and Drummond are
destroyed. Buildings were destroy
ed all along Fremont, Beale, Main,
Spear, Stuart, East and South
streets.
Southern Pacific operators say
It Is known that thousands are
dead.
Police are carting the dead from
the ruins as fast as they can, but
the fire is spreading In all direc
tions.
Debris has Ignited In a dozen
places at once.
What few fire engines are not
ruined are inadequate and helpless
on account of no water.
All clock were stopped by the
SPOKANE, WASHINGTON, WEDNESDAY. APRIL 18, 1906.
earthquake.
Three miles of railroad track has
sunk from sight between Suisun
and Benecia, and the wires were
taken with it. At Pleasanton the
trains were turned over on the rails.
Los Angeles, which is connected
with Frisco says 300 bodies have
vilion is being used as a morgue.
Ferries are all engaged in carry
ing the people to Oakland and oth
er places of safety. Thousands are
fleeing and in the panic many drop
dead in the streets.
The Palace hotel has been at
tacked by the fire s»nd it is esti
mated that 2000 are dead. A com
mercial dispatch says that the mod
ern steel buildings are all right,
but the brick or frace are complete
ly wrecked or destroyed.
OGDEN, Utah, April 18.—A dis
patch says all wires from there
west are down; indications of the
earthquake extended hundreds of
miles. Severe shocks for three
minutes were felt in Sacramento
but nobody Injured. Electric light
plants In 'Frisco failed and the gas
mains are broken.
NEW YORK, April 18—The su
premo court this afternoon dis
missed the writ of habeas corpus
case against Oeo. W. Perkins and
remanded the defendant Perkins
will later be taken before the po
lice court on the original warrant
and arraigned for examination
which he may waive. He will also
be held for the grand jury.
WANTS BETTER
LAWS
(Scrlpps News Association >
WASHINGTON, D. C, April 18.—
The president today sent a message
to congress urging remedial legis
lation in the matter of Immunity to
persons and corporations. The In
terstate commerce commission is
also advocating the passage of a
law granting tho right of appeal to
the government In criminal cases
wherein the defendant has not yet
been actually put on trial upon the
merits of the case.
These recommendations grow out
of the recent decision of Judge
Humphrey of the federal court In
Chicago in the heel trust case
whose Interpretation of the will of
congress, the president declares,
cmoes miserably near making the
law a farce.
HAVE TROUDIE
OVER PROPERTY
The Brlnggold family Is having
torublo again Otto Bringgokl waa
formerly a city detective. Some
months ago his wife was divorced
from him. and they have some prop
erty which they are having trou
ble about now and she asks the
court to straighten the matter out.|
Judge l). H. Carey this morning
grunted a divorce to Agues Browtl
frOtn Kied Brown. The* complaint
was desertion. They were married
la ISH>3. i
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LATEST
(Scripps News Association.)
SACRAMENTO, Cal., April 18.—
The heaviest and most disastrous
earthquake shock in the history of
the Pacific ooast occurred at San
Francisco at 5:15 this morning. All
wires aro down between here and
the oity except private telephone
and wires of the railroad company
to Oakland, through which it Is
learned that the Call and Chron
icle buildings, the city hall, the Cali
fornia hotel and St. Francis hotel
and other sky scrapers are wholly
or partially wrecked with great loss
of life, while practically the entire
city from Third street to the water
front Is on fire, and owing to the
wrecking of tho water system there
is no water to fight the fire. This
makes the danger appalling. Loss
of life and property Is Immense.
The Southern Pacific ferries have
stopped running on account of tens
of thousands of people crowding the
ferry slips to get out of the city.
It is rumored that 200 bodies have
been taken from the ruins and car
ried to Mechanics' pavilion.
Although the shock was severe
within a radius of 100 miles littltj
damage is reported outside of San
Francisco.
The federal building In this city
Is somewhat cracked, but the dam
age is not serious.
From the highest elevation In San
Jose, 25 miles away, the city can
be seen ablaze.
The estimates of the number of
dead vary. Reports are very con
fusing and conflicting, but it is be
lieved that at least 5000 are dead.
Reports centering at police head
quarters are appalling and most all
are verified.
Application has been made to the
United States government for trans
ports to take bodies to be buried
at sea. 8o many of them are so
mutilated that it is impossible to
care for them ashore.
Cities across the bay were shak
en severely and suburban fire de
partments are fighting many fires.
The supply of dynamite has been
exhausted and Mayor Schmitz tele
phoned to Oakland for more ex
plosives.
It Is feared the entire city will
bo destroyed If they can not stay
the flames quickly.
General Funston has ordered out
the entire military force of the Pre*
sidlo and Fort Mason to guard the
property and preserve order, but aj
yet there has been little disorder.
Fire Chief Sullivan was killed un
der falling ruins.
All saloons have been closed by
the order of the mayor, and all busi
ness is suspended. Howard and
FOURTH YEAR, NO. 140, PRICE: ONE CENT
Mission streets are blazing fur
naces. On Battery the wholesale
firms of Levy, Strauss & Co., Payet,
Upham & Co., Dinkelsplels, Hay
man and the California Game as
sociation were totally destroyed.
The Byron Jackson Machine
Works, the VanWlnk and the Alex
ander-Yost Hardware Co. on Mar
ket street were also gutted by fire.
Along Pine, Bush and Market
streets the fronts of buildings fell
CITY COUNCIL
HOLDS SESSION
At the meeting of the city coun
cil last night Capt. John Grey's
ordinance licensing employment of
fices in the sum of $100 was con
sidered. On motion of Councilman
Baldwin the matter was laid over
for the purpose of drawing up an
ordinance along the lines of the
Seattle ordinance which compels
employment agents pay $100 a
yaer, put up a bond of $1000 and
provides that the license shall not
be transferable.
Chief Myers of the fire depart
ment appeared before the council
with an argument for the increase
i.i the pay of the department. Coun
cilman Jack Snyder spoke In favor
of Increasing the chief's salary to
$1t35 a month and Councilman Bald
win opposed him. Councilman
Pratt and Estep opposed any in
crease, but the other councilmen
voted on the smaller increase of all
the men excepting the chief, assist
ant chief and electrician.
Councilman Funk waxed very
dramatic when he rose and told the
NOTES OF THE CITY'S
TROUBLE SHOP
Dick Lenox and Fred Mereno
started a small sized race riot on
the corner of Front avenue and
Mill street yesterday afternoon.
They were both loaded with drink
and feeling mighty belllberent. Fin
ally they saw "Yorkie," a colored
porter, blinking in the sun and
thinking of anything but a melee
when the two "gents" with the
package started for him. icrkle
has been to war, so he parried the
first thrust wtih his broom stick.
They finally drove the cor.re l man
to retreat which he did In record
time, making a fast sprint across
the street to the vicinity where
workmen are blasting rock, evi
dently hoping to get there first
where he could bombard his pur
suers with the loose rock. There
threatened to be some poor marks
manship when Fire Chief Mvers
and Health Officer Bunker, seeing
there was about to be trouble for
the darkie, tacked in the direction
of hostilities and pinched Mereno
and Lenox and took them to the
station house where they were
Jugged.
When they had "slept It off" tho
chief of police called them Into hia
presence and informed them that
the town was no battle ground and
allowed them to go. with the sup
plementary caution to "not get in
here aguiu."
Into the street, exposing the inter*
ior to view. At 9:30 the dome of
the city hall fell and the MajestTo
theater collapsed. The Occidental
hotel roof fell In and huge stones
ruined the floors. Not a window le
left. \
Four entire blocks along Market
street from First, Second and Third
streets are burning fiercely.
The Rialto building Is wrecked.
council that the people had been
taxed $5000 in the first ward for
the purpose of draining a pond
when that pond was being fed all
the time by a broken water main.
The council took no action.
"No money to operate sprinklers
in the residence districts," so stat
ed Commissioner Roy. However,
there is one way around that, and
Councilman Baldwin suggested that
the city contribute $1 a day toward
each sprinkler and that the balance
be raised by popular subscription.
Mr. Baldwin also argued that peo
ple should have the right to sprin
kle in front of their residences with
their garden hose during sprinkling
hours. The present sprinkling
fund is only for use within the fire
limits.
City Engineer Mclntyre made an
Interesting report. He said the up
river pumping station would not be
completed until next July owing to
hindrance of high water. Mr. Mc
lntyre said the entire improve
ments to the water system would
cost $409,325.80.
In police court they each forfeit*
ed a $15 bond.
THREATENS TO
KILL HER
According to the complaint ot
Sophia Christina Peterson, filed
with the clerk of the superior court
this morning, her husband, Peter
August Peterson, la Just a little too
handy with his pistol, and she haa
applied for a divorce and asked that
her husband be restrained from vis
iting her or disposing of the real
estate or drawing any money out
of the bank. Judge Poindexter this
morning signed the restraining or
der. She asks for $50 suit money,
$100 attorney fees, $100 animony
and the sole ownership of the ranch
near Cheney. They have six chil
dren.
SAN FRANCISCO, April 18, 2:30
p. m.—Everybody deserted the Pos
tal Telegraph building, which was
early damaged, fearing Its Imme
diate collapse. «■*
The Valencia hotel collapsed,
burying 75 people.
..A Eighteenth and Valencia there
Is a crevice six feet wide.
Street car tracks are all badly
twisted.