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6caweek 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 i *m) mm mt i.l If j. Uh ' 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.