A SPECIAL MESSAGE.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXII, Issue 1728, 20 April 1906, Page 2

A SPECIAL MESSAGE.

ENORMOUS DESTRUCTION OF PROPERTY. GREAT FIRES. (Special Press Association Message.) Wellington, April 19. All the San Francisco harbour cables have gone. The Palace Hotel, Spreckel's, Post Office, and Grand Opera House are among the buildings destroyed. The gas works wore blown up, starting other fires. All the water front is in flames. There are no means of arresting the fires. It is impossible to estimate the loss of life, which is heaviest in the tenement district.

THE CABLES. (Official Message.) Thursday afternoon. Vancouver advises that telegraph communication with San Francisco has been cut off on all routes. Communication was established several times this morning. It is hoped to get communica. tion through this afternoon. \V. H. Renner, Chief Postmaster.

PREMIER’S MESSAGE. SHORT BULLETINS TO HAND The general of the Pacific Cable Board has handed the following telegrams to the Premier, who desires that they be made public: (Reoeivedal Wellington 8.82 a.m. April 19) Seattle is unable to obtain any information re commercial Pacific. All harbour cables have gone, but the commercial has been trenched for several miles from the beach to the city. The last report was received at 12.30 p.m. The local magnitude of the disaster has grown. Fires are raging in all directions. The water mains have burst. The authorities are using dynamite to localise the fires. The Palace Hotel and Sprocket's buildings have been destroyed. The city is under martial law. All the troops have been called out

At present there is no communication. Spreckel’s buildings is an erection of nineteen storeys, and perhaps the tallest in the city. The Palace Hotel is a very large and expensive building. A short bulletin just through from San Francisco states that the whole water is in fi rm.es, and there are no means of arresting the fires. The Po3t Office and Grand Opera House have been destroyed, The gasworks have been blown up, starting other fires. It is impossible to estimate the loss of life, but the heaviest is in the tenement district.

EARTHQUAKE LASTED SEVERAL MINUTES.

MANY FIRES RAGING. Received 5.42 p.m., April 19. New York, April 18. An extraordinary message from San Francisco states that the shock began at sixteen minutes past five in the morning and lasted for several minutes, with a recurrence. A wide area is affected. Most of the wires are down. There are many fires raging.

GREAT LOSS OF LIFE. HOMELESS PEOPLE HUDDLED IN PARKS. THIEVES PLUNDERING THE CITY. FIRES UNCHECKED. A NINE MINUTES’ RECORD. Receivod 10.23 p.m , April 19. London, April 19 The information obtainable from San Francisco is only of a fragmentary nature, owiDg to the destruction by tire of the telegraph and newspaper offices through which the news would ordinarily be transmitted. 1500 KILLED AND 1000 INJURED. Tt is at present estimated that in San Francisco abovo fifteen hundred people have perished by the disaster. In addition to those who lost their lives in San Francisco, it is estimated that one thousand people have been injured. CITY IN RUINS. The entire business portion of San Francisco is in ruins.

FLAMES UNCHECKED. The latest reports to hand conveys the information that it has so far been found impossible to chock the flames, and the tires are swooping the city. HOMELESS PEOPLE. There are one thousand homeless pooplo huddlod in the parks and public squares. BANKS GUARDED. The banks are being guarded by troops to prevent any attempt at plunder. ORDERS TO SHOOT THIEVES. Cavalry and infantry patrol the streets, and have beon given instructions to shoot thieves. This order has beon found necessary, as thieves have already been engaged in the work of plunder, GREATEST SHOCK. The moment of the greatest disturbance was at eighteen minutes past five yesterday (Wednesday) morning. CENTRE OF DISTURBANCE

our AT SEA. The tremor was sufficient to cause the seismograph pendulum to swing for nine minutes across the whole width of the photographic roll. It is believed that the originating centre of the disturbance was out at sea.