The Destruction of San Francisco.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLI, Issue 8192, 19 May 1906, Page 8

The Destruction of San Francisco.

New Zealand Pressman's Account.

{Per Pre** Association). AUCKLAND. May in. Mr A tack, manager of the New Zealand Press Association, who was in Santa Cruz at the tim« of the earthquake, contribute* an interesting account of the disaster. The Santa t rux shock was severe, but only one building was thrown down; but San dote, through which he had to pass in a desperate attempt to reach 'Frisco by road, the railways being interrupted, suffered badly, .Buildings were thrown down in every direction, The disaster would have been a replica of that at San Francisco only that the water mains remained intact.

Sixty miles away, when passing over the mountains, the detonation# of dynamite used in the attempt to check the fire could be plainly heard. He reached Oakland on the afternoon after the commencement of the disaster. The story from this point is best told in M r Alack'# own words: The great ferry building oppoHito is stil! standing, its Softy tower denuded of some of its walls but not visibly much hurt by the <,uaiu% and untouched by she tire. To the left of the building, on the south side, the ground is uminiy Hu*. ; an<l \» mostly occupied by humble- hccUouu of tb« population.' On Use right it swells into low but often very wteep hill#, covered with liuii residences, while on both sides of Market street and immediately adjoining street#, especially to tl.it* north, have been erected large costly buddings, each representing millions of. dollars. It wag hoped on Wednesday evening, when the lire had; gathered strength and assumed the proportions; of a conflagration, that it would not, cross this grand avenue. Doubtless it could have been stopped luidfhere been water enough, but stones rolling from the hillside crushed the principal mam where ii enters the city, and tjliere were too many fires to cope with at once without an abundance of water. As we stepped out of the ferry budding the smoke was blinding, and ashes were falling fast. driven before a strong wind. Though it was reported the fire was under control 1 and practically extinguished, it was still, ! sixty hours after the earthquake, raging fiercely in one corner, and was no: actually checked till three in the morning. Mad it crept round the hill it would have spread until it had wiped out every building on it, and lodged itself m the big lumber yards and factories on the water's edge. Aided by fire tugs, the iiremen, soldiers and sailors fought desperately to prevent it fastening on the wharves. Ties'* had suffered badly by the qua«e. Many of the sheds had collapsed, an 1 piles were canted, but the fire had not touched them, and if they were now licked up the ruin of the port would be complete. More than once the contest was almost given up, but human endurance proved stronger than the lire, and it was slopped some distance from the ferry building, but not before a portion of the wb:i rve> were dust roved. So great was the heat that from this direction you could not get within a mile of the scene. All attempts at looting were sternly repressed. The mob lynched three plunderers theur selves, before the military came in. and quite a number were shot afterwards, but tiiere can be little doubt that some men lost their heads and used the bullet and bayonet most inhumanly. It is reported that one poor old woman was deliberately bayoueUed by a patrol for merely remonstrating, and that another of these guardians stabbed a policeman who interfered in some way with him. Although there were many such instances, without the soldiers the frenzied mobs could not have been handled when the streets had to be cleared for dynamiting. Tins dynamiting did not prove an eiiuiet.; check. Hundreds of tons were exploded, yet, except towards the end, without the slightest effect. The fire immediately swept over the gap, or, worse still, fresh fires were started by it. A last grim stand was made at Van Ness Avenue, a street still wider than .Market Street, and running at an angle from it in a northerly direction. It was full of costly abodes, great, tenement houses, hotels, and churches. If that were crossed the small remaining portion of the eity must go. The lire was sweeping on, and it was certatn that despite the width of the thoroughfare, it would do little as a barrier. Sixteen blocks were therefore dynamited. Imagine the horrible destruction and grim magniiieent courage of it ' The explosive was laid, and row after row of stately edifices, rising store}' upon storey, sprang mio the air and crumbled into the dust. The owners, at the sound of a buijle, silently withdrew, and watched their homes vanish into nothing. The heroic remedies in this instance bore fruit, for though the fire ate in at places, most of one side was saved. This was the only instance in which dynamite proved effective. In Chinatown it is believed many Chinamen were blown up with their buildings. They wanted to pray to their jos?e.-, and could not bo got out. In one place, a gentleman told me he saw three men and a number of animals killed in one blast.