APPALLING DISASTER AT SAN FRANCISCO.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXVIX, Issue 8122, 20 April 1906, Page 5

APPALLING DISASTER AT SAN FRANCISCO.

A TERRIFIC EARTHQUAKE. HALT THE CITY IN RUINS. THE GAS-WORKS EXPLODE. FIRES RAGING EVERYWHERE. PUBLIC BUILDINGS COMPLETELY DESTROYED IMPOSSIBLE TO ESTIMATE THE LOSS OF LIFE. ALL THE TROOPS CALLED OUT. [Press Association.] [By Caijle—Extraordinary.]

Received April 19, 8.13 a.m. NEW YORK, April 18. News has been received that a disastrous earthquake happened at San Franoisoo. It is reported that a thousand deaths have ooourred, aud that the city is half in ruins. The Vancouver station advises that San Francisco is out off from all routes. Communication was temporarily established on several lines this morning, and it is hoped to connect again this afternoon.

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

TREMOR TRAVERS ENTIRE CONTINENT.

PELT IN WASHINGTON, OTTAWA, VIENNA AND ISLE OF WIGHT.

Received April 19, 12.32 p.m.

TERROR AND EXCITEMENT INDESCRIBABLE.

The : following telegram has been handed byj the General Manager of the Pacific Cable Board to the Premier, who has communicated it to the Press of the colony;— "Seattle advises that it is unable to obtain any information re the Commercial Paoiflo Cable. All harbour cables have gone, but the commercial line is trenched several miles from the beach to the city. "The last report at 12.30 p.m. indicates that the local magnitude of the disaster grows. Fires are raging in all directions; the water mains have burst, and the authorities are using dynamite to looalise the outbreak.

DEEP FISSURES OPEN IN THE GROUND.

FIRE SPREADING TO RESIDENTIAL SECTION OF TOWN!

Received April 19, 10,36 p.m. LONDON, April 19,

The tremor traversed the entire Continent, and was reoorded at Washington, Ottawa, Vienna and Isle of Wight.

There were three severe shocks in the morning at intervals of some hours, and slighter shocks in the afternoon and early in the evening. Most of the people were asleep when the shock oame, and rushed out of their beds into the street in their night attire, buildings tottering and crashing to the ground, and the showers of falling chimneys, cornices and walls crushing and mangling many.

"The Palace Hotel and Spreokles' building have been destroyed. "The city is under martial law. All the troops have been called out. "At present there is no communication." The General Secretary"of the Pacific Cable Board has handed the following oable message, reoeived fat 1.15 p.m., yesterday, to the mier:—"Short bulletin just through from San Francisco says that the whole water front is in flames. No means of arresting them. The Post Office and the Grand Opera House are destroyed ; gas works blown up, start; ing other fires. Impossible to estimate loss; heaviest in the tenement district.'*

' The terror and excitement was indescribable. The.modern tall steel frame structures stood better than the brick and wooden tenements. Some of the dock and freight sheds slid into the bay. Deep Assures opened near the shore. The business district between Market and Howard streets from the bay as far west as the City Hall was especially wreokec'l. The roof and small towers of the City Hall, costing seven million dollars, collapsed. 'The Post Office was shattered.

The Valencia Hotel and Kingsley's lodging house collapsed, eaoh killing 80 people. The great department (store fell, burying the caretakers.

(Extraordinary). Received April 19, 5.42 p.m. NEW YOKK, April 18.

Many fires, fanned by a brisk easterly wind, soon endangered the whole of the wholesale manufacturing quarter. Firemen freely used dynamite to blast out pathways in the city blocks.

The shook began at 5.16 o'clock in the morning, and lasted for several minutes, recurring at intervals. A wide area is affected. Most of the wires are down, and there are many fires.

The expioeions were deafening, aiding to the terrors of the situation.

In a very short time sections of the oity south of Market Street, and Third and Ninth Streets was a mass of flames

ESTIMATED FIFTEEN HUNDRED PERISHED. v ENTIRE BUSINESS PORTION OF I 'FRISCO IN RUINS. , FLAMES SWEEPING THE CITY. THOUSANDS HOMELESS. HUDDLED TOGETHER IN PARKS AND PUBLIC SQUARES. ORIGINATING CENTRE OF DISTURBANCE OUT AT SEA.] Received April 19, 10.28 p.m. LONDON, Anril 19. Information with regard to the earthquake is fragmentary, owing to the burning of the telegraph and newspaper offices. It is estimated that 1,500 people have perished and that one thousand have been injured in San Francisco alone. The entiro business portion of the city is in ruins. The latest information states that the flames unchecked are sweeping the city. Thousands of people are homeless and huddled together in »tne parks and public squares. Troops guard the banks and cavalry and infantry patrol the streets. They have been instructed to shoot thieves who are already

No ferries are running, and all entry to the burning city is stopped. The latest telegrams state that after destroying the business district the fire is spreading to the residential section of the town. FIRES EXTEND EIGHT SQUARE MILES. DAMAGE ESTIMATED AT 100,000,000 DOLLARS. CREVICES SIX FEET WIDE OPEN IN STREET. SIDE WALKS TORN Utf. GAS AND WATKR SUPPLY WRECKED. FLAMES LEAPING ALL BARRIRRS. FIREMEN POWERLESS. Received April 19, 11.9 p.m.

Many buildings, after/'withstanding the shocks, succumbed to the fires.

Up till eight o'clock last night the fires had extended eight square miles, involving several hundred city blooks.

The damage, at least, is 100,000,000 dollars.

The district surrounded by Valego, Howard, East and Sansome Streets, embracing almost the entire wholesale manufacturing district, was clean swept by Are. The district bounded by Market, Eighth and Folsoh Streets was also devastated. The latter diafcriot includes the majority of the finest and most substantial buildings in the city. Crevices six feet wide opened i n several streets, and entire side-walks were torn up and tram tracks strangely twisted.

plundering. The moment of the greatest disturbance was eighteen minutes past live o'clock yesterday morning.

The Place Hotel was burnt. Two ships, anchored in the bay, sunk. The continuation of the shocks in the afternoon caused flight from the city. Thousands of buildings have been destroyed. The greatost loss of life occurred in the cheap tenements near the water front. The gas and T?ater supply has been wrecked. The firemen are powerless, the flames leaping all barriers. Block after block in Lower Market Street, the main thoroughfare, has been destroyed. -Huge buildings in Eddy Street collapsed. One lodging-house collapsed, killing two hundred people. The chief of the Fire Brigade was killed beneath the ruins. The offices of the Call, Examiner, tnd Chronicle were destroyed, and also the Western Union Postal and Telegraph Offices, Grand Opera i House, Pacific States Telephone Exchange, Rialto's store, Mutual Life office. Anglo California Bank and the Fish Mmarket.

As to the prospeots of a tidal wave accompanying the earthquake, it is considered very improbable by local persous interviewed. One wellknown gentleman, who has made several visits across the Pacific, said, upon being questioned: "There are two uiauy islands between Auckland and Sau Franoisoo for anything like a tidal wave to reach ' Auckland. These islands would aot as a natural break to the strength of a tidal wave sweeping over the ocean towards New Zealand, and although some rise in tides may occur, I do not think that we need have any fear of any disaster." MESSAGES OF CONDOLENCE. WELLINGTON, April 19. Mr Seddou has seut messages of condolence on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand to the President of the United States (Mr T. Roosevelt), aud, a/90, to the Mayor of Sau Franciaoo, and Mr Stephenson Smith, New Zealand Government agent in San Franoisoo. Received April 20, 1.9 a.m. SYDNEY, April 19. The details of the San Francisco disaster created a sensation here. A large number of cables were sent making enquiries about the safety of relatives. Messrs Carruthers and Bent sent a joint telegram of sympathy.

SEA OVERFLOWS.

MILE AND A-HALF OF RAILWAY TRACK DISAPPEARS.

PASSENGER TRAIN BARELY

ESCAPES.

SITUATION BECOMING DESPERATE.

Received April 19, 11.30 p.m. LONDON, April 19,

Many of the principal buildings at Oakland, across the bay, were injured.

The sea overflowed between Suisun City and Beneoia, and a mile and a-half of the track of the Southern Pacific Railway disappeared under the water, A orowded passenger train barely escaped.

Saint Ignaee Cathedral is ablaze. Stanford University has been practically demolished. There was muoh loss of life and damage at Santa Rosa. Salinas suffered considerably.

The earthquake waa severely felt at Nevada and Fresno Half an inch movement of the earth's surface was recorded on the Washington instruments. The shocks were not felt southward of Santa Barbara. Late New York telegrams state that, allowing for the byeterieal reports, it is apparent that the situation in Sao Francisoo is becoming desperate. The fire is burning furiously in all quarters. Two regiments of regulars guard millions of dollars worth of property, whioh has been placed in the streets to avoid the flames. The Mayor of San Francisoo has appointed a committee of safety, and ordered the bakeries and milk stations to supply the homeless. Eighty insurance companies have resolved not to discriminate between fire and earthquake losses. The Conried Opera Company lost all their soenery and personal baggage. f

Many inmates of the asylum at San Jose were burned among the ruiua.

MARTIAL LAW PROCLAIMED. A SUBURB DESTROYED. RUMOURED SINKING OF A) SQUADRON. Reoeived April 20, 12.23 a.m. LONDON, April 19.

General Funston has practically established martial law in San Franoisoo.

The Federal authorities atOhioago are advised that the killed number thousands. Another account aays that two thousand five hundred are reported to have been killed.

The suburb of Berkeley has been destroyed. It contained the University of California and other State institutions.

Eye witnesses state that the streets bulged and waved as if about to craok. The people were dumbfounded and incoherent, and threatened to shoot if pestered by interviewers.

An apparently baseless report has been circulated that the United States American-Paoiflo • squadron sank while anchored in the bay. Communication for a long time was limited to one wire.

It is feared many journalists were killed through the collapse of the offices of the Examiner and Call, newspapers, which were ten-storeyed buildings.

FIRST WAVES OP THE EARTHQUAKE.

WELLINGTON, April 19,

The first waves of the San Francisco earthquake were registered on the seismograph at 1.2 o'clock this morning. THE SAN FRANCISCO MAIL STEAMER. AUCKLAND, April 19. ■ The mail steamer Sonoma was timed to leave San Francisco for island ports and Auckland to-day. Messrs Henderson and MaoFarlaue, the local agents, think, however, that the steamer will be delayed for some days in view of the tremendous nature of the casualty, and the faot that the Podt Offloe bad been destroyed, and that the oargo for shipment by the steamer has also met with a like fate. At the same time, it may be pointed out that the mail from the Eastern States, including British mails come to Oakland across the harbour from San Francisco, and are brought over by the ferry steamers and transferred to the mail steamer. It is nut therefore likely that any of the British mails would be in the San Franoisoo Post Oiiioe at the time of the disaster.

(San Pranoisoo, the chief town of \ California, United States of America, is the capital of the country of the same name, on the north-east corner of a peninsula which lies between the Bay of San Francisco, a fine land-loukel expanse of water, and the Pacific Ocean. It stands on the east slope, of some high hills, faoing the bay, on a bleak tract, with no trees, and little fertile ground witbin a distance of twenty miles, and is built chiefly in an ampitheatre formed by Telegraph Hill (294 ft) on the north-east, Rlncun Hill (120 ft) on the southeast, and Russian Hill (360 ft) on the west. The streets are straight and intersect each other at right angles. There are a public park of 1,050 acres, a pleasure garden and eleven squares. Muoh had been done in levelling and improving the site. The business streets have a pavement of oobblestones or cubical blocks of stone, but the others, both in the carriage way and on the side-paths, are laid with planks. The town is lighted with gas; water is brought by an aqueduct from a distance of 20 miles. Among the principal buildings are the customhouse, the Oity Hall, the Mint, Marine Hospital, the Nevada Bank, the Safe Deposit Building (with nearly 5,000 safes let out to the public), several theatres, numerous ohurobes, schools and charitable institutions, a convent, two orphan asylums, and many other large buildings. Amongst the most notable buildings of the oity are its huge hotels, one of which the Palace Hotel (destroyed by the earthquake) has accommodation for 1,200 guests, while another, the Baldwin Hotel, can acoommodate 600. The educational include an academy of sciences, an art school, a mechanics' institution, three literary colleges, a medical college, and a school of mechanic nrts. The iar- < gest public library is the Mercantile Library, with about 50,000 volumes. The population being largely composed of foreigners, there aro news- j papers not only in English but in | French, Gerrnanj Spanish, Italian, | and other languages. Cable tramways have been constructed through most of th« streets, which have extensive traffic. Among the industrial establishments of the oity are a large number of cigar manufactories, boot, shoe and slipper works, carriage and waggon works, tanneries, marble works, foundries, woollen mills, chemical work's, sugar refineries, soap works, and glove manufactories. San Francisoo is one of the finest and most attractive centres in America, and is continually improving. The houses are chiefly built of wood (earthquakes being rather common), and often display much external decoration. The commercial importance ■)f the city is very great, it being the principal mercantile centre west of the Rooky Mountains, and being directly connected by the railway with the eastern State. The principal exports \bs sea are wheat and flour, and those by land wool, tea, coffee, and salmon. The imports by sea consist ohiefly of sugar, raw silk, tea and coffee. The shipping is chiefly engaged in trading with foreign countries, including Great Britain, Australia, China, Japan and South Amerioa. San Francisoo, previously known as Yerba Buena, assumed its present name on January 30th, 1847. A mouth later, when the census was taken, the population was only 459. In the spring of 1848 gold was discovered, and a rush took place, which had raised the population in 1852 to 34,870. The fires whicn have occurred in the town have been frequent and destructive. Between December 24th, 1849, and June 22nd, 1851, five took place, whioh occasioned au aggregate loss of £3,200,000. At that time there wag a preponderance of wooden houses in the town. In 1860 the population was 55,626; in 1870, 149,473; in 1880, 233,959; in 1890, 298,997; in 1900, 342,782. The oity contains a largo number of Chinese).

PREVIOUS DISTURBANCES.

SOME DISASTROUS SHOCKS. California has previously suttered from seismic disturbances, and in looking up the dates of these shocks a curious coincidence is shown. On April 19tb, 1892, .San Franoisoo was treated to a very severe disturbance. Again on April 19th, 1902, another shook was reported, and now on April 19th, 1906, news reaohes us of still another and more disastrous disturbance. The shook experienced in the oity of San Francisco on 19th April, 1892, was the severest siuoe the historic earthquake in 1868, when the earth moved in waves in Mission Street. The worst result of the "shake" was the downfall of the front wall of the old Academy of Sciences building. Tons of brioks

and mortar fell into the streets. The noise soared policemen on beat blocks away, and nearly soared the life out of a theatrical party that was out on a la*e trip through Chinatown. The Bulletin of the United States Geological Survey is j responsible for this statement. !The earthquake began with k thump that seemed to knock the earth to the west; then for about three seconds the world aeomorl to be slidirg convulsively back into place. Altogether it tools thirteen reinutes for the earth to get over its fluttering. A well-known authority says: "It was one of those earthquakes that roars. Before the shaking thero was a noise as of heavy wagons being hauled over high ground a long way off. The shock was felt shortly before 3 o'clock in the morning. As a matter of fact, it was much mor« serious 50 to 75 miles north of the city. Strange to relate, there was no loss of life. In the country towns wrecked brick structures were everywhere. A good many people stated that for some time after the shook the air was filled with sulphurous fumes which were emitted from fissures in the ground. The earthquake was felt throughout the oountry, and great destruction of property resulted. Mild shocks continued for days after the first "visitation." Southern California in particular ia highly seismic, and forty or fifty years ago San Franciso was, aocord ing to one authority, "built of wood for fear of earthqukes." Writing in his book "Earthquake?," published in 1904, Major C. E. Duiton gave the following information:—"During the nineteenth century there have been ten earthquakes in California that were destructive, causing the fall of chimneys, the partial ruin of houses, and some personal injury. Of these ten, four were a degree worse, causing the complete ruin of many houses and the loss of some lives 1 . Of these four, one was classed as in the first rank, causing the ruin of buildings, great loss of life, cracks in the ground, and slips from the mountain. This last was the Owen's Valley or Inyo shock of 26th March, 1872. From the year 1850 to 1886 San Francisoo felt 254 shocks, mo3t of them very slight. Besides these, there were in the State of California in the above years 514 other shooks not included in those felt in the city. It is evident, therefore, that, though not highly seismic, California has some claim to rank as one of the disturbed regions. But it cannot compare with Japan, which registers shocks and tremors at the rate uf from 1,000 to 1,500 a year." The earthquake of 26th March, 1872, known as the Lone Pine earthquake, was of a most destructive character. About 2,30 a.m. the inhabitants of Lone Pine were awakened by a loud explosion, followed by a terrible upheaval and shaking of the earth from south to north. In an instant the whole town was in rains, not a building being left standing.

The scene whioh ensued beggared description; screams and groans rent the air in all directions. Nearly the whole populace of the town, says a paper of that date, was buried beneath the ruins; cries for helpjaud screams of pain from the wounded filled the air, while from the ruins those who had escaped wore calling for hblp to rescue fathers, brothers, wives, and children in a manner agonising to hear. The first shook was followed in quick suooession by three others. Over three hundred distinct shocks were felt between half-past two and sunrise; in fact, the earth was in constant shake and tremble for over three hours. A nhasni was opened extending thiityfive miles down the valley, ranging from three inches to forcy feet in width. Rooks were torn from their places, and rolled down into the valley. Over six hundred distinct shooks were felt within fifty-eight hours after the first. Up to Wednesday morning fully one thousand distinot shooks. were felt. At Tibbetts' ranob, fifteen miles above Independence, about forty acres of ground sunk about seven feet below the surface of the surrounding country. Big Owens lake rose four feet since the first shook. Owen River ran over its banks, depositing shoals of fish on the shore after it had receded. Vot a distance of three ?r four miles through Lone Pine the earth cracked; one side remained stationary, while the other sank seven or eight feet, leaving a wall of earth extending over three miles in length where formerly was a level plain. Innumerable cracks were made throughout the valley. Kern and Owens rivers turned and ran upstream for several minutes, leaving their beds dry, and finally returned with largely-increased volumes of water." Some of the shocks were preceded by deafening reports as though the mountains were being rent in two; others were accompanied by a low continuous rumble as of a train of cars running under, ground.