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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6833f05 --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,3 @@ +* text=auto +*.txt text +*.md text diff --git a/4640-8.txt b/4640-8.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..e372c3b --- /dev/null +++ b/4640-8.txt @@ -0,0 +1,1362 @@ +The Project Gutenberg EBook of San Francisco During the Eventful Days of +April, 1906, by James B. Stetson + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with +almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + +Title: San Francisco During the Eventful Days of April, 1906 + +Author: James B. Stetson + +Posting Date: August 18, 2009 [EBook #4640] +Release Date: November, 2003 +First Posted: February 20, 2002 + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SAN FRANCISCO--APRIL 1906 *** + + + + +Produced by David Schwan. HTML version by Al Haines. + + + + + + + + + +San Francisco During the Eventful Days of April, 1906 + +Personal Recollections + + + +By + +James B. Stetson + + + + +These recollections were written in June, 1906, but the first edition +being exhausted and a new one being required, I have included some +events that occurred later, without changing the original date. + + + +Personal Recollections During the Eventful Days of April, 1906 + + + +As the earthquake and the great fire in San Francisco in the year 1906 +were events of such unusual interest, and realizing how faulty is man's +memory after time passes, I have here jotted down a few incidents which +I personally observed, and shall lay them away, so that if in the future +I should desire I can refer to these notes, made while the events were +new and fresh in my mind, with some assurance of their accuracy. + +On the morning of April 18, 1906, at 5:13, in my residence, 1801 Van +Ness Avenue, I was awakened by a very severe shock of earthquake. The +shaking was so violent that it nearly threw me out of bed. It threw down +a large bookcase in my chamber, broke the glass front, and smashed two +chairs; another bookcase fell across the floor; the chandelier was so +violently shaken that I thought it would be broken into pieces. The +bric-a-brac was thrown from the mantel and tables, and strewed the floor +with broken china and glass. It is said to have lasted fifty-eight +seconds, but as nearly as I can estimate the violent part was only about +twelve seconds. + +As soon as it was over I got up and went to the window, and saw the air +in the street filled with a white dust, which was caused by the falling +of masonry from St. Luke's Church on the diagonal corner from my room. I +waited for the dust to settle, and I then saw the damage which had been +done to Claus Spreckels's house and the church. The chimneys of the +Spreckels mansion were gone, the stone balustrade and carved work +wrecked. The roof and the points of the gables and ornamental stone work +of the church had fallen, covering the sidewalk and lying piled up +against the sides of the building to the depth of eight or ten feet. + +About this time Rachel and Nora were knocking, at my door and inquiring +if I were alive. I opened the door and they came in, Rachel badly +frightened and Nora sprinkling holy water over the room. + +I hurriedly dressed and went up, to my daughter's (Mrs. Winslow's) +house, 1945 Pacific Avenue, and found her and the children with their +neighbors in the street and very much frightened. Their house was +cracked considerably, and she had been imprisoned in her room by the +binding of the door, which had to be broken open to enable her to +escape. The chimneys of her house were thrown down and much valuable +glass and chinaware broken. I returned to my house and found that the +tops of all my chimneys had been thrown down, and one was lying in the +front yard sixteen feet from the building. There were some cracks +visible in the library, but none in my room, and only very few in the +parlor and dining-room. In the kitchen, however, the plastering was very +badly cracked and the tiles around the sink thrown out. In the parlor +the marble statue of the "Diving Girl" was thrown from its pedestal and +broken into fragments. The glass case containing the table glassware in +the dining-room and its contents were uninjured; very little china and +glassware were broken in the pantry; the clocks were not stopped. A +water-pipe broke in the ceiling of the spare room and the water did some +damage. + +I then went over to the power-house of the California-Street Railroad +and found that about seventy feet of the smoke-stack had fallen +diagonally across the roof, and about six feet of it into the stable, +where were two horses; fortunately it did not touch them, but before +they were released they squealed and cried, most piteously. One of them +was so badly frightened that he was afterward useless and we turned him +out to pasture and he grew lean and absolutely worthless. Things were +considerably disturbed, but the engines were apparently uninjured. The +watchman was not injured, although surrounded by falling bricks and +mortar. I was told that the water supply was stopped, and later learned +that it was because the earthquake had broken the water-mains. + +I then started on foot down-town, this was about 7 A. M.; no cars were +running on any line. The sidewalks in many places were heaved up, +chimneys thrown down, and walls cracked by the earthquake. St. Mary's +Cathedral and Grace Church gave no outward sign of being injured; +neither did the Fairmont Hotel. I went on California Street, over Nob +Hill, and as I got in sight of the business part of the city, I saw as +many as ten or twelve fires in the lower part of the city. The wind was +light from the northwest, and the smoke ascended in great columns, and +the sun through it looked like a large copper disk. When I arrived at +California and Montgomery streets the lower part of both sides of +California Street seemed to be all on fire. I did not realize that the +whole city would be burned. I had a vague idea that it would stop, or be +stopped, as fires had been hundreds of times before in this city. I went +along Sansome Street to Pine and down Pine towards Market. I saw that +Holbrook, Merrill & Stetson's store was all on fire, and when I arrived +at Front Street I saw that the Commercial Block on the southeast corner +of Front and California streets (on the fifth floor of which was my +office), was not on fire. So I started to go toward the building. The +fire was then burning fiercely at the southeast corner of California and +Battery. I went to the entrance at 123 California Street and met the +janitor coming out, who said I could not go upstairs, as the building +was on fire on the fifth floor. However, I started slowly up. The sparks +were coming down into the open area in a shower, but there was no smoke +in the building, so I was sure that it was not on fire on the inside. I +got up to my room on the fifth floor and found the door would not come +open. I tried the door in the adjoining office of the American Beet +Sugar Company and found it open. From that room I got into mine. I +raised my shades, and the fire was blazing at Battery Street and +California, fully seventy-five feet high, and not more than three +hundred feet distant from me. I looked through the hall and rooms and +saw no smoke, and was sure that I was safe for a few minutes. As I +turned the combination of my safe to open it another shock of earthquake +came, which confused me a little, but I persevered and opened it. I had +a quantity of souvenirs and presents which had been given me in years +past. These I gathered up, and with my deeds and insurance and other +papers soon had my arms full. I saw a fish-basket on my closet; I got it +down and put all these little things in it, then opened the little iron +box in the corner of the safe, and there dropped out some coins on the +floor. I remembered that I had put four twenty-dollar pieces in there +the day before. I felt on the floor and picked up two of them, and as I +did not find any more I concluded that they must have remained in the +safe; so I took the fish-basket and my books and papers in my arms, +closed the safe, turned on the combination, and started down the stairs +to the street. The sparks were plentiful in the area when I went up, but +they were more so as I came down,--a perfect firestorm, after the +manner of a snow-storm. When I got back on to California Street the air +was a mass of sparks and smoke being blown down the street toward the +ferry. As I had to go against it to get to Front Street, I was afraid +that my papers would take fire in my arms; so I buttoned up my coat to +protect my papers, pulled my hat over my eyes, and dived through, up +California Street and out Front towards Pine Street, from where I +started. There I found it clear of smoke and fire. As I passed along +with my arms full I saw a typewriter cover on the street, which I picked +up. Finding it empty, I stopped and turned it over and, dropping my +bundle into it, started for Front and Market Streets. There was no fire +within a block of that corner at this time. This was about +8 A. M.--perhaps 8:30. I sat down on an empty box in the middle of Market +Street for a rest, when W. R. Whittier came along and helped me with my +load. We took it to the door of the Union Trust Company, and they would +not let me in. I went upstairs and found Mr. Deering, who took it, and we +went down and put it into the vault between the outer and inner doors. +(In twenty-two days afterward I received it back in as good condition as +when I had left it there on the memorable 18th, of April.) I next went +up to Third Street and found the fire raging strong at the corner of +Third and Mission. My son was passing in his automobile, and I got in +with him. He was going to the Mechanics' Pavilion, where he said he +could do some work for the temporary hospital established there. When we +reached the Pavilion they said there were two hundred wounded inside. At +this hour there was no building on fire on the south line of Market +Street west of Fremont Street. We went around to the drug-stores and +hardware-stores to get hot-water bags and oil and alcohol stoves and +surgeons' appliances. We took with us Miss Sarah Fry, a Salvation Army +woman, who was energetic and enthusiastic. When we arrived at a +drug-store under the St. Nicholas she jumped out, and, finding the door +locked, seized a chair and raising it above her head smashed the glass +doors in and helped herself to hot-water bags, bandages, and everything +which would be useful in an emergency hospital. I continued with Harry +for a couple of hours. I then started down Market Street. The fire at +that hour, 10:30 A. M., was raging strong south of Market Street from +about Fifth to Tenth Street. I left Market Street and went up on to +Golden Gate Avenue. At Hyde and Golden Gate Avenue I saw a large +two-story house which had been wrecked by the earthquake. The doors, +windows and all the upright-portion of the first story, were crushed and +stood on an angle of 45°. I enquired of a woman seated on a pile of +rubbish, who said "no one was killed, but what am I to do?" The City +Hall was badly wrecked, great cracks were to be seen and about +two-thirds of the great dome had fallen. On one of our trips we went out +to the Park Emergency Hospital, and at 11 o'clock I found myself in the +Pacific Union Club and was able to get a cup of coffee and a sandwich, +which was the first food I had tasted that day. I went out from the club +and saw the fire raging on Market Street between First and Second. About +this hour a policeman notified me to meet the Mayor at the Hall of +justice, who had called a meeting of citizens for 2 o'clock. Met Mr. J. +E. Tucker--sat down with him on a box in the middle of Market Street, +opposite Lotta's Fountain, and we discussed the situation. We agreed +that the city was doomed to destruction, and that we were unable to do +anything to save it. Crowds of people were about, only looking on--some +looked dazed, and others wildly excited. I walked down to Bush Street +between Sansome and Montgomery, met Mr. Murphy of the First National +Bank, and Herman Oelrichs, and discussed with them as to whether it +would come to his building. The earthquake had thrown the heavy granite +cornice of his bank building into the middle of Bush Street. Murphy, +Grant & Co.'s building was on fire at this time; this was between 1 and +2 P. M.. Went along Montgomery to California Street, and found the fire +approaching Montgomery Street. At 3 o'clock it had got to the Palace +Hotel on the Mission-Street side, and by 3:30 it was well on fire. About +this time I went into the Western Union Telegraph office, and while +writing a telegram to Nellie and Robert, who were on their way to New +York, the announcement was made that no more telegrams would be +received. I then walked home, and at that time the streets leading to +Lafayette Square and the Presidio were filled with people dragging +trunks and valises along, trying to find a place of safety. They +generally landed in the Presidio. As night came on the fire made it as +light as day, and I could read without other light in any part of my +house. At 8 in the evening. I went downtown to see the situation, going +to Grant Avenue through Post Street, then to Sutter, and down Sutter to +Montgomery. The fire was then burning the eastern half of the Occidental +Hotel and the Postal Telegraph Company's office, on Market Street, +opposite Second Street, and other buildings adjoining. At this hour the +fire was about a mile and a quarter from my house. The Lick House and +the Masonic Temple were not on fire then. I next went to Pine and Dupont +Streets, and from that point could see that the Hall of justice and all +the buildings in that vicinity were on fire. Very few people were on the +street. Goldberg, Bowen & Co. were loading goods into wagons from their +store on Sutter Street, between Grant Avenue and Kearny. I attempted to +go in to speak to the salesman, with whom I was acquainted, but was +harshly driven away, by an officious policeman, as if I was endeavoring +to steal something. I came back to my house at 9:30 and found in the +library Mr. Wilcox and his mother, Mrs. Longstreet, Dr. and Mrs. +Whitney, Mrs. Hicks and her daughter, Sallie, Ruth, and Marie Louise. +They were all very much alarmed, as the information which they obtained +from the excited throng on the street was of the wildest kind. The two +automobiles and the Wilcox carriage stayed in front of the house all +night, at an expense of twenty-five dollars per hour for the carriage. I +felt tired, and went to bed at 11 P. M. and slept until 2:30 A. M. got +up and went down-town again to see what the situation was. I went to +California Street, then to Hyde, then to Pine. From Pine and Leavenworth +I could see that the fire was at that hour burning along O'Farrell from +Jones to Mason and on the east side of Mason Street. The St. Francis +Hotel was on fire. I went from Pine and Mason to the Fairmont Hotel at +California and Mason. The hill is very steep between these streets, and +many people, having exhausted themselves, were sleeping in the street on +the paving-stones and on mattresses. I did not think the fire would pass +beyond the Fairmont Hotel, as there was hundreds of feet of space +between the front or eastern side of the hotel, and any other building. +But the fire passed up beyond the hotel on Sacramento Street until it +reached a point where the hotel was at the leeward of the flames. The +hotel was not finished and in the northeast corner were kept the +varnishes and oils, which very much aided in the destruction of the +building. From California and Mason Streets I could see that old St. +Mary's Church, on the corner of California and Dupont Streets and Grace +Cathedral, on the corner of California and Stockton, were on fire. To +the north, Chinatown was in a whirlpool of fire. I returned home on +California Street and Van Ness Avenue. Both streets were thronged with +men, women, and children--some with bundles, packages, and +baby-carriages; but the usual method was to drag a trunk, which made a +harsh, scraping noise on the sidewalk. I overtook a man dragging a trunk +with a valise on the top which kept frequently falling off. As I +approached him I took the valise in my hand and with the other took hold +of the rope and helped him drag the heavy trunk. As we were strangers, I +am sure that he at first took me for a thief who intended to steal the +valise. I at once entered into conversation with him, and from his +manner later on I think he changed his mind, for when I left him a few +blocks away he was hearty in his thanks. + +While passing the Knickerbocker Hotel, on Van Ness Avenue, I saw a party +of ladies and an elderly gentleman. They were very much excited and were +hesitating about returning to their rooms for their personal effects. I +stopped and assured them that they had plenty of time to go and return +as many times as they wished, as the fire would not reach Van Ness +Avenue for at least five hours. It did not reach there for thirteen +hours. I think I succeeded in quieting them, at least for a time. + +When I arrived at Sacramento Street and Van Ness Avenue I saw a woman +tugging at a trunk which had caught on the car-track, and I helped her +release it. From the speed at which the fire was traveling I judged that +it could not reach that spot in many hours, I advised her, as she was +safe, not to over-exert herself, but to take frequent rests. She would +not take my advice and I was obliged to leave her. + +The throng of moving people, men and women with babies and bird cages, +and everything which they held most valuable on earth, began early +Wednesday morning and continued until the afternoon of Thursday. Early +Thursday morning Mr. Wilcox, with his mother and sister, and Mrs. Hicks +and daughter left our house and were able to cross to Oakland, where +they got a train for Los Angeles. Dr. and Mrs. Whitney went to a +friend's house. Early in the morning I went over to the +California-Street power-house and had a talk with Superintendent Harris. +He said that he had run out 20 cars, but as the water was shut off and +very low in the boilers, it was not safe to get up steam, and he was +unable to get horses to haul away the cars; so nothing could be done but +await the result, which was that every car in the house and those in the +street, some of them eight blocks away, 52 in number, were all burned. +Not one was left. I came back to 1801 Van Ness Avenue. The wind was +light but was from the northwest. At 9 A. M. I sent in my son's +automobile my personal clothing, silverware, bedding, and linen to Mrs. +Oxnard's, 2104 Broadway, and at 10:30 I had the rugs and some other +things ready, and he took them to the Presidio. Matters about this time +began to be rather wild. Van Ness Avenue was filled with people, all +pale and earnest, every one loaded with bundles and dragging valises or +trunks. + +We concluded that it was best for Mrs. Winslow and the children to leave +the city; so my son with his automobile took them to Burlingame. He had +but little gasoline in his machine, and it was very doubtful if he had +enough to make the run there and return. Not a drop could be obtained in +the city. He learned that it might be obtained at the Washington-Street +police station, so applied for some, but could get none, and barely +escaped the appropriation of his machine by the police, by saying that +he was preparing to take out of the city a load of women and children, +and starting up suddenly and getting out of their reach. So, with the +children, Mrs. Winslow, and a few articles of apparel hastily gathered +together, he, by a circuitous and zigzag route, out of the city, made +the trip and landed them safely in Burlingame at 4 o'clock. They could +get no accommodation at the club, so they accepted the hospitality of +Mr. and Mrs. Robert Coleman in a tent, and the next morning (Friday) +went to Mr. and Mrs. Will Tevis's. Their kitchen chimney had not fallen, +which made it possible to have cooking in the house, and as they had +wells, the men put the pumps in order; so they had the luxury of a bath. +When she left San Francisco she expected her own house and mine would +certainly be burned. So, with neither telephone, telegraph, nor mail, +she passed many anxious hours until Monday, the 23rd, when she heard +that both houses were saved. + +At 11:30 A. M. of Thursday from my window I could see blazes on Jones +Street at Clay, and southerly as far as Sutter and Leavenworth. About +this hour, although the fire did not reach here until after 3 o'clock, +the soldiers and police drove the people from their stores and houses on +Polk Street. Johnson & Co. were ordered out and not permitted to return +to save books and papers, although they begged permission to do so. I +think the Pleasanton was on fire at about this time. At noon the flames +were continuous from Clay, on Jones, to California. At 1:30 it had +almost reached Hyde and Clay, and was continuous from that point to Polk +and Sutter, the blaze reaching from 50 to 75 feet high. At 2:30 it was +approaching Van Ness at Hyde and Washington, and reaching south as far +as Sutter and Van Ness. I was in my front room watching with my +field-glass, house after house take fire and the long line as I have +just described. I saw many pigeons flying wildly about, seeking some +place of safety. As it approached Van Ness it did not burn north of +Washington Street. The wind being northwest, and Van Ness Avenue 125 +feet in width, I felt sure the fire would not cross. While the fire was +thus raging, the thought came to me, How fast in value is property being +consumed?--and as I looked at the line of flame, I remember I thought +it must be as much as a million dollars an hour. It shows how imperfect +in this matter was my estimate, when later the loss is estimated to be +four hundred millions, and the duration of the fire, from 5:15 A. M., +the 18th to 3 P. M. of the 20th--say sixty hours, which would be at the +rate of about six million five hundred thousand per hour. + +At 3 o'clock the soldiers drove the people north on Van Ness and west up +to Franklin Street, saying that they were going to dynamite the east +side of Van Ness. From my window I watched the movements of the +fire-fighters and dynamiters. They first set fire to every house on the +east side of Van Ness Avenue between Washington and Bush streets, and by +3:30 nearly every one was on fire. Their method was this: A soldier +would, with a vessel like a fruit-dish in his hand, containing some +inflammable stuff, enter the house, climb to the second floor, go to the +front window, open it, pull down the shade and curtain, and set fire to +the contents of his dish. In a short time the shades and curtain would +be in a blaze. When the fire started slowly, they would throw bricks and +stones up to the windows and break the glass to give it draught. It took +about 20 minutes for a building to get well on fire. From 4 to 4:30 St. +Luke's and the Presbyterian Church and all the houses on Van Ness Avenue +from Bush to Washington were on fire. At about this time they began +dynamiting. Then they started backfiring, and, as the line, of fire was +at Polk Street, the idea was to meet the flames and not allow them to +cross Van Ness Avenue. This was a great mistake, as it caused the whole +of the blocks between those streets to be on fire at once, which made an +intense heat, while if allowed to approach Van Ness from Polk Street the +heat would have been much less, and would not have ignited the west side +of Van Ness. The explosions of dynamite were felt fearfully in my house; +those within two blocks would jar and shake the house violently, +breaking the windows, and at the same time setting off the burglar +alarm. As the windows would break it tore the shades and curtains, +covered the floor with glass, and cracked the walls. After it was over I +found that it had demolished in my house twelve plates and fifty-four +sheets of glass, each measuring about thirty by fifty inches. + +At 4:45 1 was ordered out of my house by the soldiers,--not in a quiet +manner, but with an order that there was no mistaking its terms and +meaning,--about like this: "Get out of this house!" I replied: "But +this is my house and I have a right to stay here if I choose." "Get out +d--n quick, and make no talk about it, either!" So a soldier with a +bayonet on his gun marched me up Clay Street to Gough amid flames, +smoke, and explosions. Feeling exhausted from climbing the steep street, +and when within one hundred feet of Gough Street I rested on a doorstep. +I had not been there for more than two minutes before a soldier on the +opposite side of the street leveled his gun and cried out, "Get out of +that old man, and go up on to Gough Street." As he had a loaded gun, and +appeared very important, I quickly obeyed his polite order. As I +reluctantly ascended Clay Street in charge of the soldier, I held back +long enough to see the steeple of the Presbyterian Church fall. I stayed +at Gough Street a while, looking down upon my house, expecting every +minute to see the flames coming out of it. I watched from Gough Street +with much anxiety, and made up my mind that I would see if I could not +get back into my house, for I believed I could save it. The heat was so +intense that it had driven the guards away from Van Ness Avenue; so, +seeing no one near, I quietly slipped down the north side of Washington +Street to Franklin. As no one was around there, I continued to +Washington and Van Ness and, putting up my coat-collar and protecting +the side of my face with my hat, I ran along Van Ness to my front door +and quickly got into the house again at 5:40, being kept out fifty-five +minutes. My clothing got very hot but was not scorched. This I did at a +great risk of my life, for these soldiers were very arrogant and +consequential at having a little brief authority, and I was afraid they +would not hesitate to shoot on slight provocation. I felt provoked and +disgusted that I had to take such a risk to enter my own house. When I +returned, Mr. Merrill's house had been dynamited, and the two churches, +St. Luke's and the First Presbyterian, the Bradbury house at the corner +of Van Ness and California Street, and the Knickerbocker Hotel +adjoining, and the Gunn house, corner of Clay and Franklin, had shared +the same fate. + +On getting into my house again, I saw that the Neustadter house, at the +corner of Sacramento and Van Ness, was half-consumed, but it had not set +on fire the Spreckels residence, and as at this time Mr. Merrill's +house, which had been dynamited the second time, was so demolished, I +felt that I could consider that my house had passed the critical time, +for I hoped that Mr. Merrill's house in burning would not endanger the +west side of Van Ness. + +But now a new danger threatened. The range of blocks from the north side +of Washington Street to the south side of Jackson were on fire at Hyde +Street, and the flames coming toward Van Ness Avenue, with the +possibility of crossing. The Spreckels stable on Sacramento and also the +houses back of the Neustadter residence were now on fire. This, I knew, +would set fire to the three Gorovan cottages, two other two-story +houses, and the dynamited house of Mr. Gunn, all fronting on Clay +Street, between Van Ness and Franklin. So I watched from my front +window, the fire approach Van Ness between Washington and Jackson, then +going to my back window to see the threatened danger from Clay Street. +The Wenban residence, at the corner of Jackson and Van Ness, was well on +fire at 6:15; at 6:55 it fell in. The Clay-Street danger began at about +7:30 P. M.. At 8:15 the whole front as here described was blazing and at +its full height. My windows were so hot that I could not bear my hand on +them. I opened one and felt the woodwork, which was equally hot. I had +buckets of water in the front and rear rooms, with an improvised swab, +made by tying up a feather duster, ready to put out any small fire which +would be within my reach. I watched the situation for an hour, and as +the flames died down a little I had hope, and at 10 P. M. I felt +satisfied that it would not cross Van Ness Avenue, and neither would it +cross Clay Street. At this time, as the heat had somewhat subsided, I +ventured out, and saw a small flame, about as large as my two hands, +just starting on the tower of Mrs. Schwabacher's house, which is next to +mine on Clay Street. A very few people were around. James Walton of the +Twenty-eighth Coast Artillery, was there, also C. C. Jones, of 2176 +Fulton Street, and David Miller Ferguson, of Oakland. I said I would +give any man ten dollars who would go up and put out that fire. They +went into the house with a can of water, climbed the stairs and opened a +window, and in a few minutes put it out. Two of the men would accept +nothing; the soldier, the next day, accepted ten dollars. I later +presented Ferguson with a gold matchbox as a reminder of that eventful +night. Had Mrs. Schwabacher's house gone, all in the block would have +gone; the fire would have crossed to the north, up Pacific, Broadway, +and Vallejo, and probably over to Fillmore, when very little would have +been left of the residence portion of the city. + +Now again another danger came. Another tier of blocks, from Leavenworth +to Van Ness, between Jackson and Pacific, had taken fire. This was about +10:15 P. M.. At 11:15 it had got to Van Ness, and Bothin's house, which +was at the corner of Van Ness and Jackson, was fully on fire, but +although it was entirely consumed, the fire did not cross to the west +side of Van Ness. The wind during all the day and evening was steady +from the northwest,--not a very strong wind, but it helped protect the +west side of Van Ness. At 12 o'clock on the beginning of the 20th I saw +smoke coming out of the chimney of the Spreckels mansion. I went out and +spoke to a fireman, and he said he had been into the house and that it +was full of smoke and on fire. At 1 o'clock the house was on fire in the +upper rooms, at 1:30 it was blazing out of the upper windows, and in a +short time afterwards was wholly on fire. The fire caught the house from +the rear windows by the blaze from the Gorovan cottages. I feel quite +sure that if any one had been on guard inside with a bucket of water the +fire could have been put out. + +When the Spreckels house was well on fire I knew, from its having an +iron frame, hollow tile partitions, and stone outside walls, there would +be no danger from the heat to my house. As I was quite tired, I told the +man Ferguson that I would go into my house and take a nap. He asked me +what room I would sleep in, and he promised if they were about to +dynamite my house, or any other danger threatened, he would knock on my +window to give me warning to get out. I went in and lay down on a lounge +in the library at 2 A. M. and slept until 5 A. M.. When I awoke and +looked out the flames were pouring from every window of the Spreckels +mansion. At 10 A. M. the house was thoroughly burned out. (The general +appearance of the house from a distance is the same as formerly, the +walls and roof remaining the same as before the fire.) + +In the morning I went over to the California-Street engine-house, and +found it in ruins. Beams, pipes, iron columns, tie-rods, car-trucks, and +a tangled mass of iron-work; all that was not consumed of 32 cars, +bricks, mortar, ashes, and debris of every description filled the place. +The engine-room was hot, but I crawled into it through what was left of +the front stairway, which was nearly filled with loose bricks, and the +stone facings of the Hyde-Street front. It was a sad sight to me, for I +had something to do with it from its earliest existence. The form of +everything was there, but rods, cranks, beams, and pipes were bent and +burned, whether beyond hope of restoration I could not tell. No one was +there or on the street, and I came away with uncertain feelings. I had +hope, but whether the loss would be total or partial I could not say. A +further examination showed much damage--one shaft fourteen inches in +diameter was bent out of line one and one-quarter inches; one eight +inches in diameter, seven eighths of an inch; some of the large sheaves +badly twisted. A new cable coiled on a reel ready for use was so badly +burned in the portion exposed as to render the whole useless. As strange +as it may seem brass oilers and fillers on the engine-frames were +comparatively uninjured. The tank, encased in brick, contained 6,000 +gallons of fuel oil, and with its contents was uninjured. The granite +blocks on which the engines and drivers rested were badly scaled and +cracked by the heat, and in some places entirely destroyed. The portions +of the cables in use that were in the engine-room were ruined, and on +the street were burned off in five different places. The prospect of +ever repairing and getting this machinery and appliances in operation +again seemed impossible. It was, however, restored, and started up +August 1, 1906. + +At this time, about 8 A. M. Friday, I saw by the smoke that three large +fires were burning at North Beach, in the direction of the Union-Street +engine-house, from my house. + +I afterwards walked down into the business part of the city. The streets +in many places were filled with debris--in some places on Kearny and +Montgomery streets to the depth of four feet in the middle of the street +and much greater depth on the sidewalk. The track and slot rail of the +California Street R. R. were badly bent and twisted in many places. The +pavement in numberless places was cracked and scaled. A very few people +were to be seen at that time among the ruins, which added much to the +general gloom of the situation. I found it then, and ever since, very +difficult to locate myself when wandering in the ruins and in the +rebuilt district, as all the old landmarks are gone and the only guide +often is a prominent ruin in the distance. As there were no cars running +in the burnt district, I found my automobile very useful although the +rough streets filled with all manner of debris, punctured the tires too +frequently. + +The water supply in our house was gone, as was also the gas and electric +light. The only light we could use was candle-light, and that only until +9 P. M.. The city authorities issued an order that no fires could be +built in any house until the chimneys were fully rebuilt and inspected +by an officer. The water we used was brought by my son in a wash-boiler +in his automobile. He got it out near the Park. People all cooked in +improvised kitchens made in the street. As we were prohibited from +making fires in the house, I improvised a kitchen on the street. I found +some pieces of board which were blown into the street and partially +covered with brick and stone, from St. Luke's Church and with some +portieres from the house constructed a rude shelter, and put a laundry +stove in it, so we could make coffee, stew, and fry after a fashion. +Some people set up a cooking stove, many set up two rows of bricks, with +a piece of sheet iron laid across. Our door-bell was rung several +evenings, and we were ordered to "put out that light." + +About noon on the 20th the blocks between Pacific and Filbert were on +fire at Jones Street, and the fire was again threatening Van Ness +Avenue, but several engines were pumping, from one to another, saltwater +from Black Point and had a stream on the west side of Van Ness until it +was saved. + +While the fire was threatening, I went up to my daughter's (Mrs. +Oxnard's) and told the servants to get things ready to take out. I would +go back home, and if it crossed Van Ness I would return, but if I did +not return in fifteen minutes they might consider the danger over. It +did not cross. While this pumping was going on, and when the fire had +approached the east side of Van Ness Avenue, one of the engines in the +line suddenly stopped. This was a critical moment, but the firemen were +equal to the emergency, and they uncoupled the engine which was playing +on the houses, and remembering that the earthquake had disrupted and +choked up the sewer, thereby damming up the outlet, and in fact creating +a cistern, they put the suction down the manhole and continued playing +on the fire, and saved the buildings on the north side. I tried to get +the names of the foreman and men who had the presence of mind and cool +judgment, but was unable to do so. This ended the conflagration; but for +three nights after there were fires from smouldering timbers and +slow-burning debris, sufficient to light up my room so that I could see +to read. I was still in fear of a fire breaking out in the unburnt +district west of Van Ness Avenue, and as there was no water in the pipes +we would be as helpless as ever. This gave much anxiety during the two +weeks following the calamity. + +When night came on the evening of the 19th, the parks and the Presidio +were filled with frightened people, old and young. Thousands left their +homes in the (which afterwards proved to be) unburned district, and +sought shelter, as stated, in the parks and streets in the open air. Mr. +and Mrs. Dr. J. W. Keeney and family left their home at 2222 Clay +Street, and remained on Lafayette Square in the open air for two days +and nights, with hundreds of others, who feared another earthquake and +the conflagration. + +The afternoon after the fire had exhausted itself, the atmosphere was +hot, the great beds of coals gave out heat and glowed brightly at night. +The more I saw of this desolation, the worse it looked. I barricaded my +windows the best I could with mattresses and rugs, as the wind was a +little chilly. They stayed that way for about two weeks. The front of my +house was blistered and blackened by the intense heat. The paint melted +in a peculiar way, and over two of the windows it hung like drapery. +This morning (Saturday, the 21st) a man with a policeman came to the +door and demanded blankets, cover-lids, pillows, and mattresses. I gave +all I could spare, and some draperies besides. They insisted on taking +the rugs from the floor, and I had much difficulty in making them see +that rugs were not what they needed. The telegraph and telephone wires +made a network on every street, and for more than two weeks I carried in +my pocket a pair of wire cutters, which I had often occasion to use. +During the week following the fire, I found many water-pipes leaking, +and I went around with a hammer and wooden plugs and stopped them, in +hope to raise the water sufficient to have a supply in my house. I think +I succeeded. This morning (Saturday) I was hungry, with nothing in my +house to eat. I found a fireman on the street who gave me one of two +boxes of sardines which he had, and a stranger gave me soda crackers, so +I had a pretty fair breakfast under the circumstances. + +Bread we were able to buy after a few days. On May 3d we were able to +buy the staple articles of food. Up to that time we obtained what we +needed from the Relief Committee, such as canned meats, potatoes, +coffee, crackers, etc. + +The city being under military rule, on May 4th I obtained the following +orders: + + +San Francisco, May 4, 1906. +To All Civic and Military Authorities: + +Permit the bearer, Mr. J. B. Stetson, to visit the premises, 123 +California, and get safe. + +J. F. Dinan, +Chief of Police. +May 4, 1906. + +Permit Mr. Stetson, No. 123 California Street, to open safe and remove +contents. + +J. M. Stafford, +Major 20th Infantry, U. S. A. + + +So, with this permit, authority or protection, or whatever it may be +called, I found my safe in the ruins and everything in it that was +inflammable burned to a coal; one of the twenty-dollar gold pieces +before mentioned was saved. + +During the afternoon of the 18th and until 3 o'clock P. M. of the 19th +the scraping sound of dragging trunks on the sidewalks was continual. +All sorts of methods for conveying valuables were resorted to,--chairs +on casters, baby carriages, wheelbarrows,--but the trunk-dragging was +the most common. It was almost impossible to get a wagon of any kind. +The object of the people was to get to the vacant lots at North Beach +and to the Presidio grounds. + +Shortly after the calamity the most absurd stories were in circulation. +It was stated that a man came out of the wreck of the Palace Hotel with +his pockets filled with human fingers and ears taken from the dead +inmates for the rings and earrings. As no one was injured in the hotel, +it was wholly imaginative. A man near the Park met another who related +the shocking occurrence of two men having been hanged on a tree in +sight, and not a long way off; the man hastened to the spot and found no +crowd, nor men hanging. + +My son was engaged with his automobile all the forenoon in work +connected with the temporary hospital at the Mechanics' Pavilion. At +about 11 A. M. it was found necessary to remove the patients, which was +finished by noon. When the last one was taken out, he went in and made a +search, and found that all had been taken away. Still the report was +believed by many that a hundred or more perished there by the fire. + +A few personal experiences have come to me, and as I can verify them, I +have here inserted them. + +One of our men who roomed near the engine-house on California Street, +packed his trunk and dragged it downstairs, and started along the street +for a place of safety until he came to a pile of brick, when he stopped +and had just time to lay the brick all around it and run away. The next +day as soon as the heat would permit, he went for his trunk and found it +slightly roasted, but the contents uninjured. + +A lady who does not wish her name mentioned relates a very interesting +and thrilling story of her earthquake experience. She says she had +permitted her servant to go away for the night, and at five o'clock she +remembered that the milkcan had not been placed out as usual, so at that +hour she concluded to get up and do it herself. She did so and before +she could return to her bed, the shock came and the chimney was thrown +over, falling on the roof and crashed through that and the ceiling of +the chamber and on to the bed, which she had left only a few minutes +before. + +Alfred Boles, roadmaster of the California Street Cable R. R. Co., was +working on the cables all of the previous night, and up to about 4:30 on +the morning of the 18th. Therefore, that night at their home in the +Richmond District, the daughter slept with her mother. The earthquake +shook the chimney down, which fell through the roof and ceiling of her +room, and covered the bed with brick and mortar. Had she been in it she +certainly would have been killed. + +Mr. and Mrs. Weatherly, who were living in the Savoy, carefully packed a +trunk of their most valuable belongings, and he started up Post Street +dragging the trunk, seeking a place of safety. The porter of the Savoy +called him back, and showed him an express wagon in front of the house, +and said he was about to start for Golden Gate Park, so he lifted his +trunk on to the wagon. About this time a soldier or policeman came along +and said, "I want these horses," and without ceremony unharnessed them, +and took them away. In a few minutes the fire had got so near, that it +was impossible to get other horses, or move the wagon by hand and the +wagon and contents were burned. + +Mr. and Mrs. J. L. Tharp tell a very interesting story of their +experience on that April morning. Their sleeping room was one fronting +on the east side of Scott Street, between Sacramento and California +Streets. When the shock came it rolled their bed from one side of the +room to the other, quite across the room, and where the bed had stood +was filled with the broken chimney, to the amount of more than three +tons. Mrs. Tharp remembers having oiled the castors on the bedstead only +a short time before, which she thinks saved their lives. Later in the +day or the beginning of the next, while the fire was still miles away, +some friendly but excited neighbors, came rushing into Mr. Tharp's +chambers commanding him to flee as the house was in danger from the +conflagration. He was at that instant engaged in changing his +undergarments, and had his arms and head nearly through. They shouted +for him to come quick and save himself. He begged for a little more +time, when one of them petulantly exclaimed: "Oh! let him burn up if he +is so slow!" The fire did not come within two miles of this place. + +Shortly after the fire and as soon as people began to realize the extent +of the calamity, I listened to many discussions and prophecies +concerning the future in reference to business and rebuilding. It was +the general opinion that the business of jewelry and other luxuries, +would be ruined for many years to come; that Fillmore Street and Van +Ness Avenue would be only used temporarily; that the down-town district +would be restored in two years--many entertained opinions exactly the +reverse, and predicted all sorts of gloomy outlooks. Many theories and +predictions were made, none of which have been verified. + +My daughter, Mrs. Oxnard, with her husband was on the way to New York. +At about noon of the 18th they heard, at North Platte, that there had +been a severe shock of earthquake in San Francisco, and that the lower +part of the city south of Market Street was on fire. They thought the +report exaggerated, and at first declined to give it much attention; but +when they met friends at Grand Island at about 3 o'clock they got +information of such a character that it began to give them fear. At +every place until they reached Chicago additional news was obtained, +which indicated a very alarming condition of things here. They went to +the offices of the Southern Pacific and the Santa Fe Railroad companies, +but could get nothing that they considered reliable. So they started on +their way to New York from Chicago in doubt as to whether they should +continue or turn back. On arrival in New York on the 20th there was much +excitement. Newspapers issued extras every hour, filled with fearful +stories and of the progress of the fire. The limits of the burned +districts were reported with great accuracy, but the stories were +alarmingly exaggerated, and in many instances absurd. One telegram read +that the dead were so numerous that it was impossible to give burial, +and the Government at Washington was asked to furnish a ship that they +might be carried out far into the ocean and thrown into the sea. Some +were fortunate enough to get a telegram, which was eagerly read and +discussed. The number of people killed was reported to be from one to +thirty thousand. + +I finally received a telegram from them asking whether I would advise +them to return, which I answered at once to come by all means. So they +started back, arriving here on the 4th of May. + +My sister was in Dresden, Germany, and was like others in an excited +condition, until she could hear by mail from San Francisco. She says the +first knowledge of the disaster reaching her was from a small evening +newspaper printed in English, which in a very brief item said that "San +Francisco was destroyed by an earthquake this morning [April 18th]." +This was all the information which she could obtain that afternoon and +evening. A neighbor, a German lady, came in the next morning and told +her that the German newspapers of that morning said that the city of San +Francisco was on fire, and that the loss of life was enormous. That day, +the 19th, she visited the bulletin boards of the different newspapers, +and with her daughter endeavored to translate the brief cable telegrams +which were posted. The news came to London in English, and there cut +down as brief as possible and translated into German, so the information +was very brief. San Francisco people who were there sought one another +for news. Within a week the New York papers came, which gave more +particulars. While waiting for authentic information, such items as +these were in circulation: "Golden Gate Park has been withered by the +intense heat, and people are crowded to the beach," and that "Typhoid +fever has broken out"; that a tidal-wave had swept over the city; that +the earthquake shocks continued; that all communication with the +interior by rail or otherwise had been cut off; that thirty thousand +people had been killed. Whether her family and friends were alive she +did not know. + +In this state of mind, she found in a New York paper a picture of the +Spreckels residence which showed mine. This was the first information +that she received in reference to her family or their belongings. Mr. +and Mrs. Dohrmann and his sister, Mrs. Paulsen, of San Francisco, were +in Dresden, and did much to allay the fears of the San Franciscans. + +During the first few days the German people got over the excitement, but +not so with those whose homes were in this city. A letter which I mailed +to her on April 22d reached her on May 8th, which was the first one she +received, and which assured her of the safety of her family and friends. + +Charles Stetson Wheeler, Jr., who was in school at Belmont, sends me an +interesting account of his experiences. He says: + +I was awakened by the violent shaking of my bed, which rolled across the +room and struck the one occupied by my roommate. The pictures and frames +fell from the walls, the bowls and pitchers from the washstands, the +books from the shelves, and all were scattered over the floor. A piece +of plastering and a broken wash-bowl struck me on my head. I at first +thought it was the playful prank of the boys, but having got out of my +bed, I was thrown headlong on the floor. I knew it was something serious +and realized that it was an earthquake. I in some way got down the +stairs; I hardly know how. In the yard I found my companions, badly +frightened, all in pajamas, gazing at the sagging walls, broken windows +and chimneys. My roommate, who had got out ahead of me, rushed up to me, +and cried out: "By Jove, I am glad you're out safe; I didn't think of +you until I saw you zig-zagging out of the building." I thanked him and +joined the crowd, watching one of the teachers, who was climbing the +flagpole, so as to be on top of the building if it further collapsed. We +were all silent for a few minutes, but when the shock was fully over, we +talked glibly and loud enough, and had many jokes. + +No fires were started, as in San Francisco. We asked one another "if +this was the end of the world or only the beginning." "Do you think we +will get a holiday?" etc. As the excitement subsided, we began to +shiver, so by common consent we sought in the ruins for our clothing. I +felt that another shock might follow, and possibly worse than the first, +and got out of the wrecked building as soon as possible. + +A little later I found the Head Master of the school. "Good morning," +said I. "Unfortunate morning," he replied. "Brick structures do not hold +together when acted upon by conflicting motions caused by the vibrations +due to earthquakes. This disturbance is purely local, and I think that +Belmont is the only place which has suffered." I thought of our home in +the city, which is built of brick, and that my mother, father, and +sisters were in it. The more I thought of it, the weaker I felt, until +my knees were shaking. In about twenty minutes I was at the Belmont +Station determined to go to the city to learn the fate of my family. + +I tried to telephone, but I was told that both telephone and wire +connections between San Francisco and Belmont were broken. This was the +first proof that the earthquake was more than local, and my fears were +heightened. As I waited I was joined by other boys. All were curious to +know what had happened in other places, but few were worried. Soon the +entire school was gathered at the station. A teacher on a bicycle +arrived and demanded in the name of Mr. R--that we return to school. +The majority complied, but five of us refused. We were promised +expulsion. + +At last the train pulled in. We boarded it with difficulty, for it was +packed with Stanford students. They told us that their college was a +wreck. + +"The buildings are of stone, you know," said one, "and stone buildings +can't stand up against, an earthquake." + +Hearing remarks like this made me so dizzy with dread that I began +picturing to myself the ruins of my home. I could almost hear the groans +of those most dear to me buried under tons of stone and beams, It was +maddening, and I had to struggle some to keep from crying out like a +child. + +Slowly the train pulled by the ruins of San Mateo, Burlingame, and +Milbrae, but just outside of San Bruno the long line of straining cars +came to a sudden halt. We climbed out to find out the cause of the stop. +Ahead we saw several hundred yards of track buckled and humped like much +crumpled ribbon. We had gone as far as possible by rail. + +We counted the money in the crowd and decided to rent a rig if possible +and drive the twenty miles to our homes. After walking three miles, we +found no one willing to take us to the city for the money we were able +to offer; so at this point two of our party left us. + +We must have gone about eight miles when the van of the thousands +leaving the city met us. They were principally hobos and riffraff, +packing their blankets on their backs. We stopped and anxiously inquired +the plight of the city. Some said that the city was burned to the +ground, some that the whole town was submerged by a tidal wave, but all +agreed in this particular: that it was time to leave the city, for soon +there would be nothing left of it. + +The numbers of the retreat were increasing now. We could see mothers +wheeling their babes in buggies, limping, dusty, and tired. Men lashed +and swore at horses straining at loads of household furnishings. All +were in desperate haste. This increased our speed in the opposite +direction. We began to see the dense black cloud of smoke hanging above +the sky-line ahead of us. We almost ran. + +As we passed over each mile we heard more distressing tales from those +leaving. Men called us fools to be going toward the doomed town. +Thousands were traveling away; we were the only ones going toward San +Francisco. + +At last we came to the old Sutro Forest. We toiled up to the summit of +the ridge and looked down for the first time upon the city we were +raised in. In my mind, it was a sight that shall always be vivid. The +lower part of the city was a hell-like furnace. Even from that distance +we could hear the roar of the flames and the crash of falling beams. We +were paralyzed for a moment with the wonder of it. Then we began to run, +run hard, down the slope toward the city. It was impossible for us to +see our homes, for many hills intervened. Soon we reached the outskirts +of the town. Fear grew stronger and stronger in my heart as I saw that +all the chimneys of the houses were littering the streets through which +we passed. They were of brick and so was my father's house. + +The trip across the city seemed endless, even though we strained every +effort to hurry. I had had no breakfast, and was almost sick with fear +and hunger. We passed a brick church, and it was in ruins, shaken to +pieces by the shock. I almost reeled over when I saw it. The rest of the +way I ran. + +As I came within four blocks of the house I looked anxiously over the +roofs of other houses for its high chimneys that had hitherto been +visible from that point. I could not see them! Then I was sure that all +was over, and that my father, mother, and sisters were lost forever. + +These last four blocks I fairly flew, in spite of my fatigue. I kept my +eyes on the ground, not daring to raise them as I ran. Then as I reached +the curb before the door I never expected to enter again I looked up. +The house, though shorn of its chimneys, stood staunch and strong--they +were safe. For a second I stood still. Then, like a poor fool, I began +to laugh and shout. That was the most joyous home-coming of my life. + + * * * * * + +During the day of Wednesday, April 18th, I saw some of the damage done +by the earthquake. The loss to the California-Street cable railroad was +the upper portion of the chimney. I had my lunch at the Pacific Union +Club, corner of Post and Stockton Streets, and noted that building was +damaged but very little; only some few pieces of plastering fell. The +Call Building gave no evidence on the outside. The Commercial Block, in +which my office was located, did not show any damage. The door leading +into my office would not open, but the next one did. My house shows a +few cracks. The tops of the chimneys on my house were thrown off, and +the kitchen chimney had to be rebuilt. But the great loss, the great +calamity, was the fire. After that had raged for three days the havoc +was fearful to see. For miles and miles there was not a remnant of +anything inflammable remaining,--nothing but brick, stone, broken +crockery, iron and telegraph poles. In the general appearance it +resembles the country where a forest fire has swept, the chimneys and +unburned telephone poles representing the standing trunks of trees. The +loss of life is probably nearly 450. Many earthquake shocks were felt +during the three days of the calamity, and for as much as two months we +felt gentle reminders. + +The soldiers lacked good sense and judgment, or perhaps it may have been +that some incompetent officers gave senseless orders,--for instance, +the people occupying the stores on Polk Street, between Clay and +Pacific, and the apartments above, were driven out at 8 A. M. of +Thursday, and not permitted to re-enter. As the fire did not reach this +locality until about 4 P. M., there was abundant time to save many +valuable articles which were by this imbecile order lost. Why this was +done, I did not at the time, nor have I since been able to understand. + +Being busy in the work of restoration, I forget what a terrible calamity +has befallen the city and the people, but I sometimes realize it, and it +comes like a shock. It is estimated that 28,000 buildings were +destroyed. I find that people lost the power of keeping time and dates, +and if I had not made notes at the time I would be unable to recollect +the events of these three days with any degree of accuracy in point of +time. + +I have felt that it was fortunate that this calamity did not happen on a +Friday, or on the 13th of the month. Had it occurred on either of those +days, superstitious people would have had much to aid them in their +belief. + +The feeding of 300,000 people suddenly made destitute is a matter of +great difficulty, but it has been done. It rained two nights,--one +night quite hard,--but the health of the people has been remarkably +good. + +We had water in the house on the 1st of May, glass in the windows on the +16th of May, gas on the 5th of June, electric light on the 7th of June, +and cooked on the street until the 8th of May. + + +June, 1906 + + + + + + + + + +End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of San Francisco During the Eventful Days +of April, 1906, by James B. Stetson + +*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SAN FRANCISCO--APRIL 1906 *** + +***** This file should be named 4640-8.txt or 4640-8.zip ***** +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: + https://www.gutenberg.org/4/6/4/4640/ + +Produced by David Schwan. 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Stetson +</TITLE> + +<STYLE TYPE="text/css"> +BODY { color: Black; + background: White; + margin-right: 10%; + margin-left: 10%; + font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; + text-align: justify } + +P {text-indent: 4% } + +P.noindent {text-indent: 0% } + +P.poem {text-indent: 0%; + margin-left: 10%; + font-size: small } + +P.letter {text-indent: 0%; + font-size: small ; + margin-left: 10% ; + margin-right: 10% } + +P.footnote {font-size: small ; + text-indent: 0% ; + margin-left: 0% ; + margin-right: 0% } + +P.transnote {font-size: small ; + text-indent: 0% ; + margin-left: 0% ; + margin-right: 0% } + +P.intro {font-size: medium ; + text-indent: -5% ; + margin-left: 5% ; + margin-right: 0% } + +P.finis { font-size: larger ; + text-align: center ; + text-indent: 0% ; + margin-left: 0% ; + margin-right: 0% } + +</STYLE> + +</HEAD> + +<BODY> + + +<pre> + +The Project Gutenberg EBook of San Francisco During the Eventful Days of +April, 1906, by James B. Stetson + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with +almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + +Title: San Francisco During the Eventful Days of April, 1906 + +Author: James B. Stetson + +Posting Date: August 18, 2009 [EBook #4640] +Release Date: November, 2003 +First Posted: February 20, 2002 + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SAN FRANCISCO--APRIL 1906 *** + + + + +Produced by David Schwan. HTML version by Al Haines. + + + + + +</pre> + + +<BR><BR> + +<H2 ALIGN="center"> +San Francisco During the Eventful Days of April, 1906 +</H2> + +<H2 ALIGN="center"> +Personal Recollections +</H2> + +<BR> + +<H3 ALIGN="center"> +By +</H3> + +<H2 ALIGN="center"> +James B. Stetson +</H2> + +<BR><BR><BR> + +<P> +These recollections were written in June, 1906, but the first edition +being exhausted and a new one being required, I have included some +events that occurred later, without changing the original date. +</P> + +<BR><BR><BR> + +<H2 ALIGN="center"> +Personal Recollections During the <BR> +Eventful Days of April, 1906 +</H2> + +<BR><BR> + +<P> +As the earthquake and the great fire in San Francisco in the year 1906 +were events of such unusual interest, and realizing how faulty is man's +memory after time passes, I have here jotted down a few incidents which +I personally observed, and shall lay them away, so that if in the future +I should desire I can refer to these notes, made while the events were +new and fresh in my mind, with some assurance of their accuracy. +</P> + +<P> +On the morning of April 18, 1906, at 5:13, in my residence, 1801 Van +Ness Avenue, I was awakened by a very severe shock of earthquake. The +shaking was so violent that it nearly threw me out of bed. It threw down +a large bookcase in my chamber, broke the glass front, and smashed two +chairs; another bookcase fell across the floor; the chandelier was so +violently shaken that I thought it would be broken into pieces. The +bric-a-brac was thrown from the mantel and tables, and strewed the floor +with broken china and glass. It is said to have lasted fifty-eight +seconds, but as nearly as I can estimate the violent part was only about +twelve seconds. +</P> + +<P> +As soon as it was over I got up and went to the window, and saw the air +in the street filled with a white dust, which was caused by the falling +of masonry from St. Luke's Church on the diagonal corner from my room. I +waited for the dust to settle, and I then saw the damage which had been +done to Claus Spreckels's house and the church. The chimneys of the +Spreckels mansion were gone, the stone balustrade and carved work +wrecked. The roof and the points of the gables and ornamental stone work +of the church had fallen, covering the sidewalk and lying piled up +against the sides of the building to the depth of eight or ten feet. +</P> + +<P> +About this time Rachel and Nora were knocking, at my door and inquiring +if I were alive. I opened the door and they came in, Rachel badly +frightened and Nora sprinkling holy water over the room. +</P> + +<P> +I hurriedly dressed and went up, to my daughter's (Mrs. Winslow's) +house, 1945 Pacific Avenue, and found her and the children with their +neighbors in the street and very much frightened. Their house was +cracked considerably, and she had been imprisoned in her room by the +binding of the door, which had to be broken open to enable her to +escape. The chimneys of her house were thrown down and much valuable +glass and chinaware broken. I returned to my house and found that the +tops of all my chimneys had been thrown down, and one was lying in the +front yard sixteen feet from the building. There were some cracks +visible in the library, but none in my room, and only very few in the +parlor and dining-room. In the kitchen, however, the plastering was very +badly cracked and the tiles around the sink thrown out. In the parlor +the marble statue of the "Diving Girl" was thrown from its pedestal and +broken into fragments. The glass case containing the table glassware in +the dining-room and its contents were uninjured; very little china and +glassware were broken in the pantry; the clocks were not stopped. A +water-pipe broke in the ceiling of the spare room and the water did some +damage. +</P> + +<P> +I then went over to the power-house of the California-Street Railroad +and found that about seventy feet of the smoke-stack had fallen +diagonally across the roof, and about six feet of it into the stable, +where were two horses; fortunately it did not touch them, but before +they were released they squealed and cried, most piteously. One of them +was so badly frightened that he was afterward useless and we turned him +out to pasture and he grew lean and absolutely worthless. Things were +considerably disturbed, but the engines were apparently uninjured. The +watchman was not injured, although surrounded by falling bricks and +mortar. I was told that the water supply was stopped, and later learned +that it was because the earthquake had broken the water-mains. +</P> + +<P> +I then started on foot down-town, this was about 7 A. M.; no cars were +running on any line. The sidewalks in many places were heaved up, +chimneys thrown down, and walls cracked by the earthquake. St. Mary's +Cathedral and Grace Church gave no outward sign of being injured; +neither did the Fairmont Hotel. I went on California Street, over Nob +Hill, and as I got in sight of the business part of the city, I saw as +many as ten or twelve fires in the lower part of the city. The wind was +light from the northwest, and the smoke ascended in great columns, and +the sun through it looked like a large copper disk. When I arrived at +California and Montgomery streets the lower part of both sides of +California Street seemed to be all on fire. I did not realize that the +whole city would be burned. I had a vague idea that it would stop, or be +stopped, as fires had been hundreds of times before in this city. I went +along Sansome Street to Pine and down Pine towards Market. I saw that +Holbrook, Merrill & Stetson's store was all on fire, and when I arrived +at Front Street I saw that the Commercial Block on the southeast corner +of Front and California streets (on the fifth floor of which was my +office), was not on fire. So I started to go toward the building. The +fire was then burning fiercely at the southeast corner of California and +Battery. I went to the entrance at 123 California Street and met the +janitor coming out, who said I could not go upstairs, as the building +was on fire on the fifth floor. However, I started slowly up. The sparks +were coming down into the open area in a shower, but there was no smoke +in the building, so I was sure that it was not on fire on the inside. I +got up to my room on the fifth floor and found the door would not come +open. I tried the door in the adjoining office of the American Beet +Sugar Company and found it open. From that room I got into mine. I +raised my shades, and the fire was blazing at Battery Street and +California, fully seventy-five feet high, and not more than three +hundred feet distant from me. I looked through the hall and rooms and +saw no smoke, and was sure that I was safe for a few minutes. As I +turned the combination of my safe to open it another shock of earthquake +came, which confused me a little, but I persevered and opened it. I had +a quantity of souvenirs and presents which had been given me in years +past. These I gathered up, and with my deeds and insurance and other +papers soon had my arms full. I saw a fish-basket on my closet; I got it +down and put all these little things in it, then opened the little iron +box in the corner of the safe, and there dropped out some coins on the +floor. I remembered that I had put four twenty-dollar pieces in there +the day before. I felt on the floor and picked up two of them, and as I +did not find any more I concluded that they must have remained in the +safe; so I took the fish-basket and my books and papers in my arms, +closed the safe, turned on the combination, and started down the stairs +to the street. The sparks were plentiful in the area when I went up, but +they were more so as I came down,—a perfect firestorm, after the +manner of a snow-storm. When I got back on to California Street the air +was a mass of sparks and smoke being blown down the street toward the +ferry. As I had to go against it to get to Front Street, I was afraid +that my papers would take fire in my arms; so I buttoned up my coat to +protect my papers, pulled my hat over my eyes, and dived through, up +California Street and out Front towards Pine Street, from where I +started. There I found it clear of smoke and fire. As I passed along +with my arms full I saw a typewriter cover on the street, which I picked +up. Finding it empty, I stopped and turned it over and, dropping my +bundle into it, started for Front and Market Streets. There was no fire +within a block of that corner at this time. This was about +8 A. M.—perhaps 8:30. I sat down on an empty box in the middle of Market +Street for a rest, when W. R. Whittier came along and helped me with my +load. We took it to the door of the Union Trust Company, and they would +not let me in. I went upstairs and found Mr. Deering, who took it, and we +went down and put it into the vault between the outer and inner doors. +(In twenty-two days afterward I received it back in as good condition as +when I had left it there on the memorable 18th, of April.) I next went +up to Third Street and found the fire raging strong at the corner of +Third and Mission. My son was passing in his automobile, and I got in +with him. He was going to the Mechanics' Pavilion, where he said he +could do some work for the temporary hospital established there. When we +reached the Pavilion they said there were two hundred wounded inside. At +this hour there was no building on fire on the south line of Market +Street west of Fremont Street. We went around to the drug-stores and +hardware-stores to get hot-water bags and oil and alcohol stoves and +surgeons' appliances. We took with us Miss Sarah Fry, a Salvation Army +woman, who was energetic and enthusiastic. When we arrived at a +drug-store under the St. Nicholas she jumped out, and, finding the door +locked, seized a chair and raising it above her head smashed the glass +doors in and helped herself to hot-water bags, bandages, and everything +which would be useful in an emergency hospital. I continued with Harry +for a couple of hours. I then started down Market Street. The fire at +that hour, 10:30 A. M., was raging strong south of Market Street from +about Fifth to Tenth Street. I left Market Street and went up on to +Golden Gate Avenue. At Hyde and Golden Gate Avenue I saw a large +two-story house which had been wrecked by the earthquake. The doors, +windows and all the upright-portion of the first story, were crushed and +stood on an angle of 45°. I enquired of a woman seated on a pile of +rubbish, who said "no one was killed, but what am I to do?" The City +Hall was badly wrecked, great cracks were to be seen and about +two-thirds of the great dome had fallen. On one of our trips we went out +to the Park Emergency Hospital, and at 11 o'clock I found myself in the +Pacific Union Club and was able to get a cup of coffee and a sandwich, +which was the first food I had tasted that day. I went out from the club +and saw the fire raging on Market Street between First and Second. About +this hour a policeman notified me to meet the Mayor at the Hall of +justice, who had called a meeting of citizens for 2 o'clock. Met Mr. J. +E. Tucker—sat down with him on a box in the middle of Market Street, +opposite Lotta's Fountain, and we discussed the situation. We agreed +that the city was doomed to destruction, and that we were unable to do +anything to save it. Crowds of people were about, only looking on—some +looked dazed, and others wildly excited. I walked down to Bush Street +between Sansome and Montgomery, met Mr. Murphy of the First National +Bank, and Herman Oelrichs, and discussed with them as to whether it +would come to his building. The earthquake had thrown the heavy granite +cornice of his bank building into the middle of Bush Street. Murphy, +Grant & Co.'s building was on fire at this time; this was between 1 and +2 P. M.. Went along Montgomery to California Street, and found the fire +approaching Montgomery Street. At 3 o'clock it had got to the Palace +Hotel on the Mission-Street side, and by 3:30 it was well on fire. About +this time I went into the Western Union Telegraph office, and while +writing a telegram to Nellie and Robert, who were on their way to New +York, the announcement was made that no more telegrams would be +received. I then walked home, and at that time the streets leading to +Lafayette Square and the Presidio were filled with people dragging +trunks and valises along, trying to find a place of safety. They +generally landed in the Presidio. As night came on the fire made it as +light as day, and I could read without other light in any part of my +house. At 8 in the evening. I went downtown to see the situation, going +to Grant Avenue through Post Street, then to Sutter, and down Sutter to +Montgomery. The fire was then burning the eastern half of the Occidental +Hotel and the Postal Telegraph Company's office, on Market Street, +opposite Second Street, and other buildings adjoining. At this hour the +fire was about a mile and a quarter from my house. The Lick House and +the Masonic Temple were not on fire then. I next went to Pine and Dupont +Streets, and from that point could see that the Hall of justice and all +the buildings in that vicinity were on fire. Very few people were on the +street. Goldberg, Bowen & Co. were loading goods into wagons from their +store on Sutter Street, between Grant Avenue and Kearny. I attempted to +go in to speak to the salesman, with whom I was acquainted, but was +harshly driven away, by an officious policeman, as if I was endeavoring +to steal something. I came back to my house at 9:30 and found in the +library Mr. Wilcox and his mother, Mrs. Longstreet, Dr. and Mrs. +Whitney, Mrs. Hicks and her daughter, Sallie, Ruth, and Marie Louise. +They were all very much alarmed, as the information which they obtained +from the excited throng on the street was of the wildest kind. The two +automobiles and the Wilcox carriage stayed in front of the house all +night, at an expense of twenty-five dollars per hour for the carriage. I +felt tired, and went to bed at 11 P. M. and slept until 2:30 A. M. got +up and went down-town again to see what the situation was. I went to +California Street, then to Hyde, then to Pine. From Pine and Leavenworth +I could see that the fire was at that hour burning along O'Farrell from +Jones to Mason and on the east side of Mason Street. The St. Francis +Hotel was on fire. I went from Pine and Mason to the Fairmont Hotel at +California and Mason. The hill is very steep between these streets, and +many people, having exhausted themselves, were sleeping in the street on +the paving-stones and on mattresses. I did not think the fire would pass +beyond the Fairmont Hotel, as there was hundreds of feet of space +between the front or eastern side of the hotel, and any other building. +But the fire passed up beyond the hotel on Sacramento Street until it +reached a point where the hotel was at the leeward of the flames. The +hotel was not finished and in the northeast corner were kept the +varnishes and oils, which very much aided in the destruction of the +building. From California and Mason Streets I could see that old St. +Mary's Church, on the corner of California and Dupont Streets and Grace +Cathedral, on the corner of California and Stockton, were on fire. To +the north, Chinatown was in a whirlpool of fire. I returned home on +California Street and Van Ness Avenue. Both streets were thronged with +men, women, and children—some with bundles, packages, and +baby-carriages; but the usual method was to drag a trunk, which made a +harsh, scraping noise on the sidewalk. I overtook a man dragging a trunk +with a valise on the top which kept frequently falling off. As I +approached him I took the valise in my hand and with the other took hold +of the rope and helped him drag the heavy trunk. As we were strangers, I +am sure that he at first took me for a thief who intended to steal the +valise. I at once entered into conversation with him, and from his +manner later on I think he changed his mind, for when I left him a few +blocks away he was hearty in his thanks. +</P> + +<P> +While passing the Knickerbocker Hotel, on Van Ness Avenue, I saw a party +of ladies and an elderly gentleman. They were very much excited and were +hesitating about returning to their rooms for their personal effects. I +stopped and assured them that they had plenty of time to go and return +as many times as they wished, as the fire would not reach Van Ness +Avenue for at least five hours. It did not reach there for thirteen +hours. I think I succeeded in quieting them, at least for a time. +</P> + +<P> +When I arrived at Sacramento Street and Van Ness Avenue I saw a woman +tugging at a trunk which had caught on the car-track, and I helped her +release it. From the speed at which the fire was traveling I judged that +it could not reach that spot in many hours, I advised her, as she was +safe, not to over-exert herself, but to take frequent rests. She would +not take my advice and I was obliged to leave her. +</P> + +<P> +The throng of moving people, men and women with babies and bird cages, +and everything which they held most valuable on earth, began early +Wednesday morning and continued until the afternoon of Thursday. Early +Thursday morning Mr. Wilcox, with his mother and sister, and Mrs. Hicks +and daughter left our house and were able to cross to Oakland, where +they got a train for Los Angeles. Dr. and Mrs. Whitney went to a +friend's house. Early in the morning I went over to the +California-Street power-house and had a talk with Superintendent Harris. +He said that he had run out 20 cars, but as the water was shut off and +very low in the boilers, it was not safe to get up steam, and he was +unable to get horses to haul away the cars; so nothing could be done but +await the result, which was that every car in the house and those in the +street, some of them eight blocks away, 52 in number, were all burned. +Not one was left. I came back to 1801 Van Ness Avenue. The wind was +light but was from the northwest. At 9 A. M. I sent in my son's +automobile my personal clothing, silverware, bedding, and linen to Mrs. +Oxnard's, 2104 Broadway, and at 10:30 I had the rugs and some other +things ready, and he took them to the Presidio. Matters about this time +began to be rather wild. Van Ness Avenue was filled with people, all +pale and earnest, every one loaded with bundles and dragging valises or +trunks. +</P> + +<P> +We concluded that it was best for Mrs. Winslow and the children to leave +the city; so my son with his automobile took them to Burlingame. He had +but little gasoline in his machine, and it was very doubtful if he had +enough to make the run there and return. Not a drop could be obtained in +the city. He learned that it might be obtained at the Washington-Street +police station, so applied for some, but could get none, and barely +escaped the appropriation of his machine by the police, by saying that +he was preparing to take out of the city a load of women and children, +and starting up suddenly and getting out of their reach. So, with the +children, Mrs. Winslow, and a few articles of apparel hastily gathered +together, he, by a circuitous and zigzag route, out of the city, made +the trip and landed them safely in Burlingame at 4 o'clock. They could +get no accommodation at the club, so they accepted the hospitality of +Mr. and Mrs. Robert Coleman in a tent, and the next morning (Friday) +went to Mr. and Mrs. Will Tevis's. Their kitchen chimney had not fallen, +which made it possible to have cooking in the house, and as they had +wells, the men put the pumps in order; so they had the luxury of a bath. +When she left San Francisco she expected her own house and mine would +certainly be burned. So, with neither telephone, telegraph, nor mail, +she passed many anxious hours until Monday, the 23rd, when she heard +that both houses were saved. +</P> + +<P> +At 11:30 A. M. of Thursday from my window I could see blazes on Jones +Street at Clay, and southerly as far as Sutter and Leavenworth. About +this hour, although the fire did not reach here until after 3 o'clock, +the soldiers and police drove the people from their stores and houses on +Polk Street. Johnson & Co. were ordered out and not permitted to return +to save books and papers, although they begged permission to do so. I +think the Pleasanton was on fire at about this time. At noon the flames +were continuous from Clay, on Jones, to California. At 1:30 it had +almost reached Hyde and Clay, and was continuous from that point to Polk +and Sutter, the blaze reaching from 50 to 75 feet high. At 2:30 it was +approaching Van Ness at Hyde and Washington, and reaching south as far +as Sutter and Van Ness. I was in my front room watching with my +field-glass, house after house take fire and the long line as I have +just described. I saw many pigeons flying wildly about, seeking some +place of safety. As it approached Van Ness it did not burn north of +Washington Street. The wind being northwest, and Van Ness Avenue 125 +feet in width, I felt sure the fire would not cross. While the fire was +thus raging, the thought came to me, How fast in value is property being +consumed?—and as I looked at the line of flame, I remember I thought +it must be as much as a million dollars an hour. It shows how imperfect +in this matter was my estimate, when later the loss is estimated to be +four hundred millions, and the duration of the fire, from 5:15 A. M., +the 18th to 3 P. M. of the 20th—say sixty hours, which would be at the +rate of about six million five hundred thousand per hour. +</P> + +<P> +At 3 o'clock the soldiers drove the people north on Van Ness and west up +to Franklin Street, saying that they were going to dynamite the east +side of Van Ness. From my window I watched the movements of the +fire-fighters and dynamiters. They first set fire to every house on the +east side of Van Ness Avenue between Washington and Bush streets, and by +3:30 nearly every one was on fire. Their method was this: A soldier +would, with a vessel like a fruit-dish in his hand, containing some +inflammable stuff, enter the house, climb to the second floor, go to the +front window, open it, pull down the shade and curtain, and set fire to +the contents of his dish. In a short time the shades and curtain would +be in a blaze. When the fire started slowly, they would throw bricks and +stones up to the windows and break the glass to give it draught. It took +about 20 minutes for a building to get well on fire. From 4 to 4:30 St. +Luke's and the Presbyterian Church and all the houses on Van Ness Avenue +from Bush to Washington were on fire. At about this time they began +dynamiting. Then they started backfiring, and, as the line, of fire was +at Polk Street, the idea was to meet the flames and not allow them to +cross Van Ness Avenue. This was a great mistake, as it caused the whole +of the blocks between those streets to be on fire at once, which made an +intense heat, while if allowed to approach Van Ness from Polk Street the +heat would have been much less, and would not have ignited the west side +of Van Ness. The explosions of dynamite were felt fearfully in my house; +those within two blocks would jar and shake the house violently, +breaking the windows, and at the same time setting off the burglar +alarm. As the windows would break it tore the shades and curtains, +covered the floor with glass, and cracked the walls. After it was over I +found that it had demolished in my house twelve plates and fifty-four +sheets of glass, each measuring about thirty by fifty inches. +</P> + +<P> +At 4:45 1 was ordered out of my house by the soldiers,—not in a quiet +manner, but with an order that there was no mistaking its terms and +meaning,—about like this: "Get out of this house!" I replied: "But +this is my house and I have a right to stay here if I choose." "Get out +d—n quick, and make no talk about it, either!" So a soldier with a +bayonet on his gun marched me up Clay Street to Gough amid flames, +smoke, and explosions. Feeling exhausted from climbing the steep street, +and when within one hundred feet of Gough Street I rested on a doorstep. +I had not been there for more than two minutes before a soldier on the +opposite side of the street leveled his gun and cried out, "Get out of +that old man, and go up on to Gough Street." As he had a loaded gun, and +appeared very important, I quickly obeyed his polite order. As I +reluctantly ascended Clay Street in charge of the soldier, I held back +long enough to see the steeple of the Presbyterian Church fall. I stayed +at Gough Street a while, looking down upon my house, expecting every +minute to see the flames coming out of it. I watched from Gough Street +with much anxiety, and made up my mind that I would see if I could not +get back into my house, for I believed I could save it. The heat was so +intense that it had driven the guards away from Van Ness Avenue; so, +seeing no one near, I quietly slipped down the north side of Washington +Street to Franklin. As no one was around there, I continued to +Washington and Van Ness and, putting up my coat-collar and protecting +the side of my face with my hat, I ran along Van Ness to my front door +and quickly got into the house again at 5:40, being kept out fifty-five +minutes. My clothing got very hot but was not scorched. This I did at a +great risk of my life, for these soldiers were very arrogant and +consequential at having a little brief authority, and I was afraid they +would not hesitate to shoot on slight provocation. I felt provoked and +disgusted that I had to take such a risk to enter my own house. When I +returned, Mr. Merrill's house had been dynamited, and the two churches, +St. Luke's and the First Presbyterian, the Bradbury house at the corner +of Van Ness and California Street, and the Knickerbocker Hotel +adjoining, and the Gunn house, corner of Clay and Franklin, had shared +the same fate. +</P> + +<P> +On getting into my house again, I saw that the Neustadter house, at the +corner of Sacramento and Van Ness, was half-consumed, but it had not set +on fire the Spreckels residence, and as at this time Mr. Merrill's +house, which had been dynamited the second time, was so demolished, I +felt that I could consider that my house had passed the critical time, +for I hoped that Mr. Merrill's house in burning would not endanger the +west side of Van Ness. +</P> + +<P> +But now a new danger threatened. The range of blocks from the north side +of Washington Street to the south side of Jackson were on fire at Hyde +Street, and the flames coming toward Van Ness Avenue, with the +possibility of crossing. The Spreckels stable on Sacramento and also the +houses back of the Neustadter residence were now on fire. This, I knew, +would set fire to the three Gorovan cottages, two other two-story +houses, and the dynamited house of Mr. Gunn, all fronting on Clay +Street, between Van Ness and Franklin. So I watched from my front +window, the fire approach Van Ness between Washington and Jackson, then +going to my back window to see the threatened danger from Clay Street. +The Wenban residence, at the corner of Jackson and Van Ness, was well on +fire at 6:15; at 6:55 it fell in. The Clay-Street danger began at about +7:30 P. M.. At 8:15 the whole front as here described was blazing and at +its full height. My windows were so hot that I could not bear my hand on +them. I opened one and felt the woodwork, which was equally hot. I had +buckets of water in the front and rear rooms, with an improvised swab, +made by tying up a feather duster, ready to put out any small fire which +would be within my reach. I watched the situation for an hour, and as +the flames died down a little I had hope, and at 10 P. M. I felt +satisfied that it would not cross Van Ness Avenue, and neither would it +cross Clay Street. At this time, as the heat had somewhat subsided, I +ventured out, and saw a small flame, about as large as my two hands, +just starting on the tower of Mrs. Schwabacher's house, which is next to +mine on Clay Street. A very few people were around. James Walton of the +Twenty-eighth Coast Artillery, was there, also C. C. Jones, of 2176 +Fulton Street, and David Miller Ferguson, of Oakland. I said I would +give any man ten dollars who would go up and put out that fire. They +went into the house with a can of water, climbed the stairs and opened a +window, and in a few minutes put it out. Two of the men would accept +nothing; the soldier, the next day, accepted ten dollars. I later +presented Ferguson with a gold matchbox as a reminder of that eventful +night. Had Mrs. Schwabacher's house gone, all in the block would have +gone; the fire would have crossed to the north, up Pacific, Broadway, +and Vallejo, and probably over to Fillmore, when very little would have +been left of the residence portion of the city. +</P> + +<P> +Now again another danger came. Another tier of blocks, from Leavenworth +to Van Ness, between Jackson and Pacific, had taken fire. This was about +10:15 P. M.. At 11:15 it had got to Van Ness, and Bothin's house, which +was at the corner of Van Ness and Jackson, was fully on fire, but +although it was entirely consumed, the fire did not cross to the west +side of Van Ness. The wind during all the day and evening was steady +from the northwest,—not a very strong wind, but it helped protect the +west side of Van Ness. At 12 o'clock on the beginning of the 20th I saw +smoke coming out of the chimney of the Spreckels mansion. I went out and +spoke to a fireman, and he said he had been into the house and that it +was full of smoke and on fire. At 1 o'clock the house was on fire in the +upper rooms, at 1:30 it was blazing out of the upper windows, and in a +short time afterwards was wholly on fire. The fire caught the house from +the rear windows by the blaze from the Gorovan cottages. I feel quite +sure that if any one had been on guard inside with a bucket of water the +fire could have been put out. +</P> + +<P> +When the Spreckels house was well on fire I knew, from its having an +iron frame, hollow tile partitions, and stone outside walls, there would +be no danger from the heat to my house. As I was quite tired, I told the +man Ferguson that I would go into my house and take a nap. He asked me +what room I would sleep in, and he promised if they were about to +dynamite my house, or any other danger threatened, he would knock on my +window to give me warning to get out. I went in and lay down on a lounge +in the library at 2 A. M. and slept until 5 A. M.. When I awoke and +looked out the flames were pouring from every window of the Spreckels +mansion. At 10 A. M. the house was thoroughly burned out. (The general +appearance of the house from a distance is the same as formerly, the +walls and roof remaining the same as before the fire.) +</P> + +<P> +In the morning I went over to the California-Street engine-house, and +found it in ruins. Beams, pipes, iron columns, tie-rods, car-trucks, and +a tangled mass of iron-work; all that was not consumed of 32 cars, +bricks, mortar, ashes, and debris of every description filled the place. +The engine-room was hot, but I crawled into it through what was left of +the front stairway, which was nearly filled with loose bricks, and the +stone facings of the Hyde-Street front. It was a sad sight to me, for I +had something to do with it from its earliest existence. The form of +everything was there, but rods, cranks, beams, and pipes were bent and +burned, whether beyond hope of restoration I could not tell. No one was +there or on the street, and I came away with uncertain feelings. I had +hope, but whether the loss would be total or partial I could not say. A +further examination showed much damage—one shaft fourteen inches in +diameter was bent out of line one and one-quarter inches; one eight +inches in diameter, seven eighths of an inch; some of the large sheaves +badly twisted. A new cable coiled on a reel ready for use was so badly +burned in the portion exposed as to render the whole useless. As strange +as it may seem brass oilers and fillers on the engine-frames were +comparatively uninjured. The tank, encased in brick, contained 6,000 +gallons of fuel oil, and with its contents was uninjured. The granite +blocks on which the engines and drivers rested were badly scaled and +cracked by the heat, and in some places entirely destroyed. The portions +of the cables in use that were in the engine-room were ruined, and on +the street were burned off in five different places. The prospect of +ever repairing and getting this machinery and appliances in operation +again seemed impossible. It was, however, restored, and started up +August 1, 1906. +</P> + +<P> +At this time, about 8 A. M. Friday, I saw by the smoke that three large +fires were burning at North Beach, in the direction of the Union-Street +engine-house, from my house. +</P> + +<P> +I afterwards walked down into the business part of the city. The streets +in many places were filled with debris—in some places on Kearny and +Montgomery streets to the depth of four feet in the middle of the street +and much greater depth on the sidewalk. The track and slot rail of the +California Street R. R. were badly bent and twisted in many places. The +pavement in numberless places was cracked and scaled. A very few people +were to be seen at that time among the ruins, which added much to the +general gloom of the situation. I found it then, and ever since, very +difficult to locate myself when wandering in the ruins and in the +rebuilt district, as all the old landmarks are gone and the only guide +often is a prominent ruin in the distance. As there were no cars running +in the burnt district, I found my automobile very useful although the +rough streets filled with all manner of debris, punctured the tires too +frequently. +</P> + +<P> +The water supply in our house was gone, as was also the gas and electric +light. The only light we could use was candle-light, and that only until +9 P. M.. The city authorities issued an order that no fires could be +built in any house until the chimneys were fully rebuilt and inspected +by an officer. The water we used was brought by my son in a wash-boiler +in his automobile. He got it out near the Park. People all cooked in +improvised kitchens made in the street. As we were prohibited from +making fires in the house, I improvised a kitchen on the street. I found +some pieces of board which were blown into the street and partially +covered with brick and stone, from St. Luke's Church and with some +portieres from the house constructed a rude shelter, and put a laundry +stove in it, so we could make coffee, stew, and fry after a fashion. +Some people set up a cooking stove, many set up two rows of bricks, with +a piece of sheet iron laid across. Our door-bell was rung several +evenings, and we were ordered to "put out that light." +</P> + +<P> +About noon on the 20th the blocks between Pacific and Filbert were on +fire at Jones Street, and the fire was again threatening Van Ness +Avenue, but several engines were pumping, from one to another, saltwater +from Black Point and had a stream on the west side of Van Ness until it +was saved. +</P> + +<P> +While the fire was threatening, I went up to my daughter's (Mrs. +Oxnard's) and told the servants to get things ready to take out. I would +go back home, and if it crossed Van Ness I would return, but if I did +not return in fifteen minutes they might consider the danger over. It +did not cross. While this pumping was going on, and when the fire had +approached the east side of Van Ness Avenue, one of the engines in the +line suddenly stopped. This was a critical moment, but the firemen were +equal to the emergency, and they uncoupled the engine which was playing +on the houses, and remembering that the earthquake had disrupted and +choked up the sewer, thereby damming up the outlet, and in fact creating +a cistern, they put the suction down the manhole and continued playing +on the fire, and saved the buildings on the north side. I tried to get +the names of the foreman and men who had the presence of mind and cool +judgment, but was unable to do so. This ended the conflagration; but for +three nights after there were fires from smouldering timbers and +slow-burning debris, sufficient to light up my room so that I could see +to read. I was still in fear of a fire breaking out in the unburnt +district west of Van Ness Avenue, and as there was no water in the pipes +we would be as helpless as ever. This gave much anxiety during the two +weeks following the calamity. +</P> + +<P> +When night came on the evening of the 19th, the parks and the Presidio +were filled with frightened people, old and young. Thousands left their +homes in the (which afterwards proved to be) unburned district, and +sought shelter, as stated, in the parks and streets in the open air. Mr. +and Mrs. Dr. J. W. Keeney and family left their home at 2222 Clay +Street, and remained on Lafayette Square in the open air for two days +and nights, with hundreds of others, who feared another earthquake and +the conflagration. +</P> + +<P> +The afternoon after the fire had exhausted itself, the atmosphere was +hot, the great beds of coals gave out heat and glowed brightly at night. +The more I saw of this desolation, the worse it looked. I barricaded my +windows the best I could with mattresses and rugs, as the wind was a +little chilly. They stayed that way for about two weeks. The front of my +house was blistered and blackened by the intense heat. The paint melted +in a peculiar way, and over two of the windows it hung like drapery. +This morning (Saturday, the 21st) a man with a policeman came to the +door and demanded blankets, cover-lids, pillows, and mattresses. I gave +all I could spare, and some draperies besides. They insisted on taking +the rugs from the floor, and I had much difficulty in making them see +that rugs were not what they needed. The telegraph and telephone wires +made a network on every street, and for more than two weeks I carried in +my pocket a pair of wire cutters, which I had often occasion to use. +During the week following the fire, I found many water-pipes leaking, +and I went around with a hammer and wooden plugs and stopped them, in +hope to raise the water sufficient to have a supply in my house. I think +I succeeded. This morning (Saturday) I was hungry, with nothing in my +house to eat. I found a fireman on the street who gave me one of two +boxes of sardines which he had, and a stranger gave me soda crackers, so +I had a pretty fair breakfast under the circumstances. +</P> + +<P> +Bread we were able to buy after a few days. On May 3d we were able to +buy the staple articles of food. Up to that time we obtained what we +needed from the Relief Committee, such as canned meats, potatoes, +coffee, crackers, etc. +</P> + +<P> +The city being under military rule, on May 4th I obtained the following +orders: +</P> + +<BR> + +<PRE> +San Francisco, May 4, 1906. +To All Civic and Military Authorities: + +Permit the bearer, Mr. J. B. Stetson, to visit the premises, 123 +California, and get safe. + +J. F. Dinan, +Chief of Police. +May 4, 1906. + +Permit Mr. Stetson, No. 123 California Street, to open safe and remove +contents. + +J. M. Stafford, +Major 20th Infantry, U. S. A. +</PRE> + +<BR> + +<P> +So, with this permit, authority or protection, or whatever it may be +called, I found my safe in the ruins and everything in it that was +inflammable burned to a coal; one of the twenty-dollar gold pieces +before mentioned was saved. +</P> + +<P> +During the afternoon of the 18th and until 3 o'clock P. M. of the 19th +the scraping sound of dragging trunks on the sidewalks was continual. +All sorts of methods for conveying valuables were resorted to,—chairs +on casters, baby carriages, wheelbarrows,—but the trunk-dragging was +the most common. It was almost impossible to get a wagon of any kind. +The object of the people was to get to the vacant lots at North Beach +and to the Presidio grounds. +</P> + +<P> +Shortly after the calamity the most absurd stories were in circulation. +It was stated that a man came out of the wreck of the Palace Hotel with +his pockets filled with human fingers and ears taken from the dead +inmates for the rings and earrings. As no one was injured in the hotel, +it was wholly imaginative. A man near the Park met another who related +the shocking occurrence of two men having been hanged on a tree in +sight, and not a long way off; the man hastened to the spot and found no +crowd, nor men hanging. +</P> + +<P> +My son was engaged with his automobile all the forenoon in work +connected with the temporary hospital at the Mechanics' Pavilion. At +about 11 A. M. it was found necessary to remove the patients, which was +finished by noon. When the last one was taken out, he went in and made a +search, and found that all had been taken away. Still the report was +believed by many that a hundred or more perished there by the fire. +</P> + +<P> +A few personal experiences have come to me, and as I can verify them, I +have here inserted them. +</P> + +<P> +One of our men who roomed near the engine-house on California Street, +packed his trunk and dragged it downstairs, and started along the street +for a place of safety until he came to a pile of brick, when he stopped +and had just time to lay the brick all around it and run away. The next +day as soon as the heat would permit, he went for his trunk and found it +slightly roasted, but the contents uninjured. +</P> + +<P> +A lady who does not wish her name mentioned relates a very interesting +and thrilling story of her earthquake experience. She says she had +permitted her servant to go away for the night, and at five o'clock she +remembered that the milkcan had not been placed out as usual, so at that +hour she concluded to get up and do it herself. She did so and before +she could return to her bed, the shock came and the chimney was thrown +over, falling on the roof and crashed through that and the ceiling of +the chamber and on to the bed, which she had left only a few minutes +before. +</P> + +<P> +Alfred Boles, roadmaster of the California Street Cable R. R. Co., was +working on the cables all of the previous night, and up to about 4:30 on +the morning of the 18th. Therefore, that night at their home in the +Richmond District, the daughter slept with her mother. The earthquake +shook the chimney down, which fell through the roof and ceiling of her +room, and covered the bed with brick and mortar. Had she been in it she +certainly would have been killed. +</P> + +<P> +Mr. and Mrs. Weatherly, who were living in the Savoy, carefully packed a +trunk of their most valuable belongings, and he started up Post Street +dragging the trunk, seeking a place of safety. The porter of the Savoy +called him back, and showed him an express wagon in front of the house, +and said he was about to start for Golden Gate Park, so he lifted his +trunk on to the wagon. About this time a soldier or policeman came along +and said, "I want these horses," and without ceremony unharnessed them, +and took them away. In a few minutes the fire had got so near, that it +was impossible to get other horses, or move the wagon by hand and the +wagon and contents were burned. +</P> + +<P> +Mr. and Mrs. J. L. Tharp tell a very interesting story of their +experience on that April morning. Their sleeping room was one fronting +on the east side of Scott Street, between Sacramento and California +Streets. When the shock came it rolled their bed from one side of the +room to the other, quite across the room, and where the bed had stood +was filled with the broken chimney, to the amount of more than three +tons. Mrs. Tharp remembers having oiled the castors on the bedstead only +a short time before, which she thinks saved their lives. Later in the +day or the beginning of the next, while the fire was still miles away, +some friendly but excited neighbors, came rushing into Mr. Tharp's +chambers commanding him to flee as the house was in danger from the +conflagration. He was at that instant engaged in changing his +undergarments, and had his arms and head nearly through. They shouted +for him to come quick and save himself. He begged for a little more +time, when one of them petulantly exclaimed: "Oh! let him burn up if he +is so slow!" The fire did not come within two miles of this place. +</P> + +<P> +Shortly after the fire and as soon as people began to realize the extent +of the calamity, I listened to many discussions and prophecies +concerning the future in reference to business and rebuilding. It was +the general opinion that the business of jewelry and other luxuries, +would be ruined for many years to come; that Fillmore Street and Van +Ness Avenue would be only used temporarily; that the down-town district +would be restored in two years—many entertained opinions exactly the +reverse, and predicted all sorts of gloomy outlooks. Many theories and +predictions were made, none of which have been verified. +</P> + +<P> +My daughter, Mrs. Oxnard, with her husband was on the way to New York. +At about noon of the 18th they heard, at North Platte, that there had +been a severe shock of earthquake in San Francisco, and that the lower +part of the city south of Market Street was on fire. They thought the +report exaggerated, and at first declined to give it much attention; but +when they met friends at Grand Island at about 3 o'clock they got +information of such a character that it began to give them fear. At +every place until they reached Chicago additional news was obtained, +which indicated a very alarming condition of things here. They went to +the offices of the Southern Pacific and the Santa Fe Railroad companies, +but could get nothing that they considered reliable. So they started on +their way to New York from Chicago in doubt as to whether they should +continue or turn back. On arrival in New York on the 20th there was much +excitement. Newspapers issued extras every hour, filled with fearful +stories and of the progress of the fire. The limits of the burned +districts were reported with great accuracy, but the stories were +alarmingly exaggerated, and in many instances absurd. One telegram read +that the dead were so numerous that it was impossible to give burial, +and the Government at Washington was asked to furnish a ship that they +might be carried out far into the ocean and thrown into the sea. Some +were fortunate enough to get a telegram, which was eagerly read and +discussed. The number of people killed was reported to be from one to +thirty thousand. +</P> + +<P> +I finally received a telegram from them asking whether I would advise +them to return, which I answered at once to come by all means. So they +started back, arriving here on the 4th of May. +</P> + +<P> +My sister was in Dresden, Germany, and was like others in an excited +condition, until she could hear by mail from San Francisco. She says the +first knowledge of the disaster reaching her was from a small evening +newspaper printed in English, which in a very brief item said that "San +Francisco was destroyed by an earthquake this morning [April 18th]." +This was all the information which she could obtain that afternoon and +evening. A neighbor, a German lady, came in the next morning and told +her that the German newspapers of that morning said that the city of San +Francisco was on fire, and that the loss of life was enormous. That day, +the 19th, she visited the bulletin boards of the different newspapers, +and with her daughter endeavored to translate the brief cable telegrams +which were posted. The news came to London in English, and there cut +down as brief as possible and translated into German, so the information +was very brief. San Francisco people who were there sought one another +for news. Within a week the New York papers came, which gave more +particulars. While waiting for authentic information, such items as +these were in circulation: "Golden Gate Park has been withered by the +intense heat, and people are crowded to the beach," and that "Typhoid +fever has broken out"; that a tidal-wave had swept over the city; that +the earthquake shocks continued; that all communication with the +interior by rail or otherwise had been cut off; that thirty thousand +people had been killed. Whether her family and friends were alive she +did not know. +</P> + +<P> +In this state of mind, she found in a New York paper a picture of the +Spreckels residence which showed mine. This was the first information +that she received in reference to her family or their belongings. Mr. +and Mrs. Dohrmann and his sister, Mrs. Paulsen, of San Francisco, were +in Dresden, and did much to allay the fears of the San Franciscans. +</P> + +<P> +During the first few days the German people got over the excitement, but +not so with those whose homes were in this city. A letter which I mailed +to her on April 22d reached her on May 8th, which was the first one she +received, and which assured her of the safety of her family and friends. +</P> + +<P> +Charles Stetson Wheeler, Jr., who was in school at Belmont, sends me an +interesting account of his experiences. He says: +</P> + +<P> +I was awakened by the violent shaking of my bed, which rolled across the +room and struck the one occupied by my roommate. The pictures and frames +fell from the walls, the bowls and pitchers from the washstands, the +books from the shelves, and all were scattered over the floor. A piece +of plastering and a broken wash-bowl struck me on my head. I at first +thought it was the playful prank of the boys, but having got out of my +bed, I was thrown headlong on the floor. I knew it was something serious +and realized that it was an earthquake. I in some way got down the +stairs; I hardly know how. In the yard I found my companions, badly +frightened, all in pajamas, gazing at the sagging walls, broken windows +and chimneys. My roommate, who had got out ahead of me, rushed up to me, +and cried out: "By Jove, I am glad you're out safe; I didn't think of +you until I saw you zig-zagging out of the building." I thanked him and +joined the crowd, watching one of the teachers, who was climbing the +flagpole, so as to be on top of the building if it further collapsed. We +were all silent for a few minutes, but when the shock was fully over, we +talked glibly and loud enough, and had many jokes. +</P> + +<P> +No fires were started, as in San Francisco. We asked one another "if +this was the end of the world or only the beginning." "Do you think we +will get a holiday?" etc. As the excitement subsided, we began to +shiver, so by common consent we sought in the ruins for our clothing. I +felt that another shock might follow, and possibly worse than the first, +and got out of the wrecked building as soon as possible. +</P> + +<P> +A little later I found the Head Master of the school. "Good morning," +said I. "Unfortunate morning," he replied. "Brick structures do not hold +together when acted upon by conflicting motions caused by the vibrations +due to earthquakes. This disturbance is purely local, and I think that +Belmont is the only place which has suffered." I thought of our home in +the city, which is built of brick, and that my mother, father, and +sisters were in it. The more I thought of it, the weaker I felt, until +my knees were shaking. In about twenty minutes I was at the Belmont +Station determined to go to the city to learn the fate of my family. +</P> + +<P> +I tried to telephone, but I was told that both telephone and wire +connections between San Francisco and Belmont were broken. This was the +first proof that the earthquake was more than local, and my fears were +heightened. As I waited I was joined by other boys. All were curious to +know what had happened in other places, but few were worried. Soon the +entire school was gathered at the station. A teacher on a bicycle +arrived and demanded in the name of Mr. R—that we return to school. +The majority complied, but five of us refused. We were promised +expulsion. +</P> + +<P> +At last the train pulled in. We boarded it with difficulty, for it was +packed with Stanford students. They told us that their college was a +wreck. +</P> + +<P> +"The buildings are of stone, you know," said one, "and stone buildings +can't stand up against, an earthquake." +</P> + +<P> +Hearing remarks like this made me so dizzy with dread that I began +picturing to myself the ruins of my home. I could almost hear the groans +of those most dear to me buried under tons of stone and beams, It was +maddening, and I had to struggle some to keep from crying out like a +child. +</P> + +<P> +Slowly the train pulled by the ruins of San Mateo, Burlingame, and +Milbrae, but just outside of San Bruno the long line of straining cars +came to a sudden halt. We climbed out to find out the cause of the stop. +Ahead we saw several hundred yards of track buckled and humped like much +crumpled ribbon. We had gone as far as possible by rail. +</P> + +<P> +We counted the money in the crowd and decided to rent a rig if possible +and drive the twenty miles to our homes. After walking three miles, we +found no one willing to take us to the city for the money we were able +to offer; so at this point two of our party left us. +</P> + +<P> +We must have gone about eight miles when the van of the thousands +leaving the city met us. They were principally hobos and riffraff, +packing their blankets on their backs. We stopped and anxiously inquired +the plight of the city. Some said that the city was burned to the +ground, some that the whole town was submerged by a tidal wave, but all +agreed in this particular: that it was time to leave the city, for soon +there would be nothing left of it. +</P> + +<P> +The numbers of the retreat were increasing now. We could see mothers +wheeling their babes in buggies, limping, dusty, and tired. Men lashed +and swore at horses straining at loads of household furnishings. All +were in desperate haste. This increased our speed in the opposite +direction. We began to see the dense black cloud of smoke hanging above +the sky-line ahead of us. We almost ran. +</P> + +<P> +As we passed over each mile we heard more distressing tales from those +leaving. Men called us fools to be going toward the doomed town. +Thousands were traveling away; we were the only ones going toward San +Francisco. +</P> + +<P> +At last we came to the old Sutro Forest. We toiled up to the summit of +the ridge and looked down for the first time upon the city we were +raised in. In my mind, it was a sight that shall always be vivid. The +lower part of the city was a hell-like furnace. Even from that distance +we could hear the roar of the flames and the crash of falling beams. We +were paralyzed for a moment with the wonder of it. Then we began to run, +run hard, down the slope toward the city. It was impossible for us to +see our homes, for many hills intervened. Soon we reached the outskirts +of the town. Fear grew stronger and stronger in my heart as I saw that +all the chimneys of the houses were littering the streets through which +we passed. They were of brick and so was my father's house. +</P> + +<P> +The trip across the city seemed endless, even though we strained every +effort to hurry. I had had no breakfast, and was almost sick with fear +and hunger. We passed a brick church, and it was in ruins, shaken to +pieces by the shock. I almost reeled over when I saw it. The rest of the +way I ran. +</P> + +<P> +As I came within four blocks of the house I looked anxiously over the +roofs of other houses for its high chimneys that had hitherto been +visible from that point. I could not see them! Then I was sure that all +was over, and that my father, mother, and sisters were lost forever. +</P> + +<P> +These last four blocks I fairly flew, in spite of my fatigue. I kept my +eyes on the ground, not daring to raise them as I ran. Then as I reached +the curb before the door I never expected to enter again I looked up. +The house, though shorn of its chimneys, stood staunch and strong—they +were safe. For a second I stood still. Then, like a poor fool, I began +to laugh and shout. That was the most joyous home-coming of my life. +</P> + +<HR ALIGN="center" WIDTH="60%"> + +<P> +During the day of Wednesday, April 18th, I saw some of the damage done +by the earthquake. The loss to the California-Street cable railroad was +the upper portion of the chimney. I had my lunch at the Pacific Union +Club, corner of Post and Stockton Streets, and noted that building was +damaged but very little; only some few pieces of plastering fell. The +Call Building gave no evidence on the outside. The Commercial Block, in +which my office was located, did not show any damage. The door leading +into my office would not open, but the next one did. My house shows a +few cracks. The tops of the chimneys on my house were thrown off, and +the kitchen chimney had to be rebuilt. But the great loss, the great +calamity, was the fire. After that had raged for three days the havoc +was fearful to see. For miles and miles there was not a remnant of +anything inflammable remaining,—nothing but brick, stone, broken +crockery, iron and telegraph poles. In the general appearance it +resembles the country where a forest fire has swept, the chimneys and +unburned telephone poles representing the standing trunks of trees. The +loss of life is probably nearly 450. Many earthquake shocks were felt +during the three days of the calamity, and for as much as two months we +felt gentle reminders. +</P> + +<P> +The soldiers lacked good sense and judgment, or perhaps it may have been +that some incompetent officers gave senseless orders,—for instance, +the people occupying the stores on Polk Street, between Clay and +Pacific, and the apartments above, were driven out at 8 A. M. of +Thursday, and not permitted to re-enter. As the fire did not reach this +locality until about 4 P. M., there was abundant time to save many +valuable articles which were by this imbecile order lost. Why this was +done, I did not at the time, nor have I since been able to understand. +</P> + +<P> +Being busy in the work of restoration, I forget what a terrible calamity +has befallen the city and the people, but I sometimes realize it, and it +comes like a shock. It is estimated that 28,000 buildings were +destroyed. I find that people lost the power of keeping time and dates, +and if I had not made notes at the time I would be unable to recollect +the events of these three days with any degree of accuracy in point of +time. +</P> + +<P> +I have felt that it was fortunate that this calamity did not happen on a +Friday, or on the 13th of the month. Had it occurred on either of those +days, superstitious people would have had much to aid them in their +belief. +</P> + +<P> +The feeding of 300,000 people suddenly made destitute is a matter of +great difficulty, but it has been done. It rained two nights,—one +night quite hard,—but the health of the people has been remarkably +good. +</P> + +<P> +We had water in the house on the 1st of May, glass in the windows on the +16th of May, gas on the 5th of June, electric light on the 7th of June, +and cooked on the street until the 8th of May. +</P> + +<BR> + +<P CLASS="noindent"> +June, 1906 +</P> + +<BR><BR><BR><BR> + + + + + + + + +<pre> + + + + + +End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of San Francisco During the Eventful Days +of April, 1906, by James B. Stetson + +*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SAN FRANCISCO--APRIL 1906 *** + +***** This file should be named 4640-h.htm or 4640-h.zip ***** +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: + https://www.gutenberg.org/4/6/4/4640/ + +Produced by David Schwan. 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You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + +Title: San Francisco During the Eventful Days of April, 1906 + +Author: James B. Stetson + +Posting Date: August 18, 2009 [EBook #4640] +Release Date: November, 2003 +First Posted: February 20, 2002 + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ASCII + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SAN FRANCISCO--APRIL 1906 *** + + + + +Produced by David Schwan. HTML version by Al Haines. + + + + + + + + + +San Francisco During the Eventful Days of April, 1906 + +Personal Recollections + + + +By + +James B. Stetson + + + + +These recollections were written in June, 1906, but the first edition +being exhausted and a new one being required, I have included some +events that occurred later, without changing the original date. + + + +Personal Recollections During the Eventful Days of April, 1906 + + + +As the earthquake and the great fire in San Francisco in the year 1906 +were events of such unusual interest, and realizing how faulty is man's +memory after time passes, I have here jotted down a few incidents which +I personally observed, and shall lay them away, so that if in the future +I should desire I can refer to these notes, made while the events were +new and fresh in my mind, with some assurance of their accuracy. + +On the morning of April 18, 1906, at 5:13, in my residence, 1801 Van +Ness Avenue, I was awakened by a very severe shock of earthquake. The +shaking was so violent that it nearly threw me out of bed. It threw down +a large bookcase in my chamber, broke the glass front, and smashed two +chairs; another bookcase fell across the floor; the chandelier was so +violently shaken that I thought it would be broken into pieces. The +bric-a-brac was thrown from the mantel and tables, and strewed the floor +with broken china and glass. It is said to have lasted fifty-eight +seconds, but as nearly as I can estimate the violent part was only about +twelve seconds. + +As soon as it was over I got up and went to the window, and saw the air +in the street filled with a white dust, which was caused by the falling +of masonry from St. Luke's Church on the diagonal corner from my room. I +waited for the dust to settle, and I then saw the damage which had been +done to Claus Spreckels's house and the church. The chimneys of the +Spreckels mansion were gone, the stone balustrade and carved work +wrecked. The roof and the points of the gables and ornamental stone work +of the church had fallen, covering the sidewalk and lying piled up +against the sides of the building to the depth of eight or ten feet. + +About this time Rachel and Nora were knocking, at my door and inquiring +if I were alive. I opened the door and they came in, Rachel badly +frightened and Nora sprinkling holy water over the room. + +I hurriedly dressed and went up, to my daughter's (Mrs. Winslow's) +house, 1945 Pacific Avenue, and found her and the children with their +neighbors in the street and very much frightened. Their house was +cracked considerably, and she had been imprisoned in her room by the +binding of the door, which had to be broken open to enable her to +escape. The chimneys of her house were thrown down and much valuable +glass and chinaware broken. I returned to my house and found that the +tops of all my chimneys had been thrown down, and one was lying in the +front yard sixteen feet from the building. There were some cracks +visible in the library, but none in my room, and only very few in the +parlor and dining-room. In the kitchen, however, the plastering was very +badly cracked and the tiles around the sink thrown out. In the parlor +the marble statue of the "Diving Girl" was thrown from its pedestal and +broken into fragments. The glass case containing the table glassware in +the dining-room and its contents were uninjured; very little china and +glassware were broken in the pantry; the clocks were not stopped. A +water-pipe broke in the ceiling of the spare room and the water did some +damage. + +I then went over to the power-house of the California-Street Railroad +and found that about seventy feet of the smoke-stack had fallen +diagonally across the roof, and about six feet of it into the stable, +where were two horses; fortunately it did not touch them, but before +they were released they squealed and cried, most piteously. One of them +was so badly frightened that he was afterward useless and we turned him +out to pasture and he grew lean and absolutely worthless. Things were +considerably disturbed, but the engines were apparently uninjured. The +watchman was not injured, although surrounded by falling bricks and +mortar. I was told that the water supply was stopped, and later learned +that it was because the earthquake had broken the water-mains. + +I then started on foot down-town, this was about 7 A. M.; no cars were +running on any line. The sidewalks in many places were heaved up, +chimneys thrown down, and walls cracked by the earthquake. St. Mary's +Cathedral and Grace Church gave no outward sign of being injured; +neither did the Fairmont Hotel. I went on California Street, over Nob +Hill, and as I got in sight of the business part of the city, I saw as +many as ten or twelve fires in the lower part of the city. The wind was +light from the northwest, and the smoke ascended in great columns, and +the sun through it looked like a large copper disk. When I arrived at +California and Montgomery streets the lower part of both sides of +California Street seemed to be all on fire. I did not realize that the +whole city would be burned. I had a vague idea that it would stop, or be +stopped, as fires had been hundreds of times before in this city. I went +along Sansome Street to Pine and down Pine towards Market. I saw that +Holbrook, Merrill & Stetson's store was all on fire, and when I arrived +at Front Street I saw that the Commercial Block on the southeast corner +of Front and California streets (on the fifth floor of which was my +office), was not on fire. So I started to go toward the building. The +fire was then burning fiercely at the southeast corner of California and +Battery. I went to the entrance at 123 California Street and met the +janitor coming out, who said I could not go upstairs, as the building +was on fire on the fifth floor. However, I started slowly up. The sparks +were coming down into the open area in a shower, but there was no smoke +in the building, so I was sure that it was not on fire on the inside. I +got up to my room on the fifth floor and found the door would not come +open. I tried the door in the adjoining office of the American Beet +Sugar Company and found it open. From that room I got into mine. I +raised my shades, and the fire was blazing at Battery Street and +California, fully seventy-five feet high, and not more than three +hundred feet distant from me. I looked through the hall and rooms and +saw no smoke, and was sure that I was safe for a few minutes. As I +turned the combination of my safe to open it another shock of earthquake +came, which confused me a little, but I persevered and opened it. I had +a quantity of souvenirs and presents which had been given me in years +past. These I gathered up, and with my deeds and insurance and other +papers soon had my arms full. I saw a fish-basket on my closet; I got it +down and put all these little things in it, then opened the little iron +box in the corner of the safe, and there dropped out some coins on the +floor. I remembered that I had put four twenty-dollar pieces in there +the day before. I felt on the floor and picked up two of them, and as I +did not find any more I concluded that they must have remained in the +safe; so I took the fish-basket and my books and papers in my arms, +closed the safe, turned on the combination, and started down the stairs +to the street. The sparks were plentiful in the area when I went up, but +they were more so as I came down,--a perfect firestorm, after the +manner of a snow-storm. When I got back on to California Street the air +was a mass of sparks and smoke being blown down the street toward the +ferry. As I had to go against it to get to Front Street, I was afraid +that my papers would take fire in my arms; so I buttoned up my coat to +protect my papers, pulled my hat over my eyes, and dived through, up +California Street and out Front towards Pine Street, from where I +started. There I found it clear of smoke and fire. As I passed along +with my arms full I saw a typewriter cover on the street, which I picked +up. Finding it empty, I stopped and turned it over and, dropping my +bundle into it, started for Front and Market Streets. There was no fire +within a block of that corner at this time. This was about +8 A. M.--perhaps 8:30. I sat down on an empty box in the middle of Market +Street for a rest, when W. R. Whittier came along and helped me with my +load. We took it to the door of the Union Trust Company, and they would +not let me in. I went upstairs and found Mr. Deering, who took it, and we +went down and put it into the vault between the outer and inner doors. +(In twenty-two days afterward I received it back in as good condition as +when I had left it there on the memorable 18th, of April.) I next went +up to Third Street and found the fire raging strong at the corner of +Third and Mission. My son was passing in his automobile, and I got in +with him. He was going to the Mechanics' Pavilion, where he said he +could do some work for the temporary hospital established there. When we +reached the Pavilion they said there were two hundred wounded inside. At +this hour there was no building on fire on the south line of Market +Street west of Fremont Street. We went around to the drug-stores and +hardware-stores to get hot-water bags and oil and alcohol stoves and +surgeons' appliances. We took with us Miss Sarah Fry, a Salvation Army +woman, who was energetic and enthusiastic. When we arrived at a +drug-store under the St. Nicholas she jumped out, and, finding the door +locked, seized a chair and raising it above her head smashed the glass +doors in and helped herself to hot-water bags, bandages, and everything +which would be useful in an emergency hospital. I continued with Harry +for a couple of hours. I then started down Market Street. The fire at +that hour, 10:30 A. M., was raging strong south of Market Street from +about Fifth to Tenth Street. I left Market Street and went up on to +Golden Gate Avenue. At Hyde and Golden Gate Avenue I saw a large +two-story house which had been wrecked by the earthquake. The doors, +windows and all the upright-portion of the first story, were crushed and +stood on an angle of 45 deg.. I enquired of a woman seated on a pile of +rubbish, who said "no one was killed, but what am I to do?" The City +Hall was badly wrecked, great cracks were to be seen and about +two-thirds of the great dome had fallen. On one of our trips we went out +to the Park Emergency Hospital, and at 11 o'clock I found myself in the +Pacific Union Club and was able to get a cup of coffee and a sandwich, +which was the first food I had tasted that day. I went out from the club +and saw the fire raging on Market Street between First and Second. About +this hour a policeman notified me to meet the Mayor at the Hall of +justice, who had called a meeting of citizens for 2 o'clock. Met Mr. J. +E. Tucker--sat down with him on a box in the middle of Market Street, +opposite Lotta's Fountain, and we discussed the situation. We agreed +that the city was doomed to destruction, and that we were unable to do +anything to save it. Crowds of people were about, only looking on--some +looked dazed, and others wildly excited. I walked down to Bush Street +between Sansome and Montgomery, met Mr. Murphy of the First National +Bank, and Herman Oelrichs, and discussed with them as to whether it +would come to his building. The earthquake had thrown the heavy granite +cornice of his bank building into the middle of Bush Street. Murphy, +Grant & Co.'s building was on fire at this time; this was between 1 and +2 P. M.. Went along Montgomery to California Street, and found the fire +approaching Montgomery Street. At 3 o'clock it had got to the Palace +Hotel on the Mission-Street side, and by 3:30 it was well on fire. About +this time I went into the Western Union Telegraph office, and while +writing a telegram to Nellie and Robert, who were on their way to New +York, the announcement was made that no more telegrams would be +received. I then walked home, and at that time the streets leading to +Lafayette Square and the Presidio were filled with people dragging +trunks and valises along, trying to find a place of safety. They +generally landed in the Presidio. As night came on the fire made it as +light as day, and I could read without other light in any part of my +house. At 8 in the evening. I went downtown to see the situation, going +to Grant Avenue through Post Street, then to Sutter, and down Sutter to +Montgomery. The fire was then burning the eastern half of the Occidental +Hotel and the Postal Telegraph Company's office, on Market Street, +opposite Second Street, and other buildings adjoining. At this hour the +fire was about a mile and a quarter from my house. The Lick House and +the Masonic Temple were not on fire then. I next went to Pine and Dupont +Streets, and from that point could see that the Hall of justice and all +the buildings in that vicinity were on fire. Very few people were on the +street. Goldberg, Bowen & Co. were loading goods into wagons from their +store on Sutter Street, between Grant Avenue and Kearny. I attempted to +go in to speak to the salesman, with whom I was acquainted, but was +harshly driven away, by an officious policeman, as if I was endeavoring +to steal something. I came back to my house at 9:30 and found in the +library Mr. Wilcox and his mother, Mrs. Longstreet, Dr. and Mrs. +Whitney, Mrs. Hicks and her daughter, Sallie, Ruth, and Marie Louise. +They were all very much alarmed, as the information which they obtained +from the excited throng on the street was of the wildest kind. The two +automobiles and the Wilcox carriage stayed in front of the house all +night, at an expense of twenty-five dollars per hour for the carriage. I +felt tired, and went to bed at 11 P. M. and slept until 2:30 A. M. got +up and went down-town again to see what the situation was. I went to +California Street, then to Hyde, then to Pine. From Pine and Leavenworth +I could see that the fire was at that hour burning along O'Farrell from +Jones to Mason and on the east side of Mason Street. The St. Francis +Hotel was on fire. I went from Pine and Mason to the Fairmont Hotel at +California and Mason. The hill is very steep between these streets, and +many people, having exhausted themselves, were sleeping in the street on +the paving-stones and on mattresses. I did not think the fire would pass +beyond the Fairmont Hotel, as there was hundreds of feet of space +between the front or eastern side of the hotel, and any other building. +But the fire passed up beyond the hotel on Sacramento Street until it +reached a point where the hotel was at the leeward of the flames. The +hotel was not finished and in the northeast corner were kept the +varnishes and oils, which very much aided in the destruction of the +building. From California and Mason Streets I could see that old St. +Mary's Church, on the corner of California and Dupont Streets and Grace +Cathedral, on the corner of California and Stockton, were on fire. To +the north, Chinatown was in a whirlpool of fire. I returned home on +California Street and Van Ness Avenue. Both streets were thronged with +men, women, and children--some with bundles, packages, and +baby-carriages; but the usual method was to drag a trunk, which made a +harsh, scraping noise on the sidewalk. I overtook a man dragging a trunk +with a valise on the top which kept frequently falling off. As I +approached him I took the valise in my hand and with the other took hold +of the rope and helped him drag the heavy trunk. As we were strangers, I +am sure that he at first took me for a thief who intended to steal the +valise. I at once entered into conversation with him, and from his +manner later on I think he changed his mind, for when I left him a few +blocks away he was hearty in his thanks. + +While passing the Knickerbocker Hotel, on Van Ness Avenue, I saw a party +of ladies and an elderly gentleman. They were very much excited and were +hesitating about returning to their rooms for their personal effects. I +stopped and assured them that they had plenty of time to go and return +as many times as they wished, as the fire would not reach Van Ness +Avenue for at least five hours. It did not reach there for thirteen +hours. I think I succeeded in quieting them, at least for a time. + +When I arrived at Sacramento Street and Van Ness Avenue I saw a woman +tugging at a trunk which had caught on the car-track, and I helped her +release it. From the speed at which the fire was traveling I judged that +it could not reach that spot in many hours, I advised her, as she was +safe, not to over-exert herself, but to take frequent rests. She would +not take my advice and I was obliged to leave her. + +The throng of moving people, men and women with babies and bird cages, +and everything which they held most valuable on earth, began early +Wednesday morning and continued until the afternoon of Thursday. Early +Thursday morning Mr. Wilcox, with his mother and sister, and Mrs. Hicks +and daughter left our house and were able to cross to Oakland, where +they got a train for Los Angeles. Dr. and Mrs. Whitney went to a +friend's house. Early in the morning I went over to the +California-Street power-house and had a talk with Superintendent Harris. +He said that he had run out 20 cars, but as the water was shut off and +very low in the boilers, it was not safe to get up steam, and he was +unable to get horses to haul away the cars; so nothing could be done but +await the result, which was that every car in the house and those in the +street, some of them eight blocks away, 52 in number, were all burned. +Not one was left. I came back to 1801 Van Ness Avenue. The wind was +light but was from the northwest. At 9 A. M. I sent in my son's +automobile my personal clothing, silverware, bedding, and linen to Mrs. +Oxnard's, 2104 Broadway, and at 10:30 I had the rugs and some other +things ready, and he took them to the Presidio. Matters about this time +began to be rather wild. Van Ness Avenue was filled with people, all +pale and earnest, every one loaded with bundles and dragging valises or +trunks. + +We concluded that it was best for Mrs. Winslow and the children to leave +the city; so my son with his automobile took them to Burlingame. He had +but little gasoline in his machine, and it was very doubtful if he had +enough to make the run there and return. Not a drop could be obtained in +the city. He learned that it might be obtained at the Washington-Street +police station, so applied for some, but could get none, and barely +escaped the appropriation of his machine by the police, by saying that +he was preparing to take out of the city a load of women and children, +and starting up suddenly and getting out of their reach. So, with the +children, Mrs. Winslow, and a few articles of apparel hastily gathered +together, he, by a circuitous and zigzag route, out of the city, made +the trip and landed them safely in Burlingame at 4 o'clock. They could +get no accommodation at the club, so they accepted the hospitality of +Mr. and Mrs. Robert Coleman in a tent, and the next morning (Friday) +went to Mr. and Mrs. Will Tevis's. Their kitchen chimney had not fallen, +which made it possible to have cooking in the house, and as they had +wells, the men put the pumps in order; so they had the luxury of a bath. +When she left San Francisco she expected her own house and mine would +certainly be burned. So, with neither telephone, telegraph, nor mail, +she passed many anxious hours until Monday, the 23rd, when she heard +that both houses were saved. + +At 11:30 A. M. of Thursday from my window I could see blazes on Jones +Street at Clay, and southerly as far as Sutter and Leavenworth. About +this hour, although the fire did not reach here until after 3 o'clock, +the soldiers and police drove the people from their stores and houses on +Polk Street. Johnson & Co. were ordered out and not permitted to return +to save books and papers, although they begged permission to do so. I +think the Pleasanton was on fire at about this time. At noon the flames +were continuous from Clay, on Jones, to California. At 1:30 it had +almost reached Hyde and Clay, and was continuous from that point to Polk +and Sutter, the blaze reaching from 50 to 75 feet high. At 2:30 it was +approaching Van Ness at Hyde and Washington, and reaching south as far +as Sutter and Van Ness. I was in my front room watching with my +field-glass, house after house take fire and the long line as I have +just described. I saw many pigeons flying wildly about, seeking some +place of safety. As it approached Van Ness it did not burn north of +Washington Street. The wind being northwest, and Van Ness Avenue 125 +feet in width, I felt sure the fire would not cross. While the fire was +thus raging, the thought came to me, How fast in value is property being +consumed?--and as I looked at the line of flame, I remember I thought +it must be as much as a million dollars an hour. It shows how imperfect +in this matter was my estimate, when later the loss is estimated to be +four hundred millions, and the duration of the fire, from 5:15 A. M., +the 18th to 3 P. M. of the 20th--say sixty hours, which would be at the +rate of about six million five hundred thousand per hour. + +At 3 o'clock the soldiers drove the people north on Van Ness and west up +to Franklin Street, saying that they were going to dynamite the east +side of Van Ness. From my window I watched the movements of the +fire-fighters and dynamiters. They first set fire to every house on the +east side of Van Ness Avenue between Washington and Bush streets, and by +3:30 nearly every one was on fire. Their method was this: A soldier +would, with a vessel like a fruit-dish in his hand, containing some +inflammable stuff, enter the house, climb to the second floor, go to the +front window, open it, pull down the shade and curtain, and set fire to +the contents of his dish. In a short time the shades and curtain would +be in a blaze. When the fire started slowly, they would throw bricks and +stones up to the windows and break the glass to give it draught. It took +about 20 minutes for a building to get well on fire. From 4 to 4:30 St. +Luke's and the Presbyterian Church and all the houses on Van Ness Avenue +from Bush to Washington were on fire. At about this time they began +dynamiting. Then they started backfiring, and, as the line, of fire was +at Polk Street, the idea was to meet the flames and not allow them to +cross Van Ness Avenue. This was a great mistake, as it caused the whole +of the blocks between those streets to be on fire at once, which made an +intense heat, while if allowed to approach Van Ness from Polk Street the +heat would have been much less, and would not have ignited the west side +of Van Ness. The explosions of dynamite were felt fearfully in my house; +those within two blocks would jar and shake the house violently, +breaking the windows, and at the same time setting off the burglar +alarm. As the windows would break it tore the shades and curtains, +covered the floor with glass, and cracked the walls. After it was over I +found that it had demolished in my house twelve plates and fifty-four +sheets of glass, each measuring about thirty by fifty inches. + +At 4:45 1 was ordered out of my house by the soldiers,--not in a quiet +manner, but with an order that there was no mistaking its terms and +meaning,--about like this: "Get out of this house!" I replied: "But +this is my house and I have a right to stay here if I choose." "Get out +d--n quick, and make no talk about it, either!" So a soldier with a +bayonet on his gun marched me up Clay Street to Gough amid flames, +smoke, and explosions. Feeling exhausted from climbing the steep street, +and when within one hundred feet of Gough Street I rested on a doorstep. +I had not been there for more than two minutes before a soldier on the +opposite side of the street leveled his gun and cried out, "Get out of +that old man, and go up on to Gough Street." As he had a loaded gun, and +appeared very important, I quickly obeyed his polite order. As I +reluctantly ascended Clay Street in charge of the soldier, I held back +long enough to see the steeple of the Presbyterian Church fall. I stayed +at Gough Street a while, looking down upon my house, expecting every +minute to see the flames coming out of it. I watched from Gough Street +with much anxiety, and made up my mind that I would see if I could not +get back into my house, for I believed I could save it. The heat was so +intense that it had driven the guards away from Van Ness Avenue; so, +seeing no one near, I quietly slipped down the north side of Washington +Street to Franklin. As no one was around there, I continued to +Washington and Van Ness and, putting up my coat-collar and protecting +the side of my face with my hat, I ran along Van Ness to my front door +and quickly got into the house again at 5:40, being kept out fifty-five +minutes. My clothing got very hot but was not scorched. This I did at a +great risk of my life, for these soldiers were very arrogant and +consequential at having a little brief authority, and I was afraid they +would not hesitate to shoot on slight provocation. I felt provoked and +disgusted that I had to take such a risk to enter my own house. When I +returned, Mr. Merrill's house had been dynamited, and the two churches, +St. Luke's and the First Presbyterian, the Bradbury house at the corner +of Van Ness and California Street, and the Knickerbocker Hotel +adjoining, and the Gunn house, corner of Clay and Franklin, had shared +the same fate. + +On getting into my house again, I saw that the Neustadter house, at the +corner of Sacramento and Van Ness, was half-consumed, but it had not set +on fire the Spreckels residence, and as at this time Mr. Merrill's +house, which had been dynamited the second time, was so demolished, I +felt that I could consider that my house had passed the critical time, +for I hoped that Mr. Merrill's house in burning would not endanger the +west side of Van Ness. + +But now a new danger threatened. The range of blocks from the north side +of Washington Street to the south side of Jackson were on fire at Hyde +Street, and the flames coming toward Van Ness Avenue, with the +possibility of crossing. The Spreckels stable on Sacramento and also the +houses back of the Neustadter residence were now on fire. This, I knew, +would set fire to the three Gorovan cottages, two other two-story +houses, and the dynamited house of Mr. Gunn, all fronting on Clay +Street, between Van Ness and Franklin. So I watched from my front +window, the fire approach Van Ness between Washington and Jackson, then +going to my back window to see the threatened danger from Clay Street. +The Wenban residence, at the corner of Jackson and Van Ness, was well on +fire at 6:15; at 6:55 it fell in. The Clay-Street danger began at about +7:30 P. M.. At 8:15 the whole front as here described was blazing and at +its full height. My windows were so hot that I could not bear my hand on +them. I opened one and felt the woodwork, which was equally hot. I had +buckets of water in the front and rear rooms, with an improvised swab, +made by tying up a feather duster, ready to put out any small fire which +would be within my reach. I watched the situation for an hour, and as +the flames died down a little I had hope, and at 10 P. M. I felt +satisfied that it would not cross Van Ness Avenue, and neither would it +cross Clay Street. At this time, as the heat had somewhat subsided, I +ventured out, and saw a small flame, about as large as my two hands, +just starting on the tower of Mrs. Schwabacher's house, which is next to +mine on Clay Street. A very few people were around. James Walton of the +Twenty-eighth Coast Artillery, was there, also C. C. Jones, of 2176 +Fulton Street, and David Miller Ferguson, of Oakland. I said I would +give any man ten dollars who would go up and put out that fire. They +went into the house with a can of water, climbed the stairs and opened a +window, and in a few minutes put it out. Two of the men would accept +nothing; the soldier, the next day, accepted ten dollars. I later +presented Ferguson with a gold matchbox as a reminder of that eventful +night. Had Mrs. Schwabacher's house gone, all in the block would have +gone; the fire would have crossed to the north, up Pacific, Broadway, +and Vallejo, and probably over to Fillmore, when very little would have +been left of the residence portion of the city. + +Now again another danger came. Another tier of blocks, from Leavenworth +to Van Ness, between Jackson and Pacific, had taken fire. This was about +10:15 P. M.. At 11:15 it had got to Van Ness, and Bothin's house, which +was at the corner of Van Ness and Jackson, was fully on fire, but +although it was entirely consumed, the fire did not cross to the west +side of Van Ness. The wind during all the day and evening was steady +from the northwest,--not a very strong wind, but it helped protect the +west side of Van Ness. At 12 o'clock on the beginning of the 20th I saw +smoke coming out of the chimney of the Spreckels mansion. I went out and +spoke to a fireman, and he said he had been into the house and that it +was full of smoke and on fire. At 1 o'clock the house was on fire in the +upper rooms, at 1:30 it was blazing out of the upper windows, and in a +short time afterwards was wholly on fire. The fire caught the house from +the rear windows by the blaze from the Gorovan cottages. I feel quite +sure that if any one had been on guard inside with a bucket of water the +fire could have been put out. + +When the Spreckels house was well on fire I knew, from its having an +iron frame, hollow tile partitions, and stone outside walls, there would +be no danger from the heat to my house. As I was quite tired, I told the +man Ferguson that I would go into my house and take a nap. He asked me +what room I would sleep in, and he promised if they were about to +dynamite my house, or any other danger threatened, he would knock on my +window to give me warning to get out. I went in and lay down on a lounge +in the library at 2 A. M. and slept until 5 A. M.. When I awoke and +looked out the flames were pouring from every window of the Spreckels +mansion. At 10 A. M. the house was thoroughly burned out. (The general +appearance of the house from a distance is the same as formerly, the +walls and roof remaining the same as before the fire.) + +In the morning I went over to the California-Street engine-house, and +found it in ruins. Beams, pipes, iron columns, tie-rods, car-trucks, and +a tangled mass of iron-work; all that was not consumed of 32 cars, +bricks, mortar, ashes, and debris of every description filled the place. +The engine-room was hot, but I crawled into it through what was left of +the front stairway, which was nearly filled with loose bricks, and the +stone facings of the Hyde-Street front. It was a sad sight to me, for I +had something to do with it from its earliest existence. The form of +everything was there, but rods, cranks, beams, and pipes were bent and +burned, whether beyond hope of restoration I could not tell. No one was +there or on the street, and I came away with uncertain feelings. I had +hope, but whether the loss would be total or partial I could not say. A +further examination showed much damage--one shaft fourteen inches in +diameter was bent out of line one and one-quarter inches; one eight +inches in diameter, seven eighths of an inch; some of the large sheaves +badly twisted. A new cable coiled on a reel ready for use was so badly +burned in the portion exposed as to render the whole useless. As strange +as it may seem brass oilers and fillers on the engine-frames were +comparatively uninjured. The tank, encased in brick, contained 6,000 +gallons of fuel oil, and with its contents was uninjured. The granite +blocks on which the engines and drivers rested were badly scaled and +cracked by the heat, and in some places entirely destroyed. The portions +of the cables in use that were in the engine-room were ruined, and on +the street were burned off in five different places. The prospect of +ever repairing and getting this machinery and appliances in operation +again seemed impossible. It was, however, restored, and started up +August 1, 1906. + +At this time, about 8 A. M. Friday, I saw by the smoke that three large +fires were burning at North Beach, in the direction of the Union-Street +engine-house, from my house. + +I afterwards walked down into the business part of the city. The streets +in many places were filled with debris--in some places on Kearny and +Montgomery streets to the depth of four feet in the middle of the street +and much greater depth on the sidewalk. The track and slot rail of the +California Street R. R. were badly bent and twisted in many places. The +pavement in numberless places was cracked and scaled. A very few people +were to be seen at that time among the ruins, which added much to the +general gloom of the situation. I found it then, and ever since, very +difficult to locate myself when wandering in the ruins and in the +rebuilt district, as all the old landmarks are gone and the only guide +often is a prominent ruin in the distance. As there were no cars running +in the burnt district, I found my automobile very useful although the +rough streets filled with all manner of debris, punctured the tires too +frequently. + +The water supply in our house was gone, as was also the gas and electric +light. The only light we could use was candle-light, and that only until +9 P. M.. The city authorities issued an order that no fires could be +built in any house until the chimneys were fully rebuilt and inspected +by an officer. The water we used was brought by my son in a wash-boiler +in his automobile. He got it out near the Park. People all cooked in +improvised kitchens made in the street. As we were prohibited from +making fires in the house, I improvised a kitchen on the street. I found +some pieces of board which were blown into the street and partially +covered with brick and stone, from St. Luke's Church and with some +portieres from the house constructed a rude shelter, and put a laundry +stove in it, so we could make coffee, stew, and fry after a fashion. +Some people set up a cooking stove, many set up two rows of bricks, with +a piece of sheet iron laid across. Our door-bell was rung several +evenings, and we were ordered to "put out that light." + +About noon on the 20th the blocks between Pacific and Filbert were on +fire at Jones Street, and the fire was again threatening Van Ness +Avenue, but several engines were pumping, from one to another, saltwater +from Black Point and had a stream on the west side of Van Ness until it +was saved. + +While the fire was threatening, I went up to my daughter's (Mrs. +Oxnard's) and told the servants to get things ready to take out. I would +go back home, and if it crossed Van Ness I would return, but if I did +not return in fifteen minutes they might consider the danger over. It +did not cross. While this pumping was going on, and when the fire had +approached the east side of Van Ness Avenue, one of the engines in the +line suddenly stopped. This was a critical moment, but the firemen were +equal to the emergency, and they uncoupled the engine which was playing +on the houses, and remembering that the earthquake had disrupted and +choked up the sewer, thereby damming up the outlet, and in fact creating +a cistern, they put the suction down the manhole and continued playing +on the fire, and saved the buildings on the north side. I tried to get +the names of the foreman and men who had the presence of mind and cool +judgment, but was unable to do so. This ended the conflagration; but for +three nights after there were fires from smouldering timbers and +slow-burning debris, sufficient to light up my room so that I could see +to read. I was still in fear of a fire breaking out in the unburnt +district west of Van Ness Avenue, and as there was no water in the pipes +we would be as helpless as ever. This gave much anxiety during the two +weeks following the calamity. + +When night came on the evening of the 19th, the parks and the Presidio +were filled with frightened people, old and young. Thousands left their +homes in the (which afterwards proved to be) unburned district, and +sought shelter, as stated, in the parks and streets in the open air. Mr. +and Mrs. Dr. J. W. Keeney and family left their home at 2222 Clay +Street, and remained on Lafayette Square in the open air for two days +and nights, with hundreds of others, who feared another earthquake and +the conflagration. + +The afternoon after the fire had exhausted itself, the atmosphere was +hot, the great beds of coals gave out heat and glowed brightly at night. +The more I saw of this desolation, the worse it looked. I barricaded my +windows the best I could with mattresses and rugs, as the wind was a +little chilly. They stayed that way for about two weeks. The front of my +house was blistered and blackened by the intense heat. The paint melted +in a peculiar way, and over two of the windows it hung like drapery. +This morning (Saturday, the 21st) a man with a policeman came to the +door and demanded blankets, cover-lids, pillows, and mattresses. I gave +all I could spare, and some draperies besides. They insisted on taking +the rugs from the floor, and I had much difficulty in making them see +that rugs were not what they needed. The telegraph and telephone wires +made a network on every street, and for more than two weeks I carried in +my pocket a pair of wire cutters, which I had often occasion to use. +During the week following the fire, I found many water-pipes leaking, +and I went around with a hammer and wooden plugs and stopped them, in +hope to raise the water sufficient to have a supply in my house. I think +I succeeded. This morning (Saturday) I was hungry, with nothing in my +house to eat. I found a fireman on the street who gave me one of two +boxes of sardines which he had, and a stranger gave me soda crackers, so +I had a pretty fair breakfast under the circumstances. + +Bread we were able to buy after a few days. On May 3d we were able to +buy the staple articles of food. Up to that time we obtained what we +needed from the Relief Committee, such as canned meats, potatoes, +coffee, crackers, etc. + +The city being under military rule, on May 4th I obtained the following +orders: + + +San Francisco, May 4, 1906. +To All Civic and Military Authorities: + +Permit the bearer, Mr. J. B. Stetson, to visit the premises, 123 +California, and get safe. + +J. F. Dinan, +Chief of Police. +May 4, 1906. + +Permit Mr. Stetson, No. 123 California Street, to open safe and remove +contents. + +J. M. Stafford, +Major 20th Infantry, U. S. A. + + +So, with this permit, authority or protection, or whatever it may be +called, I found my safe in the ruins and everything in it that was +inflammable burned to a coal; one of the twenty-dollar gold pieces +before mentioned was saved. + +During the afternoon of the 18th and until 3 o'clock P. M. of the 19th +the scraping sound of dragging trunks on the sidewalks was continual. +All sorts of methods for conveying valuables were resorted to,--chairs +on casters, baby carriages, wheelbarrows,--but the trunk-dragging was +the most common. It was almost impossible to get a wagon of any kind. +The object of the people was to get to the vacant lots at North Beach +and to the Presidio grounds. + +Shortly after the calamity the most absurd stories were in circulation. +It was stated that a man came out of the wreck of the Palace Hotel with +his pockets filled with human fingers and ears taken from the dead +inmates for the rings and earrings. As no one was injured in the hotel, +it was wholly imaginative. A man near the Park met another who related +the shocking occurrence of two men having been hanged on a tree in +sight, and not a long way off; the man hastened to the spot and found no +crowd, nor men hanging. + +My son was engaged with his automobile all the forenoon in work +connected with the temporary hospital at the Mechanics' Pavilion. At +about 11 A. M. it was found necessary to remove the patients, which was +finished by noon. When the last one was taken out, he went in and made a +search, and found that all had been taken away. Still the report was +believed by many that a hundred or more perished there by the fire. + +A few personal experiences have come to me, and as I can verify them, I +have here inserted them. + +One of our men who roomed near the engine-house on California Street, +packed his trunk and dragged it downstairs, and started along the street +for a place of safety until he came to a pile of brick, when he stopped +and had just time to lay the brick all around it and run away. The next +day as soon as the heat would permit, he went for his trunk and found it +slightly roasted, but the contents uninjured. + +A lady who does not wish her name mentioned relates a very interesting +and thrilling story of her earthquake experience. She says she had +permitted her servant to go away for the night, and at five o'clock she +remembered that the milkcan had not been placed out as usual, so at that +hour she concluded to get up and do it herself. She did so and before +she could return to her bed, the shock came and the chimney was thrown +over, falling on the roof and crashed through that and the ceiling of +the chamber and on to the bed, which she had left only a few minutes +before. + +Alfred Boles, roadmaster of the California Street Cable R. R. Co., was +working on the cables all of the previous night, and up to about 4:30 on +the morning of the 18th. Therefore, that night at their home in the +Richmond District, the daughter slept with her mother. The earthquake +shook the chimney down, which fell through the roof and ceiling of her +room, and covered the bed with brick and mortar. Had she been in it she +certainly would have been killed. + +Mr. and Mrs. Weatherly, who were living in the Savoy, carefully packed a +trunk of their most valuable belongings, and he started up Post Street +dragging the trunk, seeking a place of safety. The porter of the Savoy +called him back, and showed him an express wagon in front of the house, +and said he was about to start for Golden Gate Park, so he lifted his +trunk on to the wagon. About this time a soldier or policeman came along +and said, "I want these horses," and without ceremony unharnessed them, +and took them away. In a few minutes the fire had got so near, that it +was impossible to get other horses, or move the wagon by hand and the +wagon and contents were burned. + +Mr. and Mrs. J. L. Tharp tell a very interesting story of their +experience on that April morning. Their sleeping room was one fronting +on the east side of Scott Street, between Sacramento and California +Streets. When the shock came it rolled their bed from one side of the +room to the other, quite across the room, and where the bed had stood +was filled with the broken chimney, to the amount of more than three +tons. Mrs. Tharp remembers having oiled the castors on the bedstead only +a short time before, which she thinks saved their lives. Later in the +day or the beginning of the next, while the fire was still miles away, +some friendly but excited neighbors, came rushing into Mr. Tharp's +chambers commanding him to flee as the house was in danger from the +conflagration. He was at that instant engaged in changing his +undergarments, and had his arms and head nearly through. They shouted +for him to come quick and save himself. He begged for a little more +time, when one of them petulantly exclaimed: "Oh! let him burn up if he +is so slow!" The fire did not come within two miles of this place. + +Shortly after the fire and as soon as people began to realize the extent +of the calamity, I listened to many discussions and prophecies +concerning the future in reference to business and rebuilding. It was +the general opinion that the business of jewelry and other luxuries, +would be ruined for many years to come; that Fillmore Street and Van +Ness Avenue would be only used temporarily; that the down-town district +would be restored in two years--many entertained opinions exactly the +reverse, and predicted all sorts of gloomy outlooks. Many theories and +predictions were made, none of which have been verified. + +My daughter, Mrs. Oxnard, with her husband was on the way to New York. +At about noon of the 18th they heard, at North Platte, that there had +been a severe shock of earthquake in San Francisco, and that the lower +part of the city south of Market Street was on fire. They thought the +report exaggerated, and at first declined to give it much attention; but +when they met friends at Grand Island at about 3 o'clock they got +information of such a character that it began to give them fear. At +every place until they reached Chicago additional news was obtained, +which indicated a very alarming condition of things here. They went to +the offices of the Southern Pacific and the Santa Fe Railroad companies, +but could get nothing that they considered reliable. So they started on +their way to New York from Chicago in doubt as to whether they should +continue or turn back. On arrival in New York on the 20th there was much +excitement. Newspapers issued extras every hour, filled with fearful +stories and of the progress of the fire. The limits of the burned +districts were reported with great accuracy, but the stories were +alarmingly exaggerated, and in many instances absurd. One telegram read +that the dead were so numerous that it was impossible to give burial, +and the Government at Washington was asked to furnish a ship that they +might be carried out far into the ocean and thrown into the sea. Some +were fortunate enough to get a telegram, which was eagerly read and +discussed. The number of people killed was reported to be from one to +thirty thousand. + +I finally received a telegram from them asking whether I would advise +them to return, which I answered at once to come by all means. So they +started back, arriving here on the 4th of May. + +My sister was in Dresden, Germany, and was like others in an excited +condition, until she could hear by mail from San Francisco. She says the +first knowledge of the disaster reaching her was from a small evening +newspaper printed in English, which in a very brief item said that "San +Francisco was destroyed by an earthquake this morning [April 18th]." +This was all the information which she could obtain that afternoon and +evening. A neighbor, a German lady, came in the next morning and told +her that the German newspapers of that morning said that the city of San +Francisco was on fire, and that the loss of life was enormous. That day, +the 19th, she visited the bulletin boards of the different newspapers, +and with her daughter endeavored to translate the brief cable telegrams +which were posted. The news came to London in English, and there cut +down as brief as possible and translated into German, so the information +was very brief. San Francisco people who were there sought one another +for news. Within a week the New York papers came, which gave more +particulars. While waiting for authentic information, such items as +these were in circulation: "Golden Gate Park has been withered by the +intense heat, and people are crowded to the beach," and that "Typhoid +fever has broken out"; that a tidal-wave had swept over the city; that +the earthquake shocks continued; that all communication with the +interior by rail or otherwise had been cut off; that thirty thousand +people had been killed. Whether her family and friends were alive she +did not know. + +In this state of mind, she found in a New York paper a picture of the +Spreckels residence which showed mine. This was the first information +that she received in reference to her family or their belongings. Mr. +and Mrs. Dohrmann and his sister, Mrs. Paulsen, of San Francisco, were +in Dresden, and did much to allay the fears of the San Franciscans. + +During the first few days the German people got over the excitement, but +not so with those whose homes were in this city. A letter which I mailed +to her on April 22d reached her on May 8th, which was the first one she +received, and which assured her of the safety of her family and friends. + +Charles Stetson Wheeler, Jr., who was in school at Belmont, sends me an +interesting account of his experiences. He says: + +I was awakened by the violent shaking of my bed, which rolled across the +room and struck the one occupied by my roommate. The pictures and frames +fell from the walls, the bowls and pitchers from the washstands, the +books from the shelves, and all were scattered over the floor. A piece +of plastering and a broken wash-bowl struck me on my head. I at first +thought it was the playful prank of the boys, but having got out of my +bed, I was thrown headlong on the floor. I knew it was something serious +and realized that it was an earthquake. I in some way got down the +stairs; I hardly know how. In the yard I found my companions, badly +frightened, all in pajamas, gazing at the sagging walls, broken windows +and chimneys. My roommate, who had got out ahead of me, rushed up to me, +and cried out: "By Jove, I am glad you're out safe; I didn't think of +you until I saw you zig-zagging out of the building." I thanked him and +joined the crowd, watching one of the teachers, who was climbing the +flagpole, so as to be on top of the building if it further collapsed. We +were all silent for a few minutes, but when the shock was fully over, we +talked glibly and loud enough, and had many jokes. + +No fires were started, as in San Francisco. We asked one another "if +this was the end of the world or only the beginning." "Do you think we +will get a holiday?" etc. As the excitement subsided, we began to +shiver, so by common consent we sought in the ruins for our clothing. I +felt that another shock might follow, and possibly worse than the first, +and got out of the wrecked building as soon as possible. + +A little later I found the Head Master of the school. "Good morning," +said I. "Unfortunate morning," he replied. "Brick structures do not hold +together when acted upon by conflicting motions caused by the vibrations +due to earthquakes. This disturbance is purely local, and I think that +Belmont is the only place which has suffered." I thought of our home in +the city, which is built of brick, and that my mother, father, and +sisters were in it. The more I thought of it, the weaker I felt, until +my knees were shaking. In about twenty minutes I was at the Belmont +Station determined to go to the city to learn the fate of my family. + +I tried to telephone, but I was told that both telephone and wire +connections between San Francisco and Belmont were broken. This was the +first proof that the earthquake was more than local, and my fears were +heightened. As I waited I was joined by other boys. All were curious to +know what had happened in other places, but few were worried. Soon the +entire school was gathered at the station. A teacher on a bicycle +arrived and demanded in the name of Mr. R--that we return to school. +The majority complied, but five of us refused. We were promised +expulsion. + +At last the train pulled in. We boarded it with difficulty, for it was +packed with Stanford students. They told us that their college was a +wreck. + +"The buildings are of stone, you know," said one, "and stone buildings +can't stand up against, an earthquake." + +Hearing remarks like this made me so dizzy with dread that I began +picturing to myself the ruins of my home. I could almost hear the groans +of those most dear to me buried under tons of stone and beams, It was +maddening, and I had to struggle some to keep from crying out like a +child. + +Slowly the train pulled by the ruins of San Mateo, Burlingame, and +Milbrae, but just outside of San Bruno the long line of straining cars +came to a sudden halt. We climbed out to find out the cause of the stop. +Ahead we saw several hundred yards of track buckled and humped like much +crumpled ribbon. We had gone as far as possible by rail. + +We counted the money in the crowd and decided to rent a rig if possible +and drive the twenty miles to our homes. After walking three miles, we +found no one willing to take us to the city for the money we were able +to offer; so at this point two of our party left us. + +We must have gone about eight miles when the van of the thousands +leaving the city met us. They were principally hobos and riffraff, +packing their blankets on their backs. We stopped and anxiously inquired +the plight of the city. Some said that the city was burned to the +ground, some that the whole town was submerged by a tidal wave, but all +agreed in this particular: that it was time to leave the city, for soon +there would be nothing left of it. + +The numbers of the retreat were increasing now. We could see mothers +wheeling their babes in buggies, limping, dusty, and tired. Men lashed +and swore at horses straining at loads of household furnishings. All +were in desperate haste. This increased our speed in the opposite +direction. We began to see the dense black cloud of smoke hanging above +the sky-line ahead of us. We almost ran. + +As we passed over each mile we heard more distressing tales from those +leaving. Men called us fools to be going toward the doomed town. +Thousands were traveling away; we were the only ones going toward San +Francisco. + +At last we came to the old Sutro Forest. We toiled up to the summit of +the ridge and looked down for the first time upon the city we were +raised in. In my mind, it was a sight that shall always be vivid. The +lower part of the city was a hell-like furnace. Even from that distance +we could hear the roar of the flames and the crash of falling beams. We +were paralyzed for a moment with the wonder of it. Then we began to run, +run hard, down the slope toward the city. It was impossible for us to +see our homes, for many hills intervened. Soon we reached the outskirts +of the town. Fear grew stronger and stronger in my heart as I saw that +all the chimneys of the houses were littering the streets through which +we passed. They were of brick and so was my father's house. + +The trip across the city seemed endless, even though we strained every +effort to hurry. I had had no breakfast, and was almost sick with fear +and hunger. We passed a brick church, and it was in ruins, shaken to +pieces by the shock. I almost reeled over when I saw it. The rest of the +way I ran. + +As I came within four blocks of the house I looked anxiously over the +roofs of other houses for its high chimneys that had hitherto been +visible from that point. I could not see them! Then I was sure that all +was over, and that my father, mother, and sisters were lost forever. + +These last four blocks I fairly flew, in spite of my fatigue. I kept my +eyes on the ground, not daring to raise them as I ran. Then as I reached +the curb before the door I never expected to enter again I looked up. +The house, though shorn of its chimneys, stood staunch and strong--they +were safe. For a second I stood still. Then, like a poor fool, I began +to laugh and shout. That was the most joyous home-coming of my life. + + * * * * * + +During the day of Wednesday, April 18th, I saw some of the damage done +by the earthquake. The loss to the California-Street cable railroad was +the upper portion of the chimney. I had my lunch at the Pacific Union +Club, corner of Post and Stockton Streets, and noted that building was +damaged but very little; only some few pieces of plastering fell. The +Call Building gave no evidence on the outside. The Commercial Block, in +which my office was located, did not show any damage. The door leading +into my office would not open, but the next one did. My house shows a +few cracks. The tops of the chimneys on my house were thrown off, and +the kitchen chimney had to be rebuilt. But the great loss, the great +calamity, was the fire. After that had raged for three days the havoc +was fearful to see. For miles and miles there was not a remnant of +anything inflammable remaining,--nothing but brick, stone, broken +crockery, iron and telegraph poles. In the general appearance it +resembles the country where a forest fire has swept, the chimneys and +unburned telephone poles representing the standing trunks of trees. The +loss of life is probably nearly 450. Many earthquake shocks were felt +during the three days of the calamity, and for as much as two months we +felt gentle reminders. + +The soldiers lacked good sense and judgment, or perhaps it may have been +that some incompetent officers gave senseless orders,--for instance, +the people occupying the stores on Polk Street, between Clay and +Pacific, and the apartments above, were driven out at 8 A. M. of +Thursday, and not permitted to re-enter. As the fire did not reach this +locality until about 4 P. M., there was abundant time to save many +valuable articles which were by this imbecile order lost. Why this was +done, I did not at the time, nor have I since been able to understand. + +Being busy in the work of restoration, I forget what a terrible calamity +has befallen the city and the people, but I sometimes realize it, and it +comes like a shock. It is estimated that 28,000 buildings were +destroyed. I find that people lost the power of keeping time and dates, +and if I had not made notes at the time I would be unable to recollect +the events of these three days with any degree of accuracy in point of +time. + +I have felt that it was fortunate that this calamity did not happen on a +Friday, or on the 13th of the month. Had it occurred on either of those +days, superstitious people would have had much to aid them in their +belief. + +The feeding of 300,000 people suddenly made destitute is a matter of +great difficulty, but it has been done. It rained two nights,--one +night quite hard,--but the health of the people has been remarkably +good. + +We had water in the house on the 1st of May, glass in the windows on the +16th of May, gas on the 5th of June, electric light on the 7th of June, +and cooked on the street until the 8th of May. + + +June, 1906 + + + + + + + + + +End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of San Francisco During the Eventful Days +of April, 1906, by James B. Stetson + +*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SAN FRANCISCO--APRIL 1906 *** + +***** This file should be named 4640.txt or 4640.zip ***** +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: + https://www.gutenberg.org/4/6/4/4640/ + +Produced by David Schwan. 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Stetson + +Release Date: November, 2003 [Etext #4640] +[Yes, we are more than one year ahead of schedule] +[This file was first posted on February 20, 2002] + +Edition: 10 + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ASCII + +The Project Gutenberg Etext of San Francisco During the Eventful Days of April, 1906 +by James B. Stetson +******This file should be named sfded10.txt or sfded10.zip****** + +Corrected EDITIONS of our etexts get a new NUMBER, sfded11.txt +VERSIONS based on separate sources get new LETTER, sfded10a.txt + +Project Gutenberg eBooks are often created from several printed +editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the US +unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we usually do not +keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition. + +The "legal small print" and other information about this book +may now be found at the end of this file. Please read this +important information, as it gives you specific rights and +tells you about restrictions in how the file may be used. + +*** +This etext was produced by David Schwan <davidsch@earthlink.net>. + +San Francisco During the Eventful Days of April, 1906 + +Personal Recollections + + + +By + +James B. Stetson + + + + +These recollections were written in June, 1906, but the first edition +being exhausted and a new one being required, I have included some +events that occurred later, without changing the original date. + + + +Personal Recollections During the Eventful Days of April, 1906 + + + +As the earthquake and the great fire in San Francisco in the year 1906 +were events of such unusual interest, and realizing how faulty is man's +memory after time passes, I have here jotted down a few incidents which +I personally observed, and shall lay them away, so that if in the future +I should desire I can refer to these notes, made while the events were +new and fresh in my mind, with some assurance of their accuracy. + +On the morning of April 18, 1906, at 5:13, in my residence, 1801 Van +Ness Avenue, I was awakened by a very severe shock of earthquake. The +shaking was so violent that it nearly threw me out of bed. It threw down +a large bookcase in my chamber, broke the glass front, and smashed two +chairs; another bookcase fell across the floor; the chandelier was so +violently shaken that I thought it would be broken into pieces. The +bric-a-brac was thrown from the mantel and tables, and strewed the floor +with broken china and glass. It is said to have lasted fifty-eight +seconds, but as nearly as I can estimate the violent part was only about +twelve seconds. + +As soon as it was over I got up and went to the window, and saw the air +in the street filled with a white dust, which was caused by the falling +of masonry from St. Luke's Church on the diagonal corner from my room. I +waited for the dust to settle, and I then saw the damage which had been +done to Claus Spreckels's house and the church. The chimneys of the +Spreckels mansion were gone, the stone balustrade and carved work +wrecked. The roof and the points of the gables and ornamental stone work +of the church had fallen, covering the sidewalk and lying piled up +against the sides of the building to the depth of eight or ten feet. + +About this time Rachel and Nora were knocking, at my door and inquiring +if I were alive. I opened the door and they came in, Rachel badly +frightened and Nora sprinkling holy water over the room. + +I hurriedly dressed and went up, to my daughter's (Mrs. Winslow's) +house, 1945 Pacific Avenue, and found her and the children with their +neighbors in the street and very much frightened. Their house was +cracked considerably, and she had been imprisoned in her room by the +binding of the door, which had to be broken open to enable her to +escape. The chimneys of her house were thrown down and much valuable +glass and chinaware broken. I returned to my house and found that the +tops of all my chimneys had been thrown down, and one was lying in the +front yard sixteen feet from the building. There were some cracks +visible in the library, but none in my room, and only very few in the +parlor and dining-room. In the kitchen, however, the plastering was very +badly cracked and the tiles around the sink thrown out. In the parlor +the marble statue of the "Diving Girl" was thrown from its pedestal and +broken into fragments. The glass case containing the table glassware in +the dining-room and its contents were uninjured; very little china and +glassware were broken in the pantry; the clocks were not stopped. A +water-pipe broke in the ceiling of the spare room and the water did some +damage. + +I then went over to the power-house of the California-Street Railroad +and found that about seventy feet of the smoke-stack had fallen +diagonally across the roof, and about six feet of it into the stable, +where were two horses; fortunately it did not touch them, but before +they were released they squealed and cried, most piteously. One of them +was so badly frightened that he was afterward useless and we turned him +out to pasture and he grew lean and absolutely worthless. Things were +considerably disturbed, but the engines were apparently uninjured. The +watchman was not injured, although surrounded by falling bricks and +mortar. I was told that the water supply was stopped, and later learned +that it was because the earthquake had broken the water-mains. + +I then started on foot down-town, this was about 7 A. M.; no cars were +running on any line. The sidewalks in many places were heaved up, +chimneys thrown down, and walls cracked by the earthquake. St. Mary's +Cathedral and Grace Church gave no outward sign of being injured; +neither did the Fairmont Hotel. I went on California Street, over Nob +Hill, and as I got in sight of the business part of the city, I saw as +many as ten or twelve fires in the lower part of the city. The wind was +light from the northwest, and the smoke ascended in great columns, and +the sun through it looked like a large copper disk. When I arrived at +California and Montgomery streets the lower part of both sides of +California Street seemed to be all on fire. I did not realize that the +whole city would be burned. I had a vague idea that it would stop, or be +stopped, as fires had been hundreds of times before in this city. I went +along Sansome Street to Pine and down Pine towards Market. I saw that +Holbrook, Merrill & Stetson's store was all on fire, and when I arrived +at Front Street I saw that the Commercial Block on the southeast corner +of Front and California streets (on the fifth floor of which was my +office), was not on fire. So I started to go toward the building. The +fire was then burning fiercely at the southeast corner of California and +Battery. I went to the entrance at 123 California Street and met the +janitor coming out, who said I could not go upstairs, as the building +was on fire on the fifth floor. However, I started slowly up. The sparks +were coming down into the open area in a shower, but there was no smoke +in the building, so I was sure that it was not on fire on the inside. I +got up to my room on the fifth floor and found the door would not come +open. I tried the door in the adjoining office of the American Beet +Sugar Company and found it open. From that room I got into mine. I +raised my shades, and the fire was blazing at Battery Street and +California, fully seventy-five feet high, and not more than three +hundred feet distant from me. I looked through the hall and rooms and +saw no smoke, and was sure that I was safe for a few minutes. As I +turned the combination of my safe to open it another shock of earthquake +came, which confused me a little, but I persevered and opened it. I had +a quantity of souvenirs and presents which had been given me in years +past. These I gathered up, and with my deeds and insurance and other +papers soon had my arms full. I saw a fish-basket on my closet; I got it +down and put all these little things in it, then opened the little iron +box in the corner of the safe, and there dropped out some coins on the +floor. I remembered that I had put four twenty-dollar pieces in there +the day before. I felt on the floor and picked up two of them, and as I +did not find any more I concluded that they must have remained in the +safe; so I took the fish-basket and my books and papers in my arms, +closed the safe, turned on the combination, and started down the stairs +to the street. The sparks were plentiful in the area when I went up, but +they were more so as I came down, - a perfect firestorm, after the +manner of a snow-storm. When I got back on to California Street the air +was a mass of sparks and smoke being blown down the street toward the +ferry. As I had to go against it to get to Front Street, I was afraid +that my papers would take fire in my arms; so I buttoned up my coat to +protect my papers, pulled my hat over my eyes, and dived through, up +California Street and out Front towards Pine Street, from where I +started. There I found it clear of smoke and fire. As I passed along +with my arms full I saw a typewriter cover on the street, which I picked +up. Finding it empty, I stopped and turned it over and, dropping my +bundle into it, started for Front and Market Streets. There was no fire +within a block of that corner at this time. This was about 8 A. M. - +perhaps 8:30. I sat down on an empty box in the middle of Market Street +for a rest, when W. R. Whittier came along and helped me with my load. +We took it to the door of the Union Trust Company, and they would not +let me in. I went upstairs and found Mr. Deering, who took it, and we +went down and put it into the vault between the outer and inner doors. +(In twenty-two days afterward I received it back in as good condition as +when I had left it there on the memorable 18th, of April.) I next went +up to Third Street and found the fire raging strong at the corner of +Third and Mission. My son was passing in his automobile, and I got in +with him. He was going to the Mechanics' Pavilion, where he said he +could do some work for the temporary hospital established there. When we +reached the Pavilion they said there were two hundred wounded inside. At +this hour there was no building on fire on the south line of Market +Street west of Fremont Street. We went around to the drug-stores and +hardware-stores to get hot-water bags and oil and alcohol stoves and +surgeons' appliances. We took with us Miss Sarah Fry, a Salvation Army +woman, who was energetic and enthusiastic. When we arrived at a +drug-store under the St. Nicholas she jumped out, and, finding the door +locked, seized a chair and raising it above her head smashed the glass +doors in and helped herself to hot-water bags, bandages, and everything +which would be useful in an emergency hospital. I continued with Harry +for a couple of hours. I then started down Market Street. The fire at +that hour, 10:30 A. M., was raging strong south of Market Street from +about Fifth to Tenth Street. I left Market Street and went up on to +Golden Gate Avenue. At Hyde and Golden Gate Avenue I saw a large +two-story house which had been wrecked by the earthquake. The doors, +windows and all the upright-portion of the first story, were crushed and +stood on an angle of 45°. I enquired of a woman seated on a pile of +rubbish, who said "no one was killed, but what am I to do?" The City +Hall was badly wrecked, great cracks were to be seen and about +two-thirds of the great dome had fallen. On one of our trips we went out +to the Park Emergency Hospital, and at 11 o'clock I found myself in the +Pacific Union Club and was able to get a cup of coffee and a sandwich, +which was the first food I had tasted that day. I went out from the club +and saw the fire raging on Market Street between First and Second. About +this hour a policeman notified me to meet the Mayor at the Hall of +justice, who had called a meeting of citizens for 2 o'clock. Met Mr. J. +E. Tucker - sat down with him on a box in the middle of Market Street, +opposite Lotta's Fountain, and we discussed the situation. We agreed +that the city was doomed to destruction, and that we were unable to do +anything to save it. Crowds of people were about, only looking on - some +looked dazed, and others wildly excited. I walked down to Bush Street +between Sansome and Montgomery, met Mr. Murphy of the First National +Bank, and Herman Oelrichs, and discussed with them as to whether it +would come to his building. The earthquake had thrown the heavy granite +cornice of his bank building into the middle of Bush Street. Murphy, +Grant & Co.'s building was on fire at this time; this was between 1 and +2 P. M.. Went along Montgomery to California Street, and found the fire +approaching Montgomery Street. At 3 o'clock it had got to the Palace +Hotel on the Mission-Street side, and by 3:30 it was well on fire. About +this time I went into the Western Union Telegraph office, and while +writing a telegram to Nellie and Robert, who were on their way to New +York, the announcement was made that no more telegrams would be +received. I then walked home, and at that time the streets leading to +Lafayette Square and the Presidio were filled with people dragging +trunks and valises along, trying to find a place of safety. They +generally landed in the Presidio. As night came on the fire made it as +light as day, and I could read without other light in any part of my +house. At 8 in the evening. I went downtown to see the situation, going +to Grant Avenue through Post Street, then to Sutter, and down Sutter to +Montgomery. The fire was then burning the eastern half of the Occidental +Hotel and the Postal Telegraph Company's office, on Market Street, +opposite Second Street, and other buildings adjoining. At this hour the +fire was about a mile and a quarter from my house. The Lick House and +the Masonic Temple were not on fire then. I next went to Pine and Dupont +Streets, and from that point could see that the Hall of justice and all +the buildings in that vicinity were on fire. Very few people were on the +street. Goldberg, Bowen & Co. were loading goods into wagons from their +store on Sutter Street, between Grant Avenue and Kearny. I attempted to +go in to speak to the salesman, with whom I was acquainted, but was +harshly driven away, by an officious policeman, as if I was endeavoring +to steal something. I came back to my house at 9:30 and found in the +library Mr. Wilcox and his mother, Mrs. Longstreet, Dr. and Mrs. +Whitney, Mrs. Hicks and her daughter, Sallie, Ruth, and Marie Louise. +They were all very much alarmed, as the information which they obtained +from the excited throng on the street was of the wildest kind. The two +automobiles and the Wilcox carriage stayed in front of the house all +night, at an expense of twenty-five dollars per hour for the carriage. I +felt tired, and went to bed at 11 P. M. and slept until 2:30 A. M. got +up and went down-town again to see what the situation was. I went to +California Street, then to Hyde, then to Pine. From Pine and Leavenworth +I could see that the fire was at that hour burning along O'Farrell from +Jones to Mason and on the east side of Mason Street. The St. Francis +Hotel was on fire. I went from Pine and Mason to the Fairmont Hotel at +California and Mason. The hill is very steep between these streets, and +many people, having exhausted themselves, were sleeping in the street on +the paving-stones and on mattresses. I did not think the fire would pass +beyond the Fairmont Hotel, as there was hundreds of feet of space +between the front or eastern side of the hotel, and any other building. +But the fire passed up beyond the hotel on Sacramento Street until it +reached a point where the hotel was at the leeward of the flames. The +hotel was not finished and in the northeast corner were kept the +varnishes and oils, which very much aided in the destruction of the +building. From California and Mason Streets I could see that old St. +Mary's Church, on the corner of California and Dupont Streets and Grace +Cathedral, on the corner of California and Stockton, were on fire. To +the north, Chinatown was in a whirlpool of fire. I returned home on +California Street and Van Ness Avenue. Both streets were thronged with +men, women, and children - some with bundles, packages, and +baby-carriages; but the usual method was to drag a trunk, which made a +harsh, scraping noise on the sidewalk. I overtook a man dragging a trunk +with a valise on the top which kept frequently falling off. As I +approached him I took the valise in my hand and with the other took hold +of the rope and helped him drag the heavy trunk. As we were strangers, I +am sure that he at first took me for a thief who intended to steal the +valise. I at once entered into conversation with him, and from his +manner later on I think he changed his mind, for when I left him a few +blocks away he was hearty in his thanks. + +While passing the Knickerbocker Hotel, on Van Ness Avenue, I saw a party +of ladies and an elderly gentleman. They were very much excited and were +hesitating about returning to their rooms for their personal effects. I +stopped and assured them that they had plenty of time to go and return +as many times as they wished, as the fire would not reach Van Ness +Avenue for at least five hours. It did not reach there for thirteen +hours. I think I succeeded in quieting them, at least for a time. + +When I arrived at Sacramento Street and Van Ness Avenue I saw a woman +tugging at a trunk which had caught on the car-track, and I helped her +release it. From the speed at which the fire was traveling I judged that +it could not reach that spot in many hours, I advised her, as she was +safe, not to over-exert herself, but to take frequent rests. She would +not take my advice and I was obliged to leave her. + +The throng of moving people, men and women with babies and bird cages, +and everything which they held most valuable on earth, began early +Wednesday morning and continued until the afternoon of Thursday. Early +Thursday morning Mr. Wilcox, with his mother and sister, and Mrs. Hicks +and daughter left our house and were able to cross to Oakland, where +they got a train for Los Angeles. Dr. and Mrs. Whitney went to a +friend's house. Early in the morning I went over to the +California-Street power-house and had a talk with Superintendent Harris. +He said that he had run out 20 cars, but as the water was shut off and +very low in the boilers, it was not safe to get up steam, and he was +unable to get horses to haul away the cars; so nothing could be done but +await the result, which was that every car in the house and those in the +street, some of them eight blocks away, 52 in number, were all burned. +Not one was left. I came back to 1801 Van Ness Avenue. The wind was +light but was from the northwest. At 9 A. M. I sent in my son's +automobile my personal clothing, silverware, bedding, and linen to Mrs. +Oxnard's, 2104 Broadway, and at 10:30 I had the rugs and some other +things ready, and he took them to the Presidio. Matters about this time +began to be rather wild. Van Ness Avenue was filled with people, all +pale and earnest, every one loaded with bundles and dragging valises or +trunks. + +We concluded that it was best for Mrs. Winslow and the children to leave +the city; so my son with his automobile took them to Burlingame. He had +but little gasoline in his machine, and it was very doubtful if he had +enough to make the run there and return. Not a drop could be obtained in +the city. He learned that it might be obtained at the Washington-Street +police station, so applied for some, but could get none, and barely +escaped the appropriation of his machine by the police, by saying that +he was preparing to take out of the city a load of women and children, +and starting up suddenly and getting out of their reach. So, with the +children, Mrs. Winslow, and a few articles of apparel hastily gathered +together, he, by a circuitous and zigzag route, out of the city, made +the trip and landed them safely in Burlingame at 4 o'clock. They could +get no accommodation at the club, so they accepted the hospitality of +Mr. and Mrs. Robert Coleman in a tent, and the next morning (Friday) +went to Mr. and Mrs. Will Tevis's. Their kitchen chimney had not fallen, +which made it possible to have cooking in the house, and as they had +wells, the men put the pumps in order; so they had the luxury of a bath. +When she left San Francisco she expected her own house and mine would +certainly be burned. So, with neither telephone, telegraph, nor mail, +she passed many anxious hours until Monday, the 23rd, when she heard +that both houses were saved. + +At 11:30 A. M. of Thursday from my window I could see blazes on Jones +Street at Clay, and southerly as far as Sutter and Leavenworth. About +this hour, although the fire did not reach here until after 3 o'clock, +the soldiers and police drove the people from their stores and houses on +Polk Street. Johnson & Co. were ordered out and not permitted to return +to save books and papers, although they begged permission to do so. I +think the Pleasanton was on fire at about this time. At noon the flames +were continuous from Clay, on Jones, to California. At 1:30 it had +almost reached Hyde and Clay, and was continuous from that point to Polk +and Sutter, the blaze reaching from 50 to 75 feet high. At 2:30 it was +approaching Van Ness at Hyde and Washington, and reaching south as far +as Sutter and Van Ness. I was in my front room watching with my +field-glass, house after house take fire and the long line as I have +just described. I saw many pigeons flying wildly about, seeking some +place of safety. As it approached Van Ness it did not burn north of +Washington Street. The wind being northwest, and Van Ness Avenue 125 +feet in width, I felt sure the fire would not cross. While the fire was +thus raging, the thought came to me, How fast in value is property being +consumed? - and as I looked at the line of flame, I remember I thought +it must be as much as a million dollars an hour. It shows how imperfect +in this matter was my estimate, when later the loss is estimated to be +four hundred millions, and the duration of the fire, from 5:15 A. M., +the 18th to 3 P. M. of the 20th - say sixty hours, which would be at the +rate of about six million five hundred thousand per hour. + +At 3 o'clock the soldiers drove the people north on Van Ness and west up +to Franklin Street, saying that they were going to dynamite the east +side of Van Ness. From my window I watched the movements of the +fire-fighters and dynamiters. They first set fire to every house on the +east side of Van Ness Avenue between Washington and Bush streets, and by +3:30 nearly every one was on fire. Their method was this: A soldier +would, with a vessel like a fruit-dish in his hand, containing some +inflammable stuff, enter the house, climb to the second floor, go to the +front window, open it, pull down the shade and curtain, and set fire to +the contents of his dish. In a short time the shades and curtain would +be in a blaze. When the fire started slowly, they would throw bricks and +stones up to the windows and break the glass to give it draught. It took +about 20 minutes for a building to get well on fire. From 4 to 4:30 St. +Luke's and the Presbyterian Church and all the houses on Van Ness Avenue +from Bush to Washington were on fire. At about this time they began +dynamiting. Then they started backfiring, and, as the line, of fire was +at Polk Street, the idea was to meet the flames and not allow them to +cross Van Ness Avenue. This was a great mistake, as it caused the whole +of the blocks between those streets to be on fire at once, which made an +intense heat, while if allowed to approach Van Ness from Polk Street the +heat would have been much less, and would not have ignited the west side +of Van Ness. The explosions of dynamite were felt fearfully in my house; +those within two blocks would jar and shake the house violently, +breaking the windows, and at the same time setting off the burglar +alarm. As the windows would break it tore the shades and curtains, +covered the floor with glass, and cracked the walls. After it was over I +found that it had demolished in my house twelve plates and fifty-four +sheets of glass, each measuring about thirty by fifty inches. + +At 4:45 1 was ordered out of my house by the soldiers, - not in a quiet +manner, but with an order that there was no mistaking its terms and +meaning, - about like this: "Get out of this house!" I replied: "But +this is my house and I have a right to stay here if I choose." "Get out +d--n quick, and make no talk about it, either!" So a soldier with a +bayonet on his gun marched me up Clay Street to Gough amid flames, +smoke, and explosions. Feeling exhausted from climbing the steep street, +and when within one hundred feet of Gough Street I rested on a doorstep. +I had not been there for more than two minutes before a soldier on the +opposite side of the street leveled his gun and cried out, "Get out of +that old man, and go up on to Gough Street." As he had a loaded gun, and +appeared very important, I quickly obeyed his polite order. As I +reluctantly ascended Clay Street in charge of the soldier, I held back +long enough to see the steeple of the Presbyterian Church fall. I stayed +at Gough Street a while, looking down upon my house, expecting every +minute to see the flames coming out of it. I watched from Gough Street +with much anxiety, and made up my mind that I would see if I could not +get back into my house, for I believed I could save it. The heat was so +intense that it had driven the guards away from Van Ness Avenue; so, +seeing no one near, I quietly slipped down the north side of Washington +Street to Franklin. As no one was around there, I continued to +Washington and Van Ness and, putting up my coat-collar and protecting +the side of my face with my hat, I ran along Van Ness to my front door +and quickly got into the house again at 5:40, being kept out fifty-five +minutes. My clothing got very hot but was not scorched. This I did at a +great risk of my life, for these soldiers were very arrogant and +consequential at having a little brief authority, and I was afraid they +would not hesitate to shoot on slight provocation. I felt provoked and +disgusted that I had to take such a risk to enter my own house. When I +returned, Mr. Merrill's house had been dynamited, and the two churches, +St. Luke's and the First Presbyterian, the Bradbury house at the corner +of Van Ness and California Street, and the Knickerbocker Hotel +adjoining, and the Gunn house, corner of Clay and Franklin, had shared +the same fate. + +On getting into my house again, I saw that the Neustadter house, at the +corner of Sacramento and Van Ness, was half-consumed, but it had not set +on fire the Spreckels residence, and as at this time Mr. Merrill's +house, which had been dynamited the second time, was so demolished, I +felt that I could consider that my house had passed the critical time, +for I hoped that Mr. Merrill's house in burning would not endanger the +west side of Van Ness. + +But now a new danger threatened. The range of blocks from the north side +of Washington Street to the south side of Jackson were on fire at Hyde +Street, and the flames coming toward Van Ness Avenue, with the +possibility of crossing. The Spreckels stable on Sacramento and also the +houses back of the Neustadter residence were now on fire. This, I knew, +would set fire to the three Gorovan cottages, two other two-story +houses, and the dynamited house of Mr. Gunn, all fronting on Clay +Street, between Van Ness and Franklin. So I watched from my front +window, the fire approach Van Ness between Washington and Jackson, then +going to my back window to see the threatened danger from Clay Street. +The Wenban residence, at the corner of Jackson and Van Ness, was well on +fire at 6:15; at 6:55 it fell in. The Clay-Street danger began at about +7:30 P. M.. At 8:15 the whole front as here described was blazing and at +its full height. My windows were so hot that I could not bear my hand on +them. I opened one and felt the woodwork, which was equally hot. I had +buckets of water in the front and rear rooms, with an improvised swab, +made by tying up a feather duster, ready to put out any small fire which +would be within my reach. I watched the situation for an hour, and as +the flames died down a little I had hope, and at 10 P. M. I felt +satisfied that it would not cross Van Ness Avenue, and neither would it +cross Clay Street. At this time, as the heat had somewhat subsided, I +ventured out, and saw a small flame, about as large as my two hands, +just starting on the tower of Mrs. Schwabacher's house, which is next to +mine on Clay Street. A very few people were around. James Walton of the +Twenty-eighth Coast Artillery, was there, also C. C. Jones, of 2176 +Fulton Street, and David Miller Ferguson, of Oakland. I said I would +give any man ten dollars who would go up and put out that fire. They +went into the house with a can of water, climbed the stairs and opened a +window, and in a few minutes put it out. Two of the men would accept +nothing; the soldier, the next day, accepted ten dollars. I later +presented Ferguson with a gold matchbox as a reminder of that eventful +night. Had Mrs. Schwabacher's house gone, all in the block would have +gone; the fire would have crossed to the north, up Pacific, Broadway, +and Vallejo, and probably over to Fillmore, when very little would have +been left of the residence portion of the city. + +Now again another danger came. Another tier of blocks, from Leavenworth +to Van Ness, between Jackson and Pacific, had taken fire. This was about +10:15 P. M.. At 11:15 it had got to Van Ness, and Bothin's house, which +was at the corner of Van Ness and Jackson, was fully on fire, but +although it was entirely consumed, the fire did not cross to the west +side of Van Ness. The wind during all the day and evening was steady +from the northwest, - not a very strong wind, but it helped protect the +west side of Van Ness. At 12 o'clock on the beginning of the 20th I saw +smoke coming out of the chimney of the Spreckels mansion. I went out and +spoke to a fireman, and he said he had been into the house and that it +was full of smoke and on fire. At 1 o'clock the house was on fire in the +upper rooms, at 1:30 it was blazing out of the upper windows, and in a +short time afterwards was wholly on fire. The fire caught the house from +the rear windows by the blaze from the Gorovan cottages. I feel quite +sure that if any one had been on guard inside with a bucket of water the +fire could have been put out. + +When the Spreckels house was well on fire I knew, from its having an +iron frame, hollow tile partitions, and stone outside walls, there would +be no danger from the heat to my house. As I was quite tired, I told the +man Ferguson that I would go into my house and take a nap. He asked me +what room I would sleep in, and he promised if they were about to +dynamite my house, or any other danger threatened, he would knock on my +window to give me warning to get out. I went in and lay down on a lounge +in the library at 2 A. M. and slept until 5 A. M.. When I awoke and +looked out the flames were pouring from every window of the Spreckels +mansion. At 10 A. M. the house was thoroughly burned out. (The general +appearance of the house from a distance is the same as formerly, the +walls and roof remaining the same as before the fire.) + +In the morning I went over to the California-Street engine-house, and +found it in ruins. Beams, pipes, iron columns, tie-rods, car-trucks, and +a tangled mass of iron-work; all that was not consumed of 32 cars, +bricks, mortar, ashes, and debris of every description filled the place. +The engine-room was hot, but I crawled into it through what was left of +the front stairway, which was nearly filled with loose bricks, and the +stone facings of the Hyde-Street front. It was a sad sight to me, for I +had something to do with it from its earliest existence. The form of +everything was there, but rods, cranks, beams, and pipes were bent and +burned, whether beyond hope of restoration I could not tell. No one was +there or on the street, and I came away with uncertain feelings. I had +hope, but whether the loss would be total or partial I could not say. A +further examination showed much damage - one shaft fourteen inches in +diameter was bent out of line one and one-quarter inches; one eight +inches in diameter, seven eighths of an inch; some of the large sheaves +badly twisted. A new cable coiled on a reel ready for use was so badly +burned in the portion exposed as to render the whole useless. As strange +as it may seem brass oilers and fillers on the engine-frames were +comparatively uninjured. The tank, encased in brick, contained 6,000 +gallons of fuel oil, and with its contents was uninjured. The granite +blocks on which the engines and drivers rested were badly scaled and +cracked by the heat, and in some places entirely destroyed. The portions +of the cables in use that were in the engine-room were ruined, and on +the street were burned off in five different places. The prospect of +ever repairing and getting this machinery and appliances in operation +again seemed impossible. It was, however, restored, and started up +August 1, 1906. + +At this time, about 8 A. M. Friday, I saw by the smoke that three large +fires were burning at North Beach, in the direction of the Union-Street +engine-house, from my house. + +I afterwards walked down into the business part of the city. The streets +in many places were filled with debris - in some places on Kearny and +Montgomery streets to the depth of four feet in the middle of the street +and much greater depth on the sidewalk. The track and slot rail of the +California Street R. R. were badly bent and twisted in many places. The +pavement in numberless places was cracked and scaled. A very few people +were to be seen at that time among the ruins, which added much to the +general gloom of the situation. I found it then, and ever since, very +difficult to locate myself when wandering in the ruins and in the +rebuilt district, as all the old landmarks are gone and the only guide +often is a prominent ruin in the distance. As there were no cars running +in the burnt district, I found my automobile very useful although the +rough streets filled with all manner of debris, punctured the tires too +frequently. + +The water supply in our house was gone, as was also the gas and electric +light. The only light we could use was candle-light, and that only until +9 P. M.. The city authorities issued an order that no fires could be +built in any house until the chimneys were fully rebuilt and inspected +by an officer. The water we used was brought by my son in a wash-boiler +in his automobile. He got it out near the Park. People all cooked in +improvised kitchens made in the street. As we were prohibited from +making fires in the house, I improvised a kitchen on the street. I found +some pieces of board which were blown into the street and partially +covered with brick and stone, from St. Luke's Church and with some +portieres from the house constructed a rude shelter, and put a laundry +stove in it, so we could make coffee, stew, and fry after a fashion. +Some people set up a cooking stove, many set up two rows of bricks, with +a piece of sheet iron laid across. Our door-bell was rung several +evenings, and we were ordered to "put out that light." + +About noon on the 20th the blocks between Pacific and Filbert were on +fire at Jones Street, and the fire was again threatening Van Ness +Avenue, but several engines were pumping, from one to another, saltwater +from Black Point and had a stream on the west side of Van Ness until it +was saved. + +While the fire was threatening, I went up to my daughter's (Mrs. +Oxnard's) and told the servants to get things ready to take out. I would +go back home, and if it crossed Van Ness I would return, but if I did +not return in fifteen minutes they might consider the danger over. It +did not cross. While this pumping was going on, and when the fire had +approached the east side of Van Ness Avenue, one of the engines in the +line suddenly stopped. This was a critical moment, but the firemen were +equal to the emergency, and they uncoupled the engine which was playing +on the houses, and remembering that the earthquake had disrupted and +choked up the sewer, thereby damming up the outlet, and in fact creating +a cistern, they put the suction down the manhole and continued playing +on the fire, and saved the buildings on the north side. I tried to get +the names of the foreman and men who had the presence of mind and cool +judgment, but was unable to do so. This ended the conflagration; but for +three nights after there were fires from smouldering timbers and +slow-burning debris, sufficient to light up my room so that I could see +to read. I was still in fear of a fire breaking out in the unburnt +district west of Van Ness Avenue, and as there was no water in the pipes +we would be as helpless as ever. This gave much anxiety during the two +weeks following the calamity. + +When night came on the evening of the 19th, the parks and the Presidio +were filled with frightened people, old and young. Thousands left their +homes in the (which afterwards proved to be) unburned district, and +sought shelter, as stated, in the parks and streets in the open air. Mr. +and Mrs. Dr. J. W. Keeney and family left their home at 2222 Clay +Street, and remained on Lafayette Square in the open air for two days +and nights, with hundreds of others, who feared another earthquake and +the conflagration. + +The afternoon after the fire had exhausted itself, the atmosphere was +hot, the great beds of coals gave out heat and glowed brightly at night. +The more I saw of this desolation, the worse it looked. I barricaded my +windows the best I could with mattresses and rugs, as the wind was a +little chilly. They stayed that way for about two weeks. The front of my +house was blistered and blackened by the intense heat. The paint melted +in a peculiar way, and over two of the windows it hung like drapery. +This morning (Saturday, the 21st) a man with a policeman came to the +door and demanded blankets, cover-lids, pillows, and mattresses. I gave +all I could spare, and some draperies besides. They insisted on taking +the rugs from the floor, and I had much difficulty in making them see +that rugs were not what they needed. The telegraph and telephone wires +made a network on every street, and for more than two weeks I carried in +my pocket a pair of wire cutters, which I had often occasion to use. +During the week following the fire, I found many water-pipes leaking, +and I went around with a hammer and wooden plugs and stopped them, in +hope to raise the water sufficient to have a supply in my house. I think +I succeeded. This morning (Saturday) I was hungry, with nothing in my +house to eat. I found a fireman on the street who gave me one of two +boxes of sardines which he had, and a stranger gave me soda crackers, so +I had a pretty fair breakfast under the circumstances. + +Bread we were able to buy after a few days. On May 3d we were able to +buy the staple articles of food. Up to that time we obtained what we +needed from the Relief Committee, such as canned meats, potatoes, +coffee, crackers, etc. + +The city being under military rule, on May 4th I obtained the following +orders: + +San Francisco, May 4, 1906. +To All Civic and Military Authorities: + +Permit the bearer, Mr. J. B. Stetson, to visit the premises, 123 +California, and get safe. + +J. F. Dinan, +Chief of Police. +May 4, 1906. + +Permit Mr. Stetson, No. 123 California Street, to open safe and remove +contents. + +J. M. Stafford, +Major 20th Infantry, U. S. A. + +So, with this permit, authority or protection, or whatever it may be +called, I found my safe in the ruins and everything in it that was +inflammable burned to a coal; one of the twenty-dollar gold pieces +before mentioned was saved. + +During the afternoon of the 18th and until 3 o'clock P. M. of the 19th +the scraping sound of dragging trunks on the sidewalks was continual. +All sorts of methods for conveying valuables were resorted to, - chairs +on casters, baby carriages, wheelbarrows, - but the trunk-dragging was +the most common. It was almost impossible to get a wagon of any kind. +The object of the people was to get to the vacant lots at North Beach +and to the Presidio grounds. + +Shortly after the calamity the most absurd stories were in circulation. +It was stated that a man came out of the wreck of the Palace Hotel with +his pockets filled with human fingers and ears taken from the dead +inmates for the rings and earrings. As no one was injured in the hotel, +it was wholly imaginative. A man near the Park met another who related +the shocking occurrence of two men having been hanged on a tree in +sight, and not a long way off; the man hastened to the spot and found no +crowd, nor men hanging. + +My son was engaged with his automobile all the forenoon in work +connected with the temporary hospital at the Mechanics' Pavilion. At +about 11 A. M. it was found necessary to remove the patients, which was +finished by noon. When the last one was taken out, he went in and made a +search, and found that all had been taken away. Still the report was +believed by many that a hundred or more perished there by the fire. + +A few personal experiences have come to me, and as I can verify them, I +have here inserted them. + +One of our men who roomed near the engine-house on California Street, +packed his trunk and dragged it downstairs, and started along the street +for a place of safety until he came to a pile of brick, when he stopped +and had just time to lay the brick all around it and run away. The next +day as soon as the heat would permit, he went for his trunk and found it +slightly roasted, but the contents uninjured. + +A lady who does not wish her name mentioned relates a very interesting +and thrilling story of her earthquake experience. She says she had +permitted her servant to go away for the night, and at five o'clock she +remembered that the milkcan had not been placed out as usual, so at that +hour she concluded to get up and do it herself. She did so and before +she could return to her bed, the shock came and the chimney was thrown +over, falling on the roof and crashed through that and the ceiling of +the chamber and on to the bed, which she had left only a few minutes +before. + +Alfred Boles, roadmaster of the California Street Cable R. R. Co., was +working on the cables all of the previous night, and up to about 4:30 on +the morning of the 18th. Therefore, that night at their home in the +Richmond District, the daughter slept with her mother. The earthquake +shook the chimney down, which fell through the roof and ceiling of her +room, and covered the bed with brick and mortar. Had she been in it she +certainly would have been killed. + +Mr. and Mrs. Weatherly, who were living in the Savoy, carefully packed a +trunk of their most valuable belongings, and he started up Post Street +dragging the trunk, seeking a place of safety. The porter of the Savoy +called him back, and showed him an express wagon in front of the house, +and said he was about to start for Golden Gate Park, so he lifted his +trunk on to the wagon. About this time a soldier or policeman came along +and said, "I want these horses," and without ceremony unharnessed them, +and took them away. In a few minutes the fire had got so near, that it +was impossible to get other horses, or move the wagon by hand and the +wagon and contents were burned. + +Mr. and Mrs. J. L. Tharp tell a very interesting story of their +experience on that April morning. Their sleeping room was one fronting +on the east side of Scott Street, between Sacramento and California +Streets. When the shock came it rolled their bed from one side of the +room to the other, quite across the room, and where the bed had stood +was filled with the broken chimney, to the amount of more than three +tons. Mrs. Tharp remembers having oiled the castors on the bedstead only +a short time before, which she thinks saved their lives. Later in the +day or the beginning of the next, while the fire was still miles away, +some friendly but excited neighbors, came rushing into Mr. Tharp's +chambers commanding him to flee as the house was in danger from the +conflagration. He was at that instant engaged in changing his +undergarments, and had his arms and head nearly through. They shouted +for him to come quick and save himself. He begged for a little more +time, when one of them petulantly exclaimed: "Oh! let him burn up if he +is so slow!" The fire did not come within two miles of this place. + +Shortly after the fire and as soon as people began to realize the extent +of the calamity, I listened to many discussions and prophecies +concerning the future in reference to business and rebuilding. It was +the general opinion that the business of jewelry and other luxuries, +would be ruined for many years to come; that Fillmore Street and Van +Ness Avenue would be only used temporarily; that the down-town district +would be restored in two years - many entertained opinions exactly the +reverse, and predicted all sorts of gloomy outlooks. Many theories and +predictions were made, none of which have been verified. + +My daughter, Mrs. Oxnard, with her husband was on the way to New York. +At about noon of the 18th they heard, at North Platte, that there had +been a severe shock of earthquake in San Francisco, and that the lower +part of the city south of Market Street was on fire. They thought the +report exaggerated, and at first declined to give it much attention; but +when they met friends at Grand Island at about 3 o'clock they got +information of such a character that it began to give them fear. At +every place until they reached Chicago additional news was obtained, +which indicated a very alarming condition of things here. They went to +the offices of the Southern Pacific and the Santa Fe Railroad companies, +but could get nothing that they considered reliable. So they started on +their way to New York from Chicago in doubt as to whether they should +continue or turn back. On arrival in New York on the 20th there was much +excitement. Newspapers issued extras every hour, filled with fearful +stories and of the progress of the fire. The limits of the burned +districts were reported with great accuracy, but the stories were +alarmingly exaggerated, and in many instances absurd. One telegram read +that the dead were so numerous that it was impossible to give burial, +and the Government at Washington was asked to furnish a ship that they +might be carried out far into the ocean and thrown into the sea. Some +were fortunate enough to get a telegram, which was eagerly read and +discussed. The number of people killed was reported to be from one to +thirty thousand. + +I finally received a telegram from them asking whether I would advise +them to return, which I answered at once to come by all means. So they +started back, arriving here on the 4th of May. + +My sister was in Dresden, Germany, and was like others in an excited +condition, until she could hear by mail from San Francisco. She says the +first knowledge of the disaster reaching her was from a small evening +newspaper printed in English, which in a very brief item said that "San +Francisco was destroyed by an earthquake this morning [April 18th]." +This was all the information which she could obtain that afternoon and +evening. A neighbor, a German lady, came in the next morning and told +her that the German newspapers of that morning said that the city of San +Francisco was on fire, and that the loss of life was enormous. That day, +the 19th, she visited the bulletin boards of the different newspapers, +and with her daughter endeavored to translate the brief cable telegrams +which were posted. The news came to London in English, and there cut +down as brief as possible and translated into German, so the information +was very brief. San Francisco people who were there sought one another +for news. Within a week the New York papers came, which gave more +particulars. While waiting for authentic information, such items as +these were in circulation: "Golden Gate Park has been withered by the +intense heat, and people are crowded to the beach," and that "Typhoid +fever has broken out"; that a tidal-wave had swept over the city; that +the earthquake shocks continued; that all communication with the +interior by rail or otherwise had been cut off; that thirty thousand +people had been killed. Whether her family and friends were alive she +did not know. + +In this state of mind, she found in a New York paper a picture of the +Spreckels residence which showed mine. This was the first information +that she received in reference to her family or their belongings. Mr. +and Mrs. Dohrmann and his sister, Mrs. Paulsen, of San Francisco, were +in Dresden, and did much to allay the fears of the San Franciscans. + +During the first few days the German people got over the excitement, but +not so with those whose homes were in this city. A letter which I mailed +to her on April 22d reached her on May 8th, which was the first one she +received, and which assured her of the safety of her family and friends. + +Charles Stetson Wheeler, Jr., who was in school at Belmont, sends me an +interesting account of his experiences. He says: + +I was awakened by the violent shaking of my bed, which rolled across the +room and struck the one occupied by my roommate. The pictures and frames +fell from the walls, the bowls and pitchers from the washstands, the +books from the shelves, and all were scattered over the floor. A piece +of plastering and a broken wash-bowl struck me on my head. I at first +thought it was the playful prank of the boys, but having got out of my +bed, I was thrown headlong on the floor. I knew it was something serious +and realized that it was an earthquake. I in some way got down the +stairs; I hardly know how. In the yard I found my companions, badly +frightened, all in pajamas, gazing at the sagging walls, broken windows +and chimneys. My roommate, who had got out ahead of me, rushed up to me, +and cried out: "By Jove, I am glad you're out safe; I didn't think of +you until I saw you zig-zagging out of the building." I thanked him and +joined the crowd, watching one of the teachers, who was climbing the +flagpole, so as to be on top of the building if it further collapsed. We +were all silent for a few minutes, but when the shock was fully over, we +talked glibly and loud enough, and had many jokes. + +No fires were started, as in San Francisco. We asked one another "if +this was the end of the world or only the beginning." "Do you think we +will get a holiday?" etc. As the excitement subsided, we began to +shiver, so by common consent we sought in the ruins for our clothing. I +felt that another shock might follow, and possibly worse than the first, +and got out of the wrecked building as soon as possible. + +A little later I found the Head Master of the school. "Good morning," +said I. "Unfortunate morning," he replied. "Brick structures do not hold +together when acted upon by conflicting motions caused by the vibrations +due to earthquakes. This disturbance is purely local, and I think that +Belmont is the only place which has suffered." I thought of our home in +the city, which is built of brick, and that my mother, father, and +sisters were in it. The more I thought of it, the weaker I felt, until +my knees were shaking. In about twenty minutes I was at the Belmont +Station determined to go to the city to learn the fate of my family. + +I tried to telephone, but I was told that both telephone and wire +connections between San Francisco and Belmont were broken. This was the +first proof that the earthquake was more than local, and my fears were +heightened. As I waited I was joined by other boys. All were curious to +know what had happened in other places, but few were worried. Soon the +entire school was gathered at the station. A teacher on a bicycle +arrived and demanded in the name of Mr. R - that we return to school. +The majority complied, but five of us refused. We were promised +expulsion. + +At last the train pulled in. We boarded it with difficulty, for it was +packed with Stanford students. They told us that their college was a +wreck. + +"The buildings are of stone, you know," said one, "and stone buildings +can't stand up against, an earthquake." + +Hearing remarks like this made me so dizzy with dread that I began +picturing to myself the ruins of my home. I could almost hear the groans +of those most dear to me buried under tons of stone and beams, It was +maddening, and I had to struggle some to keep from crying out like a +child. + +Slowly the train pulled by the ruins of San Mateo, Burlingame, and +Milbrae, but just outside of San Bruno the long line of straining cars +came to a sudden halt. We climbed out to find out the cause of the stop. +Ahead we saw several hundred yards of track buckled and humped like much +crumpled ribbon. We had gone as far as possible by rail. + +We counted the money in the crowd and decided to rent a rig if possible +and drive the twenty miles to our homes. After walking three miles, we +found no one willing to take us to the city for the money we were able +to offer; so at this point two of our party left us. + +We must have gone about eight miles when the van of the thousands +leaving the city met us. They were principally hobos and riffraff, +packing their blankets on their backs. We stopped and anxiously inquired +the plight of the city. Some said that the city was burned to the +ground, some that the whole town was submerged by a tidal wave, but all +agreed in this particular: that it was time to leave the city, for soon +there would be nothing left of it. + +The numbers of the retreat were increasing now. We could see mothers +wheeling their babes in buggies, limping, dusty, and tired. Men lashed +and swore at horses straining at loads of household furnishings. All +were in desperate haste. This increased our speed in the opposite +direction. We began to see the dense black cloud of smoke hanging above +the sky-line ahead of us. We almost ran. + +As we passed over each mile we heard more distressing tales from those +leaving. Men called us fools to be going toward the doomed town. +Thousands were traveling away; we were the only ones going toward San +Francisco. + +At last we came to the old Sutro Forest. We toiled up to the summit of +the ridge and looked down for the first time upon the city we were +raised in. In my mind, it was a sight that shall always be vivid. The +lower part of the city was a hell-like furnace. Even from that distance +we could hear the roar of the flames and the crash of falling beams. We +were paralyzed for a moment with the wonder of it. Then we began to run, +run hard, down the slope toward the city. It was impossible for us to +see our homes, for many hills intervened. Soon we reached the outskirts +of the town. Fear grew stronger and stronger in my heart as I saw that +all the chimneys of the houses were littering the streets through which +we passed. They were of brick and so was my father's house. + +The trip across the city seemed endless, even though we strained every +effort to hurry. I had had no breakfast, and was almost sick with fear +and hunger. We passed a brick church, and it was in ruins, shaken to +pieces by the shock. I almost reeled over when I saw it. The rest of the +way I ran. + +As I came within four blocks of the house I looked anxiously over the +roofs of other houses for its high chimneys that had hitherto been +visible from that point. I could not see them! Then I was sure that all +was over, and that my father, mother, and sisters were lost forever. + +These last four blocks I fairly flew, in spite of my fatigue. I kept my +eyes on the ground, not daring to raise them as I ran. Then as I reached +the curb before the door I never expected to enter again I looked up. +The house, though shorn of its chimneys, stood staunch and strong - they +were safe. For a second I stood still. Then, like a poor fool, I began +to laugh and shout. That was the most joyous home-coming of my life. + +- + +During the day of Wednesday, April 18th, I saw some of the damage done +by the earthquake. The loss to the California-Street cable railroad was +the upper portion of the chimney. I had my lunch at the Pacific Union +Club, corner of Post and Stockton Streets, and noted that building was +damaged but very little; only some few pieces of plastering fell. The +Call Building gave no evidence on the outside. The Commercial Block, in +which my office was located, did not show any damage. The door leading +into my office would not open, but the next one did. My house shows a +few cracks. The tops of the chimneys on my house were thrown off, and +the kitchen chimney had to be rebuilt. But the great loss, the great +calamity, was the fire. After that had raged for three days the havoc +was fearful to see. For miles and miles there was not a remnant of +anything inflammable remaining, - nothing but brick, stone, broken +crockery, iron and telegraph poles. In the general appearance it +resembles the country where a forest fire has swept, the chimneys and +unburned telephone poles representing the standing trunks of trees. The +loss of life is probably nearly 450. Many earthquake shocks were felt +during the three days of the calamity, and for as much as two months we +felt gentle reminders. + +The soldiers lacked good sense and judgment, or perhaps it may have been +that some incompetent officers gave senseless orders, - for instance, +the people occupying the stores on Polk Street, between Clay and +Pacific, and the apartments above, were driven out at 8 A. M. of +Thursday, and not permitted to re-enter. As the fire did not reach this +locality until about 4 P. M., there was abundant time to save many +valuable articles which were by this imbecile order lost. Why this was +done, I did not at the time, nor have I since been able to understand. + +Being busy in the work of restoration, I forget what a terrible calamity +has befallen the city and the people, but I sometimes realize it, and it +comes like a shock. It is estimated that 28,000 buildings were +destroyed. I find that people lost the power of keeping time and dates, +and if I had not made notes at the time I would be unable to recollect +the events of these three days with any degree of accuracy in point of +time. + +I have felt that it was fortunate that this calamity did not happen on a +Friday, or on, the 13th of the month. Had it occurred on either of those +days, superstitious people would have had much to aid them in their +belief. + +The feeding of 300,000 people suddenly made destitute is a matter of +great difficulty, but it has been done. It rained two nights, - one +night quite hard, - but the health of the people has been remarkably +good. + +We had water in the house on the 1st of May, glass in the windows on the +16th of May, gas on the 5th of June, electric light on the 7th of June, +and cooked on the street until the 8th of May. + +June, 1906 +The Project Gutenberg Etext of San Francisco During the Eventful Days of April, 1906 +by James B. Stetson +******This file should be named sfded10.txt or sfded10.zip****** + +Corrected EDITIONS of our etexts get a new NUMBER, sfded11.txt +VERSIONS based on separate sources get new LETTER, sfded10a.txt + +This etext was produced by David Schwan <davidsch@earthlink.net>. + +*** + +More information about this book is at the top of this file. + + +We are now trying to release all our eBooks one year in advance +of the official release dates, leaving time for better editing. +Please be encouraged to tell us about any error or corrections, +even years after the official publication date. + +Please note neither this listing nor its contents are final til +midnight of the last day of the month of any such announcement. +The official release date of all Project Gutenberg eBooks is at +Midnight, Central Time, of the last day of the stated month. 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