seventh floor of the Palace Hotel," he said, "at
the time of the first quake. I was thrown out of my bed and half way
across the room.

"Immediately realizing the import of the occurrence, and fearing that
the building was about to collapse, I made my way down the six flights
of stairs and into the main corridor.

"I was the first guest to appear. The clerks and hotel employes were
running about as if they were mad. Within two minutes after I had
appeared other guests began to flock into the corridor. Few if any of
them wore other than their night clothing. Men, women, and children
with blanched faces stood as if fixed. Children and women cried, and
the men were little less affected.

"I returned to my room and got my clothing, then walked to the office
of the Western Union in my pajamas and bare feet to telegraph to my
wife in Los Angeles. I found the telegraphers there, but all the wires
were down. I sat down on the sidewalk, picked the broken glass out of
the soles of my feet, and put on my clothes.

"All this, I suppose, took little more than twenty minutes. Within
that time, below the Palace the buildings for more than three blocks
were a mass of flames, which quickly communicated to other buildings.
The scene was a terrible one. Billows of fire seemed to roll from the
business blocks soon half consumed to other blocks in the vicinity,
only to climb and loom again.

"The Call building at the corner of Third and Market streets, as I
passed, I saw to be more than a foot out of plumb and hanging over the
street like the leaning tower of Pisa.

"I remained in San Francisco until 8 o'clock and then took a ferry for
Oakland, but returned to the burning city an hour and a half later. At
that time the city seemed doomed. I remained but for a few minutes;
then made my way back to the ferry station.

"I hope I may never be called upon to pass through such an experience
again. People by the thousands and seemingly devoid of reason were
crowded around the ferry station. At the iron gates they clawed with
their hands as so many maniacs. They sought to break the bars, and
failing in that turned upon each other. Fighting my way to the gate
like the others the thought came into my mind of what rats in a trap
were. Had I not been a strong man I should certainly have been killed.

"When the ferry drew up to the slip, and the gates were thrown open
the rush to safety was tremendous. The people flowed through the
passageway