ever experienced in the United States. The
St. Francis hotel swayed from south to north like a tall poplar in a
storm; furniture, even pianos, was overturned, and people thrown from
their beds.

"I summoned my family and friends and urged them to escape to
Jefferson square, which we did.

"An awful sight met our eyes. Every building was either partly or
wholly wrecked, roofs and cornices falling from skyscrapers on lower
houses, crushing and burying the inmates.

"Fires started in all parts of the city, the main water pipes burst
and flooded the streets, one earthquake followed another, the people
became terrified, but all were wonderfully calm. Over 100,000 persons
without shelter were camping on the hills. There was no light, water,
nor food. Regular soldiers and the militia maintained order and
discipline, otherwise more horrors would have occurred and riots might
have prevailed. Then the worst happened. The fire spread over
three-fourths of the city and could not be controlled, no water to
fight it, no light, and the earth still trembling.

"Building after building was dismantled to check the progress of the
flames, but all of no avail. We were fortunate to secure conveyances
and fled to Nob Hill, from which we witnessed the indescribable drama.
Block after block was devastated. The fires blazed like volcanoes, and
all business houses, hotels, theaters--in fact, the entire business
portion--lay in ruins, and two-thirds of the residences."

CHAPTER VIII.

THRILLING PERSONAL EXPERIENCES--CONTINUED.

=Hairbreadth Escapes from the Hotels Whose Walls
Crumbled--Frantic Mothers Seek Children from Whom They
Were Torn by the Quake--Reckless Use of Firearms by
Cadet Militia--Tales of Heroism and Suffering.=

For two weeks or more tragedy, romance and comedy crowded the lives of
women and children survivors homeless in the city of ashes and in
Oakland, across the bay, the city of refuge. In this latter place
thousands separated from their loved ones were tearfully awaiting
developments, and every hour in the day members of families were
restored to each other who had been lost.

On record in the Chamber of Commerce at Oakland, which was the
headquarters of the Oakland Relief Committee, some queer stories were
told. Not a day passed but there were from two to eight marriages in
that office. Homeless young couples met each other, compared notes and
finally agreed to marry.

At the registry