r blocks long all one afternoon and those at the parks
were even longer. A large supply of milk was received from Oakland in
the morning and this was distributed to women and children whenever
they were found in need. A great deal of this milk was used for the
exhausted women.

The breadlines at the parks furnished striking instances of the
absolute patience and fortitude that has marked the behavior of the
people throughout their trying experience. There were no disorders
when the hungry thousands were told to form a line and receive their
bread and canned goods. All were content to wait their turn.
Silk-hatted men followed good naturedly behind Chinese and took their
loaves from the same hand.

Soup kitchens were established in the streets of the unburned section,
no fires whatever being allowed indoors, and many hungry persons were
fed by these individual efforts.

At the ferry station there were some pathetic scenes among the hungry
people. When the boat came in from Stockton with tons of supplies a
number of small children were the first to spy a large box of
sandwiches with cries of delight. They made a rush for the food,
seized as much as they could hold and rushed to their mothers with
shouts of "Oh, mamma, mamma, look at the sandwiches!"

Seated around the ferry buildings sat hundreds of people sucking
canned fruits from the tins. Some were drinking condensed cream and
some were lucky enough to have sardines or cheese. At several places
along Market street scores of men were digging with their hands among
the still smoking debris of some large grocery house for canned goods.
When they secured it, which they did without molestation from
anybody, they broke the tins and drank the contents.

At Filbert and Van Ness avenue at 6 o'clock at night a wagon of
supplies conveyed by soldiers was besieged by a crowd of hungry
people. They appealed to the soldiers for food and their appeals were
quickly heeded. Seizing an ax a soldier smashed the boxes and tossed
the supplies to the crowd, which took time to cheer lustily.

Owing to the energetic efforts of General Funston and the officials of
the Spring Water Company the sufferers in all parts of the city were
spared at least the horrors of a water famine. As soon as it was
learned that some few mercenaries who were fortunate enough to have
fresh water stored in tanks in manufacturing districts were selling it
at 50 cents per glass the authorities took prompt action