g was erected
to house the patients.

The St. Rose and Grand hotels at Santa Rosa collapsed and buried all
the occupants. Thirty-eight bodies were taken from the ruins. There
were 10,000 homeless men, women and children huddled together about
Santa Rosa. As the last great seismic tremor spent its force in the
earth, the whole business portion tumbled into ruins. The main street
was piled many feet deep with the fallen buildings.

The destruction included all of the county buildings. The four story
courthouse, with its dome, is a pile of broken masonry. What was not
destroyed by the earthquake was swept by fire. The citizens deserted
their homes. Not even their household goods were taken. They made for
the fields and hills to watch the destruction of one of the most
beautiful cities of the west.

C. A. Duffy of Owensboro, Ky., who was in Santa Rosa, was the only one
out of several score to escape from the floor in which he was
quartered in the St. Rose hotel at Santa Rosa. He went to Oakland on
his motor cycle after he was released and told a thrilling story of
his rescue and the condition of affairs in general at Santa Rosa.

Mr. Duffy said when the shock came he rushed for the stairway, but the
building was swaying and shaking so that he could make no headway, and
he turned back. He threw himself in front of the dresser in his room,
trusting to that object to protect him from the falling timbers. This
move saved his life. The dresser held up the beams which tumbled over
him, and these in turn protected him from the falling mass of debris.

"I was imprisoned five hours," said Mr. Duffy, "before being rescued.
Three times I tried to call and the rescuers heard me, but could not
locate my position from the sound of my voice, and I could hear them
going away after getting close to me.

"Finally I got hold of a lath from the ruins around me, poked it
through a hole left by the falling of a steam pipe, and by using it
and yelling at the same time finally managed to show the people where
I was.

"There were about 300 people killed in the destruction of the three
hotels.

"The business section of the place collapsed to the ground almost
inside of five minutes. Then the fire started and burned Fourth street
from one end to the other, starting at each end and meeting in the
middle, thus sweeping over the ruins and burning the imprisoned
people.

"I saw two arms protruding from one part of the debris and waving
frant