San Francisco During the Eventful Days of April, 1906

San Francisco During the
Eventful Days of April, 1906

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Days of April, 1906
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Title: San Francisco During the Eventful Days of April, 1906

Author: James B. 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
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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