A Letter from Lena
San Francisco, Cal My Dearest Sisters and Brothers and Children: Thank God we are all alive. You all have heard all about the awful earthquick we had here Whensday morning. Well I tell you my dear ones we all thought our time had come, words can’t express the terrible horror we experienced the earthquick lasted 45 seconds or(?) three quarters of a minnet it seemed a half an hour to us, we certainly thought death would over takes us at any moment. Just 15 minnets past five when we were awaken from a sound sleep the house shook so we expected it to fall in at any minnet, we prayed and cried out to God in heaven to save us from such a horrible death. I could not move a musle in my body I was so paralized with fear. Well we got off lucky compaired to thousands of people that are now homeless. Just as soon as we got dressed we went to see the City on fire, and on 19 and Valencia street just one block from where we us to live, well the ground opened and houses and a hotel with 75 people in it were all buried alive it was a four story building and all you could see of it was the fourth or top story that pitched forward on to the street. The people in the top story were all saved, well it was terrible. But that was nothin compaired to what had happened down town, all of the most beautiful large buildings in the City were distroyed such as the Call B and the City hall and Palace hotel well the fire swept every thing befor it from the Ferry Building way out in the Mission as far as Twentyeth street and wayout on Vanass Ave, in fact the main part of San Frisco is burnt, all of Chinatown is burnt out every thing on Market St. was distroyed by fire except the new post office and the Mint are safe. We watched the feirce fire for two days and nights and saw it come to-wards us, we were all out on the hill a little ways from the house watching the fire the City was all lit up just like day, oh but it was horrible it makes one shutter to think of it you can’t imagine how awful it is unless you go trought (through) with it. Well the fire kept on coming as fast as the wind could carry it. We stayed at the hous untill Thursday afternoon the fire spread so fast. We packed our bedding and cloths as much as we could carry of food and carried it out on the hill a mile from the house, we never worked so hard in our lives papa and the boys worked untill beads of sweat stood out on their brow it was such a hot day, it made it so hard to lug such heavy loads up hill. We stayed there from Thursday untill today. Papa and the boys stayed at the house to guard the place by day and night. By Friday morning they had the fire under control when it reached Twentyeth st. They were so helpless had know water to fight the fire. They discovered an old well on Twentyeth St so put an end to the fire by blowing up houses all day and night to keep Ihe fire from spreading. It made such awful noise this blasting all day long we would jump and run for the door thinking it another earthquick. Soldires from all parts came to guard the City they shot down sevral men trying to rob the dead, they killed twenty in less then a hour, that put a stop to that in quick work, and six men were killed caught starting fires in different parts of the City. They kept fine order, people left Frisco as fast as possible, know doubt you will see Tillie she was just scared to death her and Sallie Madrigan left us on the hill top Friday for Portland we heard from them today they wrote on their way home. Tillie can tell you dear ones all about it. All of the boys and Marie are out of work every place they worked is burnt it puts us in an awful position, they are sending carloads of provisions and thousands of dollars for the releive of the City. On every street corner at a groceries store you see hundreds of people lined up to get food it gives us an idia (idea) what the Galavaston flood (Galveston Flood, Texas, September 8, 1900 -- Tidal wave caused by a hurricane, 6,000 people dead) was like only we had know water, not enoth in fact to put the fire out. It was just heart rendering to see people crying to see their homes burnt down in front of their very eyes. I was downtown when it broke out and stood right between two fires coming up the st. and going down ranging so feirce we had to keep moveing to get out of the heat of the fire. Everybody has their cook stove or peices of brick out in the street to do their cooking. My dear ones it made us just heart sick when we said fairwell to our home never expecting to enter it again and let the angery flames swoller up all our house hold goods. I have meet lots of people and friends two, who have lost every thing only what they have on their backs, but with all their sorrow and hardship they are very cheerful, it was just wonderfull to see different ones drag their belongings up steep hills and every one with a smile on their faces or a cheerful word for every body. I don’t know but what you will have a hard time reading this I am not quite me self yet. Give Grandma and all our folk’s our love, and Father LaBaque you can read this to them, I am tired writting so will close. I will write in a few days again, now don’t worry about us we are all well and safe of any danger. Your loveing sister We sent a Telegram right after the Earth-quake did you get it. P.S. Among the food they give away they have no potatoes I tell you we would be awfully glad if you folks could send us some potatoes and butter which we can’t get here if you send it to our address we will get it all O.K. Hoping to hear from you at once. Lena S. Return to
|
 |
|
|---|---|---|
photos below from “The San Francisco Earthquake, 1906, National Archives Website http://arcweb.archives.gov
|
