April, 20: New York - An earthquake occurred at San Francisco. It is reported that 1000 deaths resulted. The city is half in ruins.
The shock began at 16 minutes past 5 o'clock in the morning, and lasted several minutes, with recurrence. A wide area is affected. Most of the wires are down, and many fires have broken out.
London: Information concerning the disaster at San Francisco is fragmentary, owing to the burning of the telegraph and newspaper offices. It is estimated that 1500 people perished, while 1000 were injured in San Francisco alone.
The entire business portion of the city is in ruins. The latest information states that the flames are unchecked, and that they are sweeping the city. Thousands of people are homeless, and are huddled in the parks and public squares. Troops are on guard at the banks, and cavalry and infantry patrol the streets, and have been instructed to shoot thieves, who are already engaged in plundering.
The tremor was sufficient to cause the seismograph pendulum to swing for nine minutes across the whole width of the photographic roll.
The tremor traversed the entire continent, and was recorded at Washington, Ottawa, Vienna and the Isle of Wight.
Three severe shocks were felt in the morning at intervals of some hours and slighter shocks were experienced in the afternoon and early in the evening.
Most of the residents were asleep at the time of the disaster, and they rushed into the streets in their night attire.
At this time buildings were tottering and crashing, while there were showers of falling chimneys, cornices and walls, crushing and mangling many people. The terror and excitement are indescribable.
Modern, tall, steel-framed buildings stood better than brick or wooden tenements.
Many buildings which withstood the earthquake shocks succumbed to the fires, which had spread over eight square miles, destroying several hundred city blocks.
Crevices six feet wide have opened in several streets, and entire sidewalks have been torn up, while tram tracks have been strangely twisted.
Our cablegrams this morning indicate that apparently the worst is now over in San Francisco.
By the use of artillery and explosives the progress of the fire in the city has been stopped, and this being the case more attention can be given by the authorities to relieving the distress of the thousands of homeless people who have been forced to sleep in the parks and subsist on short rations.
To make matters worse, a great scarcity of water prevailed, and the sufferings of the women and children, the poor and the ailing, must have indeed been terrible.
As there will not now be so much demand for fire suppression, it is to be hoped the water supply will prove adequate.
Trains with food supplies are reported to be arriving, presumably at Oakland; and as it is thus made evident that railway communication is not interrupted, assistance may be said to be near at hand.
Meantime, the interruption to telegraph lines continues, and there is great delay in obtaining information as to the safety of the friends and relatives of many in this colony who were resident in San Francisco and other places in the State.
The Premier, it will be seen in a telegram published elsewhere, has undertaken to make every inquiry to relieve the anxiety of those in this colony about their friends.
On behalf of the colony, Mr Seddon has also offered practical assistance to the authorities for the relief of sufferers.
Steps are also being taken by the Mayor of Dunedin that will probably result in a relief fund being raised, and a meeting to consider the matter will be held tomorrow afternoon.