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Complete Story of the San Francisco Horror

by Trumbull White

By Trumbull White · History · Public domain

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About this book

Complete Story of the San Francisco Horror is a public-domain classic of history by Trumbull White.

The complete text is on this page and the chapter pages below — all 64 chapters, about 114,304 words (~10 hours of reading), free to read online with no signup. Chapters include “CHAPTER V.. The City of a Hundred Hills.”, “CHAPTER VI.. Scenes of Terror, Death and Heroism.”, “CHAPTER VII.. Thrilling Personal Experiences.”, and more.

Complete Story of the San Francisco Horror at a glance

Author
Trumbull White
Length
114,304 words · about 10 hours to read
Chapters
64
Price
Free — public domain

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Read Complete Story of the San Francisco Horror online — full text

CHAPTER V.. The City of a Hundred Hills.

THE CITY OF A HUNDRED HILLS.

A Description of San Francisco, the Metropolis of the Pacific Coast, Before the Fire--One of the Most Beautiful and Picturesque Cities in America--Home of the California Bonanza Kings 78

Former Mayor of San Francisco, and who gave $1,000,000 for the relief of the sufferers. Largest sum given by an individual.]

Mayor of San Francisco and who rendered great assistance in bringing order out of chaos.]

CHAPTER VI.. Scenes of Terror, Death and Heroism.

SCENES OF TERROR, DEATH AND HEROISM.

Thrilling Escapes and Deeds of Daring--Sublime Bravery and Self-Sacrifice by Men and Women--How the United States Mint and the Treasuries Were Saved and Protected by Devoted Employes and Soldiers--Pathetic Street Incidents--Soldiers and Police Compel Fashionably Attired to Assist in Cleaning Streets--Italians Drench Homes with Wine 103

CHAPTER VII.. Thrilling Personal Experiences.

THRILLING PERSONAL EXPERIENCES.

Scenes of Horror and Panic Described by Victims of the Quake Who Escaped--How Helpless People Were Crushed to Death by Falling Buildings and Debris--Some Marvelous Escapes 119

CHAPTER VIII.. Thrilling Personal Experiences--Continued.

THRILLING PERSONAL EXPERIENCES--CONTINUED.

Hairbreadth Escapes from the Hotels Whose Walls Crumbled--Frantic Mothers Seek Children from Whom They Were Torn by the Quake--Reckless Use of Firearms by Cadet Militia--Tales of Heroism and Suffering 132

CHAPTER IX.. Through Lanes of Misery.

THROUGH LANES OF MISERY.

A Graphic Pen Picture of San Francisco in Flames and in Ruins--Scenes and Stories of Human Interest where Millionaires and Paupers Mingled in a Common Brotherhood--A Harrowing Trip in an Automobile 141

CHAPTER X.. Whole Nation Responds with Aid.

WHOLE NATION RESPONDS WITH AID.

Government Appropriates Millions and Chicago Leads All Other Cities with a Round Million of Dollars--People in All Ranks of Life from President Roosevelt to the Humblest Wage Earner Give Promptly and Freely 157

CHAPTER XI.. All Co-Operate in Relief Work.

ALL CO-OPERATE IN RELIEF WORK.

Citizens' Committee Takes Charge of the Distribution of Supplies, Aided by the Red Cross Society and the Army--Nearly Three-Fourths of the Entire Population Fed and Sheltered in Refuge Camps 162

CHAPTER XII.. Our Boys in Blue Prove Heroism.

OUR BOYS IN BLUE PROVE HEROISM.

United States Troops at the Presidio and Fort Mason Under Command of General Funston Bring Order Out of Chaos and Save City from Pestilence--San Francisco Said "Thank God for the Boys in Blue"--Stricken City Patrolled by Soldiers 171

CHAPTER XIII.. In the Refuge Camps.

IN THE REFUGE CAMPS.

Scenes of Destitution in the Parks Where the Homeless Were Gathered--Rich and Poor Share Food and Bed Alike--All Distinctions of Wealth and Social Position Wiped Out by the Great Calamity 178

CHAPTER XIV.. Ruins and Havoc in Coast Cities.

RUINS AND HAVOC IN COAST CITIES.

San Jose, the Prettiest Place in the State, Wrecked by Quake--State Insane Asylum Collapsed and Buried Many Patients Beneath the Crumbled Walls--Enormous Damage at Santa Rosa 189

CHAPTER XV.. Destruction of Great Stanford University.

DESTRUCTION OF GREAT STANFORD UNIVERSITY.

California's Magnificent Educational Institution, the Pride of the State, Wrecked by Quake--Founded by the Late Senator Leland Stanford as a Memorial to His Son and Namesake--Loss $3,000,000 198

CHAPTER XVI.. Fighting Fire with Dynamite.

FIGHTING FIRE WITH DYNAMITE.

San Francisco Conflagration Eventually Checked by the Use of Explosives--Lesson of Baltimore Needed in Coast City--Western Remnant of City in Residence Section Saved by Blowing Up Beautiful Homes of the Rich 208

CHAPTER XVII.. Miscellaneous Facts and Incidents.

MISCELLANEOUS FACTS AND INCIDENTS.

Many Babies Born in Refuge Camps--Expressions of Sympathy from Foreign Nations--San Francisco's Famous Restaurants--Plight of Newspaper and Telegraph Offices 214

CHAPTER XVIII.. Disaster As Viewed by Scientists.

DISASTER AS VIEWED BY SCIENTISTS.

Scientists are Divided Upon the Theories Concerning the Shock That Wrought Havoc in the Golden Gate City--May Have Originated Miles Under the Ocean--Growth of the Sierra Madre Mountains May Have Been the Cause 230

CHAPTER XIX.. Chinatown, a Plague Spot Blotted Out.

CHINATOWN, A PLAGUE SPOT BLOTTED OUT.

An Oriental Hell within an American City--Foreign in Its Stores, Gambling Dens and Inhabitants--The Mecca of All San Francisco Sight Seers--Secret Passages, Opium Joints and Slave Trade Its Chief Features 246

CHAPTER XX.. The New San Francisco.

THE NEW SAN FRANCISCO.

A Modern City of Steel on the Ruins of the City that Was--A Beautiful Vista of Boulevards, Parks and Open Spaces Flanked by the Massive Structures of Commerce and the Palaces of Wealth and Fashion 255

CHAPTER XXI.. Vesuvius Threatens Naples.

VESUVIUS THREATENS NAPLES.

Beautiful Italian City on the Mediterranean Almost Engulfed in Ashes and Lava from the Terrible Volcano--Worst Eruption Since the Days of Pompeii and Herculaneum--Buildings Crushed and Thousands Rendered Homeless 267

CHAPTER XXII.. Scenes in Frightened Naples.

SCENES IN FRIGHTENED NAPLES.

Blistering Showers of Hot Ashes--The People Frantic--Cry Everywhere "When Will It End?"--Atmosphere Charged with Electricity and Poisonous Fumes 279

CHAPTER XXIII.. Volcanoes and Earthquakes Explained.

VOLCANOES AND EARTHQUAKES EXPLAINED.

BY TRUMBULL WHITE.

The Theories of Science on Seismic Convulsions--Volcanoes Likened to Boils on the Human Body, Through Which the Fires and Impurities of the Blood Manifest Themselves--Seepage of Ocean Waters Through Crevices in the Rocks Reaches the Internal Fires of the Earth--Steam Is Generated and an Explosion Follows--Geysers and Steam Boilers as Illustrations--Views of the World's Most Eminent Scientists Concerning the Causes of the Eruptions of Mount Pelee and La Soufriere 285

CHAPTER XXIV.. Terrible Volcanic Disasters of the Past.

TERRIBLE VOLCANIC DISASTERS OF THE PAST.

BY TRUMBULL WHITE.

Destruction of Sodom, Gomorrah and the Other Cities of the Plain--The Bible Account a Graphic Description of the Event--Ancient Writers Tell of Earthquakes and Volcanoes of Antiquity--Discovery of Buried Cities of Which No Records Remain--Formation of the Dead Sea--The Valley of the Jordan and Its Physical Characteristics 303

CHAPTER XXV.. Vesuvius and the Destruction of Pompeii.

VESUVIUS AND THE DESTRUCTION OF POMPEII.

BY TRUMBULL WHITE.

Most Famous Volcanic Eruption in History--Roman Cities Overwhelmed--Scenes of Horror Described by Pliny, the Great Classic Writer, an Eye-Witness of the Disaster--Buried in Ashes and Lava--The Stricken Towns Preserved for Centuries Excavated in Modern Times as a Wonderful Museum of the Life of 1,800 Years Ago 309

CHAPTER XXVI.. Mount ætna and the Sicilian Horrors.

MOUNT ÆTNA AND THE SICILIAN HORRORS.

BY TRUMBULL WHITE.

A Volcano with a Record of Twenty-five Centuries--Seventy-eight Recorded Eruptions--Three Hundred Thousand Inhabitants Dwelling on the Slopes of the Mountain and in the Valleys at Its Base--Stories of Earthquake Shocks and Lava Flows--Tales of Destruction--Described by Ancient and Modern Writers and Eye-Witnesses 321

CHAPTER XXVII.. Lisbon Earthquake Scourged.

LISBON EARTHQUAKE SCOURGED.

BY TRUMBULL WHITE.

Sixty Thousand Lives Lost in a Few Moments--An Opulent and Populous Capital Destroyed--Graphic Account by an English Merchant Who Resided in the Stricken City--Tidal Waves Drown Thousands in the City Streets--Ships Engulfed in the Harbor--Criminals Rob and Burn--Terrible Desolation and Suffering 334

CHAPTER XXVIII.. Japan and Its Disastrous Earthquakes and Volcanoes.

JAPAN AND ITS DISASTROUS EARTHQUAKES AND VOLCANOES.

BY TRUMBULL WHITE.

The Island Empire Subject to Convulsions of Nature--Legends of Ancient Disturbances--Famous Volcano of Fuji-yama Formed in One Night--More Than One Hundred Volcanoes in Japan--Two Hundred and Thirty-two Eruptions Recorded--Devastation of Thriving Towns and Busy Cities--The Capital a Sufferer--Scenes of Desolation after the Most Recent Great Earthquakes 344

CHAPTER XXIX.. Krakatoa, the Greatest of Volcanic Explosions.

KRAKATOA, THE GREATEST OF VOLCANIC EXPLOSIONS.

BY TRUMBULL WHITE.

East Indian Catastrophes--The Volcano that Blew Its Own Head Off--The Terrific Crash Heard Three Thousand Miles--Atmospheric Waves Travel Seven Times Around the Earth--A Pillar of Dust Seventeen Miles High--Islands of the Malay Archipelago Blotted Out of Existence--Native Villages Annihilated--Other Disastrous Upheavals in the East Indies 353

CHAPTER XXX.. Our Great Hawaiian and Alaskan Volcanoes.

OUR GREAT HAWAIIAN AND ALASKAN VOLCANOES.

BY TRUMBULL WHITE.

Greatest Volcanoes in the World Are Under the American Flag--Huge Craters in Our Pacific Islands--Native Worship of the Gods of the Flaming Mountains--Eruptions of the Past--Heroic Defiance of Pele, the Goddess of Volcanoes by a Brave Hawaiian Queen--The Spell of Superstition Broken--Volcanic Peaks in Alaska, Our Northern Territory--Aleutian Islands Report Eruptions 363

CHAPTER XXXI.. South American Cities Destroyed.

SOUTH AMERICAN CITIES DESTROYED.

BY TRUMBULL WHITE.

Earthquakes Ravage the Coast Cities of Peru and the Neighboring Countries--Spanish Capitals in the New World Frequent Sufferers--Lima, Callao and Caracas Devastated--Tidal Waves Accompany the Earthquakes--Juan Fernandez Island Shaken--Fissures Engulf Men and Animals--Peculiar Effects Observed 373

CHAPTER XXXII.. Earthquakes and Volcanoes in Central America and Mexico.

EARTHQUAKES AND VOLCANOES IN CENTRAL AMERICA AND MEXICO.

BY TRUMBULL WHITE.

A Region Frequently Disturbed by Subterranean Forces--Guatemala a Fated City--A Lake Eruption in Honduras Described by a Great Painter--City of San Jose Destroyed--Inhabitants Leave the Vicinity to Wander as Beggars--Disturbances on the Route of the Proposed Nicaragua Canal--San Salvador Is Shaken--Mexican Cities Suffer 382

CHAPTER XXXIII.. Charleston, Galveston, Johnstown--Our American Disasters.

CHARLESTON, GALVESTON, JOHNSTOWN--OUR AMERICAN DISASTERS.

BY TRUMBULL WHITE.

Earthquake Shock in South Carolina--Many Lives Lost in the Riven City--Galveston Smitten by Tidal Wave and Hurricane--Thousands Die in Flood and Shattered Buildings--The Gulf Coast Desolated--Johnstown, Pennsylvania, Swept by Water from a Bursting Reservoir--Scenes of Horror 389

CHAPTER XXXIV.. St. Pierre, Martinique, Annihilated by a Volcano.

ST. PIERRE, MARTINIQUE, ANNIHILATED BY A VOLCANO.

BY TRUMBULL WHITE.

Fifty Thousand Men, Women and Children Slain in an Instant--Molten Fire and Suffocating Gases Rob Multitudes of Life--Death Reigns in the Streets of the Stricken City--The Governor and Foreign Consuls Die at Their Posts of Duty--No Escape for the Hapless Residents in the Fated Town--Scenes of Suffering Described--Desolation Over All--Few Left to Tell the Tale of the Morning of Disaster 397

ILLUSTRATIONS

The Awful Horror of an Earthquake Frontispiece

A Panorama of the Ruins Frontispiece

Business District of San Francisco Frontispiece

Former Mayor James D. Phelan 11

Mayor Eugene E. Schmitz 11

Looking East on Market Street 12

View from Fifth and Market Streets 12

Market Street, Scene of Ruins 31

United States Guards in Charge of Dead 32

Street Torn Up by Earthquake 41

Stockton Street 42

Grant Avenue 42

Mission Street 43

O'Farrell Street 43

Looking North from Sixth and Market Streets 44

The Orpheum Theatre 44

San Francisco on Fire 53

Destroyed Wholesale Houses 54

Cracks in Earth 63

Ruins of Emporium Building 63

Map--Bird's-Eye View of San Francisco 64

Ruins of Hall of Justice 65

Looking Down Market Toward Call Building 66

From California Street Toward Call Building 66

Market Street Before the Disaster 75

The Devouring Flames 76

Mark Hopkins Institute, Nob Hill 85

United States Mint 86

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