Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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THE SUMTER WATCHMAN, Established April, 1850. 'Be Just ana Fear not-Let all the enas Thon Aims't at be thy Country's, Thy God's and Truth's." THE TRUE SOCTHEOX, Established June, 186* Con <os teated AUK. 2,1881. SUMTER. S. G.. WEDNESDAY. APRIL 25, 1*06 New Series-Vol. XXY. ie Ifert?a w? Sou?ijroir. Published Every Wednesday, -=*BY OSTEEH PUBLISHING COMPANY, SUMTER, S. C. Terms: $1.50 per annum-in advance. Advertisements: One Square first insertion.$1.50 Every subsequent insertion. 50 Contracts for three months, or longer will be made at reduced rates. All communications which sub? serve private interests will be charged for as advertisements. Obituaries and tributes of respects will be charged for. FAGINS STARVATION. THREE HUNDRED THOUSAND f HOMELESS PEOPLE WITH? OUT FOOD. The Destruction of* San Francisco is . 'Complete and Added to the Horrors of the Earthqquake and Conflagra? tion is the - Problem of Producing f Food for the People. i 0 Oakland, Cal., April 20.-(2 a. m.) -San Francisco is gone. Unless all in formation is greatly exaggerated, there remains nothing of the city this morn ^jpfing except outlying suburbs, a few blocks on the water front, and a nar? row district of middle class residences lying along Golden Gate Park. No American city was ever so nearly de? stroyed, as this, and, outside of the earthquake, the fire is probably the greatest in American history. The city has a population of more than 400,000 people. Not more than one fourth of these can have escaped to Oakland er the peninsula, and at least 300,000 peop?e must be homeless jjgp in the parks or the Presidio military reservation. All the hospitals except the free city hospitals have been de? stroyed, aaid they have been dragging the injured, sick and dying from place to place of safety all day. The flames finished with the busi? ness district, ran south through what \remained of the tenement district, ex? tended out through the .Mission, a re? gion of cheap residences, and leaped to Nob Hill, where stand the great 'mansions of the early day California millionaires. Eefore that time the gt water supply had been wholly ex hausted. Even the sewers were suck? ed dry. At 2 o'clock the firemen hrought to the volunteer helpers the news that there was no more dyna? mite. It passed from mouth to mouth. This cry was the doom of San Fran? cisco. As a last resort Gen Funston emptied the artillery magazines of the Presidio, and the troops and firemen tried to make a last stand at Vanness avenue, west of which lie the homes of the rich and well-to-do. Funston's telegram at 8 o'clock last night show? ed that they had failed, and the late news over the direct Western Union wire confirmed this. Many must have died in the fire. At least four men were shot during the day for looting. The unburied dead, many of them half burned, in the ruins, are becoming a problem. It may become necessary to sink many bodies in the Bay or Ocean. Owing to the fire, which caught many struc? tures before the dead could be taken out of them, the real mortality will never be known. It is hard to estimate the loss in money. It may be said that practical? ly ali improvements on real estate and a great pa?t of the personal property are gone. The loss will certainly be more than $200.000,000. The last as? sessment roll gives the value of land and improvements in San Francisco at $402.000,000. The insurance held in San Francisco was estimated in New York yesterday at from $350, 000.000 to $390.000.000. This esti? mate is based on the payments on premiums. The housing of the homeless people, who must have slept in the parks and the military reservation last ni?*it. is going to be a great problem. So. in? deed, is their feeding. Xo supplies can come into the town at present. Th?-e people have been living on the supples taken from grocery stores and handed out by the soldiers, but the wholesale houses are gone with their stores of provisions and starva? tion is imminent. There is plenty ot money in sight for relief. The gov? ernment has appropriated a million dollars and at least a half million is awaiting orders in New York. The problem, however, is not so much one of money as of ways and means of getting supplies through quickly. This is absolutely the greatest dis? aster that ever overcame an American city and one of the fires of history. Eeside it the Chicago. Boston and Bal? timore fires are almost unimportant. Special to the News and Courier. SAN FRANCISCO IS TOTALLY DESTOYEO. Thousands Killed ty Great Earthquake in San Francisco and Other California Towns TWO THOUSAND KILLED OUTRIGHT. Hie Earthquake Occurred at 5:10 Wednesday Morning and the Fear Crazed People Rushed From the Toppling Buildings in Their Night Clothes-Telegraph Offices Were Wrecked and Direct Communication Cut off-Water Main Burst and Fire Raged Unchecked. Special to The Daily Item. San Francisco. 5:50 a. m.. April 18. -An earthquake early this morning wrecked the Hobart building in which are located the Postal Telegraph Com? pany's offices and the Northern Pacific Railroad Company's offices. The earthquake was fearfully disas? trous. Many are reported killed. The houses were wrecked and then caught on fire. There is no water with which to fight the flames. At 5:50 a. m. frequent shocks were felt following the first severe quake. At that time the Postal employes had to flee from the building. Fifty Blocks Wrecked. San Francisco, April 18.-Among the buildings destroyed by the earth? quake is the city hall which cost $7, 000,000. The shock which did the most dam? age came at 5:10'this morning and lasted three minutes. Fires *at once started all over the city. Death List Grows. Cincinnati, April IS.-The follow? ing bulletin was received by the West? ern Union Telegraph Company at 11:45 a. m., from San Francisco: "The fire is beyond control. Ii is now destroying Market street and has reached the Pacific Hotel. Both the Postal and Western "Union buildings are completely destroyed. The loss of life is now estimated at 2,000." Ground Sinks Ten Feet. San Francisco. 12:20 p. m., April IS. -The shock at 5:32 this morning was of two minutes duration. The lower portion of the city be? tween the Ferry and 98th, 3rd and Townsend streets is in flames, and the water supply shut off. Many buildings are being dyna? mited. Valencia has sunk ten feet in places. There was great damage near China basin. It is believed at least a score perished there in the ruins. A LURID CUTLINE OF THE DIS? ASTER AS SEEN BY NIGHT. San Francisco, April 18.-Earth? quake and fire today have caused the greatest calamity California has ever known. In San Francisco alone it is estimated that 1.000 persons have perished, while as many more are suf? fering from injuries. The entire busi? ness portion of the city is in ruins, and the fi?mes which, owing to the lack of water, cannot be checked ex? cept by the blowing up with dynamite of buildings in their path, are still sweeping through the city. It is ut? terly impossible at present to estimate the property loss, for the extent of the conflagration cannot be told until the fire has burned itself out. Thousands of people are homeless and many are huddled in the parks and public squares beside the household goods they were able to save. The city is under martial law, and all the down? town streets are patrolled by cavalry and infantry. Details of troops are also guarding the banks. Most of the principal buildings have already been destroyed and others are imminent danger. Over all the scene of desola? tion hangs a dense pall of smoke. Communication with outside towns is almost entirely cut off, but the re? port comes from Palo Alto that all but one of the buildings of the Leland Standford. Jr.. university have been wrecked and that the splendid mem? orial church, '?ne of the finest struc? tures of its kind in the world, is a mass of ruins. One student is known to have lost his life. In Oakland five persons were killed. San Jose and Sacramento. Berkeley. Alameda and other places heard from suffered se? verely hut report no less of life. The dreadful earthquake shock came without warning ai precisely at 5:13 o'clock ihl?: mt-rnnig. its motion apparently being iv?ni east to west, '-.i tirs: the uph -aval of the f-arth was gradual, but in a few seconds it in ( vi Qsed ; = : intensity Chimneys began to fail and building's t<> crack, totter? ing on -heir foundations. The people became ?-.!:;?r stricken and rushed in? to the streets, most of them in their night attire. They were met with showers of fall?n? buildings, brick cornices and wars. Many were ii stantly emslie? to death, while otl ers were dreadfully mangled. Thoi who remained indocr> generally e? caped wi:h their lives, though scon were hit by detached plaster, picture and articles thrown to the floor, b the shock. It is believed that more c less loss was sustained by nearly e\ ery family in the city. The tall steel frame structures stoo the strain better than brick building: few of them being badly damagec The 11-story Monandoc office buuihj ing. in course of construction, adjoin ing the Palace hotel was an exceptior however, its rear wall collapsing an many cracks being made across it front. Some of the docks and freigh sheds along the water front slid int the bay. Deep fissures opened in th filled-in ground near the shore and th Union Ferry depot was injured. It I high tower still stands but will hav to be torn down. A portion of the new city hall, whic] cost over $7,000,000, collapsed, th roof sliding into the court yard am smaller towers tumbling down. Th great dome was moved but did no fall. The new postoffice, one of the fines in the United States, was badly shat tered. The Valencia Hotel, a four-stor: wooden building, sank into the base ment a- pile of splintered timbers, un der which were pinned many dea< and dying occupants of the house. Th< basement was full of water and som* of the helpless victims were drowned Scarcely had the earth ceased t( shake when fire broke out simultan? eously in many places. The fire de? partment promptly responded to th( first calls for aid, but it was founc that the water mains had been render? ed useless by the underground move? ment. Fanned by a light breeze, the flames quickly spread and soon manj blocks were seen to be doomed. Ther dynamite was resorted to and ? th? sound of frequent explosions added tc the terror of the people. All efforts to stay the progress of the fire, how? ever, proved futile. The south side o? Market street from Ninth street tc the bay was soon ablaze, the fire cov? ering a belt two blocks wide. On this the main thoroughfare of the city, are located many of the finest edifices ir the city, including the Grant. Parrott, Flood, "Call," "Examiner," and Monandoc buildings, the Pacific and Grand hotels and numerous wholesale houses. At the same time the commercial establishments and banks north of Market street were burning. The burning district in this section of the city extended from Swansom streets to the water front, and from Market street to Broadway. Fires also broke out in the Mission and the entire city seemed to be in flames. The flames, fanned by the rising breeze, swept down the main streets until within a few hundred feet of the ferry depot, the high tower of which stood at a dangerous angle. The big wholesale grocery establishment of Wheelman. Heck & Co.. was on fire from cellar to roof, and the heat was so oppressive that passengers from the ferry boats were obliged to keep close to the water's edge in order to get past the burning structure. It was impossible to reach the centre of the city from the bay without skirting the shore for a long distance so as to get entirely around the burning district. At S o'clock the Southern Pacific of? ficials refused to allow any more pas? sengers from trans-bay points to land and sent back those already on the boats. The ferry and train service of the Key route were entire!;?- abandon? ed owing to damage done to the pow? er house by the earthquake at Emery? ville. At 9 o'clock this morning 1,000 men from the Presidio r.rnved down town to patrol the city streets. The Thir? teenth infantry, l.OOO strong men. ar? rived from Angel Island a Kittie later and went on patrol duty. The soldiers have boen ordered to shoot down thieves caught in tho oct of robbins: the dead and to guard with th^-ir lives the millions of dollars worth of prop? erty which has been placed in the streets, that lt may escape the ravages of the flames. Th? first California artillery. 200 strong, two companies. h:is been de? tailed tu patrol duty on Ellis street. Two more companies are patrolling Broadway in the Italian section. The Ellis street contingent of guardsmen is under the command of Capt. < J. A. Grattan. Capt. William A. Miller is commanding the forces on Broadway. Mayor Schmitz, who has establisher} his ofiice at police headquarters, has named a committee nf safety, com? prising many prominent citizens. Mayor Schmitz sent out word to the bakeries and milk stations throughout the city that their supplies must be harbored for the homeless. T*>nts have been placed in evey park in the city, and those who have lost their homes will be given food and shelter. The prisoners confined in the city prison on the fifth floor of the Hall of Justice were transferred in irons to the basement of the structure. Later they were removed to the Broadway jail and if necessity arises they will be taken to a branch county jail on the Mission road. . Commissioner E. Myron Wolf an? nounced at noon that the 80-odd fire insurance companies interested had decided to pay dollar for dollar to every one insured with them. The companies will not discriminate be? tween fire and earthquake and every one insured will be paid to the ex? tent of the loss. Only two of the com? panies affected are Pacific Coast con? cerns, the others having prinicpal of? fices in the East or in Europe and all will stand the loss without danger of failure. One of the first orders isued by Chief of Poiice Dinan to day was one closing ev?.-y saloon in the city. This step is takari to prevent drink-crazed men from rioting in the city streets. Los Angeles, California, April 19. At least 2,000 lives were lost in the San Francisco earthquake and con? flagration which followed. The hospitals and improvised asy? lums are able with great difficulty to care for the injured, of whom hun? dreds have been treated. The panic stricken people, who have thus far escaped injury, are preparing to leave the city in large numbers. Flames ran along a path in a trian? gular circuit of the business sections. At night fall the fire had made its way over into the North Beach section and south along the shipping section down by Bay Shore, over the hills and across toward Third, and Townsend streets. The warehouses and manufacturing plants fell in its path. This completed the entire district known as South of Market street. How . far south the flames extended has not been told, as that part of the city is shut off from the city proper. After dark thousands of persons were making their way with blankets and scant provisions to Golden Gate Park for shelter. Those in their homes in May and Vail streets piled their household goods in the streets from where they were carted by trucks and automombiles to the outskirts of the city. Everybody in San Francisco who can is preparing to leave the city, be? lieving that the town will be totally destroyed. Down town everything is in ruins. Xot a. business house is left standing. Theatres have been crumbled and the j newspaper plants are useless. The loss will reach $150.000,000 or $200.000,000. but nothing definite will be known until a partial accounting can be made. On every side is death and suffer? ing. During the late afternoon three ghouls were shot by soldiers as they were at work in the ruins. Hundreds .?." buildings not destroyed by fire were biown down, but the gaps they made did not stop the mad rush of the fiery elements. The brave fire fighters are now working in reliefs, being com? pelled by their long battle with the dames to seek a badly needed rest. Ey.6 o'ciock all the city's big build? ings were gone. The fire then spread to the north and into the residence district, where it is leaping from build? ing to building in its mad rush of de? structor In city hall eve!y document of record was burned. The Mechanics ?avillion caught dre just as the last of the injured had been removed from it. Women fainted everywhere and the scenes enacted have made brave men weep. Weeping men were driven back ry the police, while their homes burn? ed before their eyes. $50.0000 For Relief. Special to The Daily Item. Xew York. April 19.-M. Guggen? heim & Sons, the copper magnates, this morning wired $50.000 to the Oakland bank, with instructions to place it at the disposal of the general fund for relief purposes. First Official Report. Special to The Daily Item. Washington. April 13.-The follow? ing is the first ollicial report the war department has had from General Funston: "We need thousands of tents and all the rations that can be sent. The business portion of the city is de? stroyed and thousands of people are homeless. The tire is still raging. The troops are all on duty assisting the peop'wr. The loss of life will probably reach a thousand. The best part of the resident district is not yet burned. Santa Rosa Wiped Out. Special to Tho Daily Item. Los Angeles, April 10.-Santa Rosa city has been destroyed. Ten thous? and people are homeless. The dead HOT TIME IN SENATE. HOPKINS OF ILLINOIS ARRAIGNS TILLMAN FOR ADVOCATING MOB LAW. Acrimonious Debate Grew Out of Till? man's Persistent Efforts to Force an Investigation of National Banks and Their Campaign Contributions. Washington, April 19.-The senate today passed a joint resolution ap? propriating $1,000,000 to be used in , affording relief to San Francisco suf? ferers; appropriated $4,000 to pay the expenses of bringing home the bodies of the Kearsarge victims; listened to an explanation of Mr. Bailey concern? ing the proceedings of yesterday's Democratic senatorial caucus; heard the first half of an exhaustive speech by Mr. LaFollette on the railroad rate bill and witnessed a decidedly sprited encounter between Mr. Tillman and Mr. Hopkins concerning the recent Chicago bank failure. Mr. Tillman read newspaper charges to the effect that the Illinois senator had used his official position to pre? vent punishment for violation of the banking law and Mr. Hopkins re? sponded by charging the South Car? olina senator with approving the lynching of negroes and with securing his election to the senate by suppress? ing the negro vote. He also declared that Mr. Tillman had changed the of? ficial vote in his last speech on the bank question, so to make it appear that he (Mr. Hopkins) had evaded a question, and to this Mr. Tillman re? sponded that he had done nothing of the kind. The colloquy at last be? came so bitter that it was necessary to call the senators to order. The climax came when Mr. Hop? kins said; "It is time that the country should know who this modern reformer is; who is he and where does he come from?" Replying he said that Mr. Tillman is from South Carolina, with a white population of 557.000 and a black population of 7S2.000. This being the case Mr. Tillman had been abie, he said, to get to the senate only by sup? pressing the colored vote-securing a majority by manipulation, which re? sults in depriving the majority of the people of the rights guaranteed to 'them by the constitution. He would ask the senator if he would deny that in a speech , made in 1900 he had said that he had done all that he could to keep the negroes from voting. "Why should I deny it?" responded Mr. Tillman promptly, "when I put it in The Record? 1 do not deny and I am willing to repeat it." Mr. Hopkins then charged his an? tagonist with favoring the lynching of negroes, quoting speeches made by the South Carolina senator a year ago in which reference was made to the burn? ing alive of negroes. "Think of a senator who can en? dorse such barbarities and atrocities talking about the violation of law. How is a matter of a little money to he compared with the taking of hu? man life?" Replying. Mr. Tillman said that he had never been in a court of law ex? cept as a spectartor but in that capac? ity he had noticed that when the law? yers had poor cases they indulged in all manner of abuse of their opponents. "Is he." he asked, referring to Mr. Hopkins, "the vice president of. the bonding company" "Let us have it-yes or no." went on the South Carolinian. Xo response. "I take the refusal to answer as a confession, as yu-oof positive that he is exerting his official position to promote the volation of the law." At the tops of their voices the two senators engaged in wrangling, one may reach into the hundreds. Xot a business building has been left stand? ing. May street is one line of charred ruins. The buildings which were not destroyed ty the earthquake were con? sumed by fire. The people fled to the hills and watched the destruction of the city. Washington, D. C.. April 20.---The war department al noon received the following dispatch from Gen. Funs ton: "The fire situation at 7 o'clock this morning is better. The rire has been stopped at Franklin st:eel. Hose is now being streached on Franklin and Broadway towart! Russian Hill and Telegraph Hill, lt is hoped to stop the tire on that line. 'South of Market street the fire nas passed to the west <.:" Nelores street, but north of Market the entire line is under control from about Filmore and Market. The region of the city west of this line and north of Market will probably he saved. "The weather continues fine. Sup? plies are arriving and the situation appears a little better than was an ticipated at midnight." talking on banks, the other on negroes until Mr. Aldrich fially called for the regular order, on the ground that nothing was before the senate and Mr. LaFollette was waiting to speak. The dispute was renewed and be? came even more heated. Mr. Tillman \ denied that he had said negroes had been cowed by lynching to prevent j them from going to the polls, but de~ ! dared that it was necessary in South Carolina, where the negroes have a majority of the population, to "destroy the brute who outrages a white wo? man in order for the white men to. gain protection for their wives and daughters." At the request of Mr. Gallinger th? truies of debate were read, and the vice president said it would be en froced. Before either of the combat? ants could reply, Mr. LaFollette began his speech on the rate bill. Ke attack? ed the over capitalization of ahe rail? roads and contended for the broadest construction of the right of congress to legislate for the control of the? roads. He said that the pending bill was defective in many important respects; took a position in support of the Bailey non-suspension amendment and an? nounced himself as opposed to a broad, court review of the findings of the in? terstate commerce commissian. During his speech the senate chanv? ber was practically deserted. A MILLION FOR RELIEF. Appropriation Rushed Through Con? gress and Made Immediately Avail? able for the Earthquake Sufferers, in San Francisco and Other Stricken California Towns. Washington, April 19.-The house today appripriated $1,000.000 for the sufferering and homeless in San Francisco and other California towns,, and gave the secretary of war, the secretaries of the treasury, navy and commerce power to ccpirrnte with the mayors of the stricken cities with the ve: y best results that might be ob? tained in affording relief. The reso? lution was hurried to the senate and later in the afternoon was returned with the announcement that the sen? ate had concuried in the action of the house. Speaker Cannon's signature was attached at once to the measure and it was rushed to the senate for the vice-president's signature and thence to the president to complete the legis? lation. . : New York ?Responds: ?J New York, April 19.-New York too? day spontaneously responded ao the ' appeal for help sent out on behalf of ' the sufferers in the California disaster.. More than $500.000 was subscribed, here today. Mayor McClellan tonight issued a proclamation appointing a representative committee of relief. The Pennsylvania and Erie railroads and Wells-Fargo company have offered" to ship supplies free cf charge. The Western Union Company will handle all relief messages at the compny's expense. Today's big subscription list was headed by John D. Rockefeller with av contribution of $100,000. The United Railway Investment company, through iti brokers, subscribed $75.000; A. M. Guggeheim Sons conaributed $50.000, the Carnegie Hero fund and * J. P^ Morgan & Co.. $25.000. Mrs. Herman Oelrichs. who lost so much property at San Francisco, is chairman of a committee of ladies ar? ranging for a benefit Saturday after loon and evening at the Hippodrome^ HOMICIDE IN COLUMBIA. Clarence Daniels Killed By William P. Little-Three Shots Took Effect. Columbia. April 20.-Clarence Dan? iels. formerly one of the extra men. ,with the street railway, wa? shot and instantly killed last night at 11:40/ o'clock by William P. Little, a con? ductor with the street railway. From the information gathered by the police and the coroner there has been a long standing difference be? tween the two mon and the shooting last night was the culmination of tho disagreement. The sheeting occurred just back of the ear barn at the cor ner of Mali) and Tabacco streets. Lit? tle used a 38-calibre piste! and shot three times. As soon a: pe?-'-?ble, ho surrendered to Officer Hedgepath at the anion station and was placed un? der arrest. D. A. TL OFFICERS. Vice IVrsidcnts Elected Fixum Georgia and Virginia. Washington. April 20.- Among the vice presidents general elected this morning by the Continental Congress of the Daughters of the American Revolution were: Mrs. Robert E. Park of Georgia and Mrs. A. E. Hen neberger of Virginia.