The Oregon statesman. (Salem, Or.) 1916-1980, April 15, 1956, Image 13

The Oregon statesman., April 15, 1956, Page 13, Image 13

Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR

About The Oregon statesman. (Salem, Or.) 1916-1980 | View Entire Issue (April 15, 1956)

Prev Page of 28 Next Prev Issue Next Text PDF JP2 (3.9 MB) Clip/Print Image

Return to Top

Prev Page of 28 Next Prev Issue Next

Newspaper Page TextStatesman, Salem, Ore., Sun., April 13, '53 (Sec. II)-13 50: Years Ago Disaster Shook San Francisco; Menace Still Remaino (Editor's note: It kit been St years bow finrc an earthquake brought down San Francis ee th greatest caUitrophc ever ta kit an Ameriran eity. Could it happen again? Here's . hat the eipert say, aloof with the story ( a disaster which left statistics that remain lm presslT ta the slay t the H kornh.) SAN FRANCISCO -CatiIor-nia is sitting right on top of a de structive earthquake, just waiting for it to happen. When? The experts have no Idea. Where? There are a couple of likely spots, but no seismologist will hazard mora than a guess. Why? Because no one can an ticipate the deadly San Andreas Fault line, which cuts a path of potential catastrophe almost the length of California, from south of the Oregon border into Mexi co. Pressures built up far below the surface push against this crack in the earth's crust The U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey has found that the coastal, or western, side of the fault moves 20 inches northward every 10 years, in relation to the conti nental, or eastern, side. There is an almost constant rubbing and grinding action.. Shock Sensation As the earth of the fault line crunches, shock waves are trans mitted outward in every direc tion. Take two files and rub them together. The tingling sensation that runs up your arms is sim ilar to earthquake shock waves. Some shock waves are so weak they can be detected only with delicate seismographs. Others are strong enough to rattle dishes in the cupboard and start light fixtures swaying. Californians 'long ago learned to live with such disturbances. Dwarfs Explosions Occasionally there is a major slip, ' and "the ground heaves with a force so great it dwarfs the greatest man-made explo sions. It was like that 90 years ago, at 5:12 a.m., Tuesday, April 18, 1906. It came without a whisper of warning. One moment the city of San Francisco was asleep, serene and silent. Here and there a light flickered on as early risers rolled sleepily out of bed. The next moment the earth buckled and rolled. Buildings shuddered, and toppled to the vrnunri Ktrpeta wr fillri with debris, and cowebbed with twisted straids of dangling wires, Uneasy Rest Twice again before fi a.m. there were violent jars, then the earth . settled back to an uneasy rest. That quake, with the fire that followed, was the greatest catas trophe ever to hit an American city. ' People poured Into the streets, appauea at me destruction, mey didnt' know then that the greatest damage was beneath them, silent and unseen. There, below the streets and sidewalks, water mains had cracked and burst. , Here a kerosene stove toppled over and flames raced across a floor. There a wall crumbled and live wires crossed, sending out a shower of sparks that ignited a pile of papers. Many Small Fire All over the city, dozens of mall fires broke out. Firemen raced to the rescue then watched in horror as pres sure died and streams of water turned to trickles. For three days and nights the fire raged until firemen, police, soldiers and volunteers blasted away rows of buildings to create a protective belt of vacant lots. Even in these days of H-bombs the statistics are impressive: More than 60,000 buildings de stroyed, 265,000 of the city's 360, 000 inhabitants made homeless, 2,953 acres of ruins totaling 490 City blocks, property damage of 350 million dollars in an era of 5-cent beer and 8-cent prime beef. 200-Mile Stretch That was just the San Francis co part of it. The quake hit along 200-mile stretch of the Andreas fault. At least 700 persons were killed in or because of the quake. No Village of city along the line es caped. Palo Alto had three mil lion dollars in damage, Salinas two million, Santa Rosa a mil lion, Redwood City 1700,000, San Mateo $500,000. Sixty miles north of San Fran cisco giant redwood trees which : had been standing since the time of Christ snapped and crashed to the earth. Walls were still toppling when ' San Francisco officials jumped into action. Fire Chief Killed - The mayor, police chief and police commission gathered at the Hall of Justice. Fire Chief Denny Sullivan didn't report He lay fatally injured beneath the mass of brick and mortar that had once been the California ho tel The commissions' first official act was to close every saloon and smash liquor bottles In stores. Within minutes, fully armed troopswere-.en-rQUte.from.Jhe Army's Presidio nearby, to the stricken downtown area. The mayor's first proclamation declared, "Troops and police are authorized to kill on sight any person or persons caught loot ing." The next day 14 men were shot down while trying to loot the San Francisco Mint, and 14 sol diers were strung up for looting a saloon. News of the dissster spread quickly, despite ruptured com munications lines. Trains Offered Railways offered tree transpor tation to any who wanted to leave the city. Refugees fled, taking with them a few possesions and lome highly exaggerated tales. One told a Mexico City news paper: "There are an estimated : like hordes of fright-crazed' ani-1 Families gathered what belong, t bay, dumping pitiful refugees at ! "Considered as a disturbance of strayed San Francisco, but it was quake every recorded Tioc in The rrjost recent were In 'lSt' ' 25,000 to 30.000 dead. The city mals."- , lings they could carry and fled, the, .Oakland docks and hurrying the earth's crust, the quake was thT quake thai triggered the dis-! 1950. j when tremors in the Tehachani cannot be rebuilt for 40 years. A Los Angeles newspaper quoted an eyewitness as saying, "Mobs were screaming in the streets There actually was little panic. Mothers were aeparatedJrotti back for more, But there was heartbreak, and their children, husbands from despair, and fatigue of the body 'wives. - - and soul. Ferry boats criss-crossed the positively itfsigiufieant" Fire, Quake Left City Hall an Empty Shell i if? T . ft I'm i i J J Ja r, .r I k n i t i I f 1 lit A vast refugee camp was es tablished in the Presidio, another in Golden Gate Park (18 babies were born in the park April 22). Governor Pardee proclaimed a legal holiday every day from April 19 through June 2, thus averting a run on the city's 48 banks. The bankers, who had agreed that none should open until they all could, asserted that vaults . had survived the flames. But it was weeks belore they were proved right. May Have Beea Mere In San Francisco the official casualty list numbered 452 dead, 1,500 injured. The actual death toll may well have numbered hundreds more. San Francisco was a bustling city,-thronged with transients from all over the world. It is probsbly that many died in the ruins and were never found. But life went on, too.' Accord ing to the Examiner, "Women driven from their homes and left destitute have appealed to the men to whom they were engaged, and immediate marriages have been effected." And there was the story of Thomas W. Billlngsley and Anne Kernerlober: "They , had n o thoughts of marriage, but they found themselves homeless and destitute with just $1.20 between them. So they were married, in the midst of the ruins." Amid all the horror, there were a few stories that later were .good for laughs. taxes Vesuvius Old timers tell of Enrico Ca ruso, who sang in the opera "Car men" the night before th quake. The next day he was seen and heard trudging up Nob Hill with a heavy suitcase, shouting: "Give me my Vesuvius." One news paper observed: "If all the peo ple who said they sheltered Caruso that day were laid end to end, doused with gasoline and set afire, it would be a good thing." I Young John Barry more was tumbled from bed by the shock, and went to Union Square to see what was going on. Federal troops soon had him on a work detail. Actor John Drew, his uncle, later remarked: "It took an act of God to get him out of bed, and the U S, Army to put him to work." 'did In Ton Hit ' The fire-ravaged cupola of the San Franelsce eltv hall standi starkly against the sky following thei , Thomas A Brooks now eitv ad catastrophic earthquake and conflagration which strack the Bay City on April 18, 1908. While the mifX4 h n reTollection cupola refused to eolU.se, remainder of the structure was reduced ta ruin and rubble as were u r,,u" ?ZJ ii numerous other public buildings la the city. This and ether photos this pace were loaned to .u . J, . u. ! The Statesman by Joha Freeborn, 1611 N. Church St, and were taken by a slater, Nelly Freeborn, " , 3 rfrert oniv in n Osborne, Kansas, wh. was San Francisco at the time of the ,.ke. ' ' . 'J man was carrying just one item an oil painting of himself, ful ly clothed. ' - As the story of the quake and fire spread across the nation, cash donations and relief ship ments started rolling to the strick en city. Philadelphia sent more aster. And it was a big quake. In the vast SO years. California and Bakersfield areas kiliM 11 Big Earthquake i It has been rated at 8 25 on has had six major quakes, eaus- and caused 120 million in dam They were only partly right. It the Richter Scale, which runs ing upward of 1,000 deaths and sges. Others were in Santa Bar was primarily the fire that de-iup to 8 8 for the heaviest earth-j damage at Long Beach in 1933. jbara, 1925, and the Imperial VaV Quake Toppled House Against Its Neighbor jM .. m imm "fw aw pur -ia "" n' 1 "'W - I-5 i .... ' r ,, -"-mm X V illi I t ' 5 O, I 'V i1: i 4 I ill These picturesque residences escaped flamea that followed the great San Franclsc earthquake, but the one In center wat shaken erf its foundations fey the tremendous earth jolts and had the appear nee of the Leaning Tower ( Pisa. A reaideat potts in the doorway while aoabtleu specalatlag about the cost of renoauoas. mm!,.mr:'mmtvmn f iminiiiini iiiui ui ni.n.iui w i,m n , m mt i urn nui no i-.hh.m8i,iwi f US iT Salem Answered Bay City Quake With Generous Relief Campaign By THOMAS G. WRIGHT JR. Staff Writer, The Statesman Shock waves from the San Fran cisco earthquake and fire quickly reached the heartstrings of Salem area residents fifty years ago this week, launching a generous cam paign of relief. ' Salem newspapers In the days following the disaster were full of telegraph stories from the scene, and of the concerted effort by mid- Willamette Valley folks to help their, stricken southern neighbors. While the newspaper accounts dwelt heavily on the death and desolation in San Francisco itself, the damage caused in other towns of the area seemed proportionately severe. " A double line eight - column banner in the Oregon Statesman of April 19, 1906 read EARTH ' than Stno nnn- Jefferson. - lnd.. I ' ' " ? .'jn "i - r- T I San Francisco. This plea paid I offa former Salem woman, who was!sent 75 000 biankets; Oregon sent I i " v' ' ' ' ' VJ-.'-V- ) -V ' C he following day when 10,000 a guest at San Franciscors Palace, triinloads o( food; Lo, An- ,. A ' ' - ' I .. ' loaves were placed aboartf a South- Hotel when the earthquake struck, scie. set a freight cars of i I i ' " ' . - , , v , 1 j ern Pacific relief train which also gave a graphic account of her ex- od mncra, water and medi. N.;' V?1-"" ; KU"?f'$J:' I 7j oamed a carload of potatoes and Denences in a letter lo her brother.! . , , . r J IT n. i A -v- '. - - t . 1,.J a carload of flour 'from Salem ! Albert Tozier in Salem. She told TUmBVnt Tfreight c r ? I J X " , ' ' - " ''" donations. I of being buried under plaster by $12J, Boston ent ireigM car . I - V JU ; , j , .. Hi tt II Within a week some $7,000 had been raised, the Statesman point ing out much of it coming "from the poor people." Additional car loads of foodstuffs were readied with the people of the Pratum, Shaw, Aurora, Jefferson and Hub bard each filling up a boxcar with potatoes, bacon, flour, etc. A few days after the tragedy the people of Salem responded to a new plea for help, this time to feed hundreds of refugees from me ruins wno were oeing trans ported north by railroad. The wo men of Salem turned out with buns, boiled eggs, milk and coffee to OITAKE AMD FIRE SPREADS DESOLATION IN SAN FRAN- fed two train loads one Sunday CISCO." The entire front page ofi'v"1"" nd fed another a couple the edition, as was the one of the following day, was devoted to stories of the disaster. j Included that first day was a two column box appeal for citizens to meet the following morning to organize a campaign of relief for the earthquake and fire victims. The meetina was called by Mavor San F. W. Waters and F. N. Derby, president of the Balem Commer cial Club and launched a two-week drive for money, food and clothing to be sent to the bay area. Asked to Bake Bread , Major effort in the relief was a telephone campaign to Salem wo men urging them to bake as much bread as possible for shipment to . t :, i . I - I . 1 J riiT.. .h hnU tZnt. "li1 Around the world they wrote & rin. . venl,, ! fnt Zl the obituary of a beautiful city hours, fearing to venture into the m tney Vrote too Joon. Like One newspaper report listed - myt!lici? 0tnr several Salem people as safe and"'"' ron frm h" unhurt in San Francisco. It in-i"""- Only nine years after the eluded L. A. Mattrews,C. J.PughJuak "d '" w" h,osl,, Charles L. Parrlsh, S. A. Matthews the world it the Pan-Pacific In and wife, Maybelle Spalding, Uwis ternational Exposition. S rauss and w fe. Sv van Strauss vu.c-ncwi All that remained of Saa Francisco's YMCA building (above) after the 1901 quake and conflagration was charred, broken walls. Masses of brick shaken loose by the earth Jolts can be teen piled in front of the structure. Few were the business and public buildings which escaped damage In the catastrophe and death toll was placed at 452 persons. Damage ran to f J58 million. ley, 1940. Californians know that the San Andreas Fault does not rest easy for long. To the experts, thui much seems certain: Another big earthquake is due. sooner or later. Time Vnknown Dr. Charles Richter of Califor nia Institute of Technology says seismologists would need accu rate records for a thousand year before attempting to predict earthquakes with even partial ad curacy. He feel California may go iv years or more without a Saa Andreas quake but one cculd come tomorrow. It is his personal belief that the most likely place for the next big quake is In the area of Fort Tejon, on the ridge between Bakersfield and Los Angelea, This is because there has beea no movement of consequence in that area since i treat tremor ia 1857. Dr Hugo Benloff; another CaV , etch expert, told a recent meet ing of the National Academy of Science that he bellevee the next big San Andreas quake will be between Saa Luis Obispo and saa Benito counties. This is a long stretch of the fault line which was not disturbed in either 1857 or 1908. Referring to this section, Benioff told newsmen, "I'm surprised it hasn't happened already." , Californians don't worry about the next big earthquake. It may not come in their lifetimes, or if It does, it nay spend iu vast fury, ia the sparsley inhabited desert or mountains. The threat Is always there, but it'i too ia definite to be really worrisome. What tan you do about aa earthquake anyway, but alt end wait for It to happen? Autry Denies, Helping Delay Support Pay LOS ANGELES UrWCene Autry has denied the claim of his mu sical director's estranged wife that ' the cowboy actor was helping her husband delay support payments. An attorney for Mrs. Cart Coi ner told a Judge Friday th hT husband was under court order to . pay $500 a month temporary sup port to her and their 4-year-old emw penouif trial of fter oivorce- suii. The attorney claimed Cotner mid received M.000 In the past four months but because it was paid as salary advance Mrs. Cotner had been unable to attach it. Autry testified he had glvea hia musical director an advance and " had signed a $2,500 note for him. "He said his rather wai dying and he needed the money for a trip to see him and for funeral . expenses," the actor explained. ' '. It was stipulated that, to satisfy' possible future court orders. Autry ' will withhold SO per cent of any salaries due Cotner until the di vorce suit li tried. and wife and Martin E. Meyer. Two weeks after the. earthquake reports, the Statesman carried Radioactivity Spots Tools In Aircraft of days later. At this stage a new plea was heard, this time for clothing and Salem citizens got busy sewing and providing clothes for the stricken Californians. Interwoven in the stories of the scene and relief were the reports of anxiety by Salem area persons who had relatives and friends in the bay area at the time. Com- munications. was slow and several days passed before reports filtered to the area of the fate of these, but two weeks after the tragic day all Salem area citizens had ap parently been safely accounted for. Graphic Account Mrs. Edyth Tozier Weatherred, And she built well. Her mod ern buildings are designed to withstand quakes. Her under- stories of plans for rebuilding the i fr.-nd water pipes have flexible shattered cities;, the headlines J"" " ui uui shifted to a manhunt for "Killer" , break. She has developed one of Smith who left one Oregon City the world's most efficient fire and two Woodburn police officers ' departments, and has nearly 10 dead on his trail of violence; Sa- million gallons of water stored lem housewives returned to bak-in 150 underground cisterns at ing bread for their own families: I key spots around the city. and another topic of barbershop' For 50 years San Franciscans aircraft during pro-flight inspec conversation was the nomination have insisted: "It wasn't the tion. of Democrat George Chamberlain quake, it was the fire." And a A McDonnell spokesman said for governor. . seismological expert at the time, I insuring removal of all rivet buck- 6T. LOUIS -McDonnell Air craft Corp. reported Saturday it has found a way through radio active materials to combat an industry-wide problem of Insuring removal of small tools from new planes before flight. The firm said its industrial en gineering department devised a method of imbedding a small radio active source in the body of each tool so it csn be located in the Ing bars and small tools from air craft and sub-assemblies prior to flight has "long been a subject of serious concern throughout the en tire aircraft industry." - McDonnell reported the proper amount of shielding is provided to make the activated tools safe for workers and yet permits enough radioactivity so scintillation coun ters can detect the misplaced items. About 48 per cent of U.S. non farm people over u years old ewa their own homes. MSBNiaamaiiiiaiNiaaNiaawa Take A Tip (torn 1 If a tool breaks at the point ...1 - ,L. . I. lKAAA W HITS lltC HIUIVV IIUWVjuvm, .- I f f - Donncll said the container can be TERRY MOORB easily located ana disposed oi without contact contamination oil the surrounding area. Maximum doses of radiation to which workers are exposed, Mc Donnell said, are "well within the established tolerance limits estab lished by the Atomic Energy Commission." OPEN MONDAY AND FRIDAY 12:13 TO 9 P. M. OTHER DAYS 9:30 A. M. TO 5:30 P. M. MEIER & FRANK'S-SALEM watch face - 2.25 refihishing special! this week only J Reg. $3.95 Our watch face refinishing experts will renew the faded face of your watch, and bring back its original beauty. Or, choose a modern style at this low price. WATCH REPAIR - MEZZANINE V -n (!.?. -Vi,f'i.l :i-TT J 1 1 1 r-,,m " -i 1 ' f , ' -'-JL- ill lr y I ill I .13 r Ml J-'jf 1 ' I I t- -'iiataxa f i tYww. -. "! . Hi : r- .j!btfewttfytitinre - f'jj.- . J b f r I' M Virgil T. Golden Serving Salem and Vicinity as Funeral Directors for 25 Years Convenient I o c a 1 1 o rtS. Commercial Street on a bus lino direct route to cem eteries no cross traffic to hinder sorvi cos Salem's most modern funeral home with seating capacity for 300. Services within your means, always. , Virgil T. Golden Co. J TV ri Grace S. Golden 60S S. Commercial' St. FUNERAL SERVICI Phone 4 2257 "BUY s you RENT" SPECIAL RENTAL-PURCHASE SALE For a limited time you con rent a NEW PORTABLE TYPEWRITER of o speciol rote of 3 months for $9.00 (or $3.50 o month). You may opply up to MONTHS' RENT -ON PURCHASE Just think! A brond new machine for as little as $3 00 a month. This is a SPECIAL offer and will be with drawn without notice. Better get yours now. Take your choice: Remingtons,. Royals, Underwoods, Smith Coronas, Olympics, Olivettis. El HDT' 456 COURT ST. Teasr Moots, vivacious lOih Cm-tury-Foi Star now tntiing ia KKO relrsu "ftnmitk ftt 0" You too will find a Thrifd Check personal checking ac count smart and practical. ThriftiCheck is smart -because it helps organiw Tout financial affairs. Cancelled checks prove payments made. ThriftiCheck is practical because it costs so little. Your name imprinted on each check ThriftiCheck is America'! most popular checking account service. w, taKe a ftcipiut tip irvnn Terry Moore open a ntUC:cc& MCtnunt I nidi at THE COMMERCIAL BANK - of Salem Churth and Chomekota St. Member Federal Deooslt 1 Insurance Corporation mum: &fahkkm-:'m&ri'$ii& tsowaeftotayefcweek j&ni;iMm.