orders:

San Francisco, May 4, 1906.
To All Civic and Military Authorities:

Permit the bearer, Mr. J. B. Stetson, to visit the premises, 123
California, and get safe.

J. F. Dinan,
Chief of Police.
May 4, 1906.

Permit Mr. Stetson, No. 123 California Street, to open safe and remove
contents.

J. M. Stafford,
Major 20th Infantry, U. S. A.

So, with this permit, authority or protection, or whatever it may be
called, I found my safe in the ruins and everything in it that was
inflammable burned to a coal; one of the twenty-dollar gold pieces
before mentioned was saved.

During the afternoon of the 18th and until 3 o'clock P. M. of the 19th
the scraping sound of dragging trunks on the sidewalks was continual.
All sorts of methods for conveying valuables were resorted to, - chairs
on casters, baby carriages, wheelbarrows, - but the trunk-dragging was
the most common. It was almost impossible to get a wagon of any kind.
The object of the people was to get to the vacant lots at North Beach
and to the Presidio grounds.