During the day of Wednesday, April 18th, I saw some of the damage done
by the earthquake. The loss to the California-Street cable railroad was
the upper portion of the chimney. I had my lunch at the Pacific Union
Club, corner of Post and Stockton Streets, and noted that building was
damaged but very little; only some few pieces of plastering fell. The
Call Building gave no evidence on the outside. The Commercial Block, in
which my office was located, did not show any damage. The door leading
into my office would not open, but the next one did. My house shows a
few cracks. The tops of the chimneys on my house were thrown off, and
the kitchen chimney had to be rebuilt. But the great loss, the great
calamity, was the fire. After that had raged for three days the havoc
was fearful to see. For miles and miles there was not a remnant of
anything inflammable remaining, - nothing but brick, stone, broken
crockery, iron and telegraph poles. In the general appearance it
resembles the country where a forest fire has swept, the chimneys and
unburned telephone poles representing the standing trunks of trees. The
loss of life is probably nearly 450. Many earthquake shocks were felt
during the three days of the calamity, and for as much as two months we
felt gentle reminders.

The soldiers lacked good sense and judgment, or perhaps it may have been
that some incompetent officers gave senseless orders, - for instance,
the people occupying the stores on Polk Street, between Clay and
Pacific, and the apartments above, were driven out at 8 A. M. of
Thursday, and not permitted to re-enter. As the fire did not reach this
locality until about 4 P. M., there was abundant time to save many
valuable articles which were by this imbecile order lost. Why this was
done, I did not at the time, nor have I since been able to understand.

Being busy in the work of restoration, I forget what a terrible calamity