SAN
FRANCISCO EARTHQUAKE AND FIRE APRIL 18, 1906
ANTONE MARINOVICH: On April 18, 1906 early in the morning
at about 5:12 a.m., a strong earthquake hit San Francisco, California, for full
three minutes. The citizens were mostly in their beds when suddenly they felt
the terrible swinging and breaking of the walls. Many of them lost their
consciousness and died under the ruins, while the others ran in the nightgowns
out on the fields. The worst was for guests of big hotels located the most
beautiful and the most crowded part of that nice town.
Due
to the earthquake, the fire burst out in all parts of town and spread quickly.
The burning town could have been seen from the highest mountain peaks in San
Jose, which is twenty-five miles south from San Francisco. The fire spread
towards the coast where numerous warehouses with cereals and other merchandise
were situated. Market Street, Van Ness Avenue, Greenwich Street and all the
buildings at the seacoast were reduced to ashes. All the buildings in Bay and
Montgomery Avenue east from Hyde Street were burned down. The south part of
Market Street was also reduced to ashes, as well as the buildings north of
Market Street and those located at Guerrero and Dolores Street.
The
population of San Francisco before that fatal earthquake and fire was 450,000.
The citizens ran away during the fire, so about 200,000 homeless people found
their shelters in the Golden Gate Park, 6,000 in Presidio and several thousands
elsewhere. The number of dead was hard
to tell since there were no exact data, but it was estimated that several
thousands of people were killed.
Anton
Marinovich, the Croatian who at that time was in San Francisco, wrote about
that disaster the following: "There is still a state of siege. On April 29
I went to San Francisco from West Oakland together with Franjo Krstinich and I.
Matkovich. When we saw what a disaster the earthquake and the fire made, our
hearts broke of sadness. All we could see were ruins and dead bodies, carcasses
of horses, dogs and other animals. The town awfully stinks and it is not
possible to go around all parts of the town because of dust and smoke. The most
of people live and sleep in tents, on the streets and in the parks. Soldiers
keep order and peace day and night. In San Francisco there are now 100,000
persons. The clothes and food are given for free at many places. Once wealthy
families are seen with their children asking a piece of bread. The first three
days people were suffering from thirst and hunger, but that has been solved.
Our Croatian people were hit by a big distress. From 4,000 Croatians that lived
in San Francisco, only 200 remained today; about 1,000 found their shelters in
Oakland, Berkeley and vicinity, and the rest went to Los Angeles, Watsonville,
Angel Camp, Jackson, Sacramento and elsewhere. About 200 left for East and up
to 50 went back to their homeland. In Vermont Street live up to 200 Slovenians
and since there was no fire, almost everything is fine. Due to the big distress
and suffering, and having no place to sleep but together, four of our
countrymen got married. Could you imagine, getting married in these sad days!
This is to describe the disaster that happened to Croatian people. The
earthquake and fire destroyed the following: Dr. V. G. Vecki, office and home;
Dr. O. Kucich, office and home; grocery retail, Srezovich and Co., Ivankovich
and Co., Chuda and Co.; paper factory of $100,000 value owned by Stuparich
Brothers; metal factory Vranjican and Co; shoe and furniture shops J.
Dragicevich and V. Mirko; cooper's shop owned by Kucich Brothers; grocery shops
Pilkovich and Co., A. Cvietich; coffee shop Spiro Kucich; Croatian Church of
Nativity; shoe factory Tornich and Muzinich; bank office Turato-Marelja; fruit
factory and shop Braticevich and Co.; restaurant and two homes of M. Krezalja;
restaurant and home of N. Mortigia; restaurant and home of Mortigia Brothers;
restaurants of the following owners: Jakov Medo, Lutich and Bilafer, Bellin and
Skaramuca, P. Domacin, J. Bencich, Marovich Brothers, Santich and Kalasich, M.
Jerkovich, Ivan Sutich, J. Klecak, F. Krstelj, Krstinich and Kosulich, I.
Martincich, M. Ivanovich, S. Perkovich; brewery Svetinich and Radich, and
finally saloons owned by Susanj and Co., Petar Kocelj, T. Mihovilovich and many
others. It is estimated that the total
of 125 Croatian merchants are broke and about 30 remained more or less
damaged."
In
this situation the American Croatians helped Croatian people who were suffering
from the consequences of earthquake and fire in San Francisco, by collecting
donations for that purpose. The Croatian National Association also supported
with $1,000, sending this amount to Josip Mender, the treasurer of the
Committee for affected Croatians in San Francisco.
Anton
Marinovich 1906
ANTONE
KENTRA: "Watch
out for my mother," the mustachioed husband shouted, pulling his wife and
infant daughter from their four-poster bed. It was the morning of April 18,
1906, and the infamous San Francisco Earthquake had just broken their sleep
with an ominous roar, shaking and cracking of walls. A huge framed portrait of
his mother tumbled down from above their bed, the glass splintering where their
heads had been a fraction of a second before. They fled in their night clothes
to the street. These were Antone and Pere Kentra, the parents of Mary Kentra
Ericsson, and she tells their stories in her book "Ragusan Bride:
Dubrovnik to San Francisco," published by Ragusan press in Palo Alto.
Ericsson, who is 71 and lives in Pittsburg, was the fourth child of that
adventurous 20-year old woman who left Croatia for San Francisco, married a
fellow Croatian and settled down to start a family. Then came the fateful day
in 1906 when the earth shook and the clocks froze at 5:12 a.m. After the first
convulsions of the quake, they grabbed their baby out and fled, unable to save
any possessions. They ran past gaping holes in the street, fires from broken
gas lines and people moaning in the rubble. They sought open space, away from
the buildings that tumbled around them. Like many San Franciscans, they lived
in Golden Gate Park for about a week, sleeping on the ground and cooking on
makeshift stoves, waiting anxiously for word of missing relatives. Eventually,
all turned up safe.
Then they moved to the small country
village of Oakland, where they would live for the next 50 years. The young
mother had always wanted to live in Oakland, because the houses had room for
gardens, and life was more peaceful. Ericsson heard these stories from her
mother on the long evenings as they waited for the lamplight to flame the gas
streetlights. They rarely saw their father on week nights, because of his long
working hours in a San Francisco restaurant. "Those were the days before
unions," Ericsson remembers, "and he would leave at 6 in the morning
and not get home until 9 at night. Sometimes we'd take the ferryboat over to
see him at the restaurant, and he'd been working so hard, the perspiration just
poured off him." On weekends, Ericsson remembers, their home was filled
with Croatians, because her father could read and write. Illiterate immigrants
brought letters from home for him to read. Ericsson's mother took in boarders
and washed clothes to help support the family. After years of saving, the
family was able to buy a home at 1432 16th St. And in his later years, her father
and a partner owned their own restaurant, the Prosperity Grill on Seventh Street between Washington and Broadway.
The Dalmatians liked to make
home-brewed wine, Ericsson remembers, and some of the neighbors complained
because the mash attracted gnats. But for the most part, life was harmonious.
MINUTES OF THE SLAVONIC SOCIETY: Regular meeting of the Slavonic Illyric M.B. Society
held Friday evening, May 18, 1906, at, 4228- 18th Street, San Francisco
according to call of President and Secretary.
President
John Sambuk called meeting to order. Officers present: A. Vrankovich, V.P., G.
M. Santich, Tres., J. B.- Bilafer, Fin. Sect., J Vicin, Rec. Sect., and G.
Bencich, Director.
Members
present: G. Depolo, P. Grassi, A. Eterovich, J. Matulich, J. Morich, F. P.
Carevich, A. Sumich, R. Barasin, J. Rustan and M. Bilafer.
On
motion, reading of the minutes of previous meeting were dispensed with. The President then rose and stated that on
April 18, 1906 the hall in which the
Society
had always held meetings with all its contents had been destroyed by the great
fire, which also destroyed so many business houses and homes of the citizens of
San Francisco and of many members of this Society.
The
unsettled conditions of affairs which have driven so many people from the city
amongst which were so many members, had made it impossible to call a meeting
before, and until Fin. Sect. J. B. Bilafer had offered the hospitality of his
home. He was pleased to report that three bank books of the savings banks in
which the funds of the Society were deposited, were safe in his possession;
that the banks themselves were also safe and there was no loss to be expected
in that quarter. He then requested the officers to report on the property of
the Society. Brother Financial Secretary J. B. Bilafer reported that all books
and papers belonging to his office were safe. Brother Recording Secretary J.
Vicin reported that Book of the Minutes was safe, but all other books, the Seal
of the Society, papers and all old records were burned and destroyed. Adam S.
Eterovich