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Memories
I shall attempt in the following pages to give some recollections of my past life, interspersed with stories of my experiences and those of my parents. It will be in no sense an autobiography, but I shall try to observe chronological order in telling of events as they come to my mind. At best, however, it will be a rambling story. I am writing this exclusively for my immediate family, who I hope will be interested in what I have to say. A man who has lived as long as I have, has much to record. It is probably the experience of everybody, but I believe it is worth while to put down on paper some of the important periods of my life. Much of what I have to say is known to the members of my family, but a great deal of it is new. My motive in writing my story is to have my descendants know something about my life. I am in no sense the founder of my family. That credit goes to my good parents, for whom I have always cherished the greatest respect and reverence.
As everybody knows, the earthquake and fire which nearly destroyed all of San Francisco occurred on April 18, 1906. My wife and I had been at the Metropolitan Opera the night before, which was then located in an old building on Mission Street. If the earthquake had occurred a few hours
When the earthquake happened, at eighteen minutes after five in the morning on the 18th of April, we were sound asleep, and were awakened by the fiercest shaking and rumbling noises, that lasted continuously for nearly one minute. I can only compare the sensation to the feeling a rat must experience when it is being shaken by a dog. We sat up in bed and were aware of the seriousness of the shock. We ran back to the rear of the house where the children were sleeping, and got them up, during all of which time the house was shaking. I ordered everybody to get dressed, because I felt sure that if the house could stand the shock it had just received, we probably would be safe from any further shocks. We did get dressed, and had our breakfast in the house. Then we took some suitcases and filled them with canned goods, which we dragged up to Lafayette Square on Washington and Octavia, where a large crowd of people had assembled. This was right opposite the residence of my wife's parents. We stayed in the Square all day. There were constant earthquakes, too many to count. We walked about and talked to many people, some friends and others, who were in the Square. Among them I met Professor Davidson, the astronomer, whom I knew very well. He had previously told me that he had records of many severe earthquakes in California. I asked him whether this was one of the severe ones. He said that it was, but he had records of much more violent disturbances. Of course the big one in 1868 was probably as violent as the one of 1906, but there was very much less to be destroyed at that time. Professor Davidson told me that the severe earthquakes occur at certain stated intervals, and based upon that statement, the next big shake in San Francisco should occur about 1944. If measurements would be taken today, I have no doubt it would show
We could see the fires all over San Francisco. From where I stood in Lafayette Square I could see everything I owned in the world being burned up, principally The Emporium and the Hotel St. Francis. We had determined to camp out all night, and had taken blankets from the Hecht house with such idea in mind. At about one o'clock in the morning we could see the fire coming westward over Nob Hill, and coming very fast. We then feared that it might drive us into the Pacific Ocean. We held a meeting of our friends and relatives in the Square, and determined that we would not wait for the fire to approach nearer to us. We sent a delegation of young men down to Fisherman's Wharf with instructions to hire any kind of a boat to take us over to Sausalito. They engaged a fisherman's launch, and paid $100 for ferrying us across to Sausalito. For fear that the owner of the launch would double-cross us, several of the men who had guns stayed behind, and we were notified that we were to move down to the wharf. It was a motley crowd of women and children, and particularly my father-in-law, who had had a stroke and was paralyzed on the right side. It was in the early days of the automobile, and in our party there were only two. We piled the women and children and Mr. Hecht into the automobiles, and the rest of us walked down to Fisherman's Wharf. It was a sad sight, but most interesting as I look back on it. When we got down to the wharf it was low tide. All of us were able to climb down the ladder into the launch, but we had to tie Mr. Hecht into a bundle and lower him with ropes. There must have been about twenty of us in the boat. We left the wharf at about three in the morning, and as we looked back we could see the city as a seething cauldron. Alcatraz, being built on solid rock, didn't even know there was an earthquake. As it turned out afterwards, we would have been perfectly safe to remain at Lafayette Square, because
We arrived at Sausalito in the early dawn, too early to take the train for San Rafael, to which place we intended to go. We got away on the first train and went to the Hotel Rafael. It was too early in the season for the hotel to be regularly opened, but we managed to get along. We had no service of any kind, and not sufficient food, but nobody complained. We stayed there four or five days before our particular family moved up to our home in San Rafael. The manager rendered me a bill in which he charged me full summer rates, although we had had, as I said before, no service of any kind. I refused to pay the bill, and told him that he had a nerve to charge us for services which we didn't receive, and that he was taking advantage of the emergency. He threatened to sue me if I didn't pay the bill. I told him I would give him $50 if he would sue me, as I would like to show him up. I also said that if he would render me a proper bill I would pay it. It was not until a year afterwards that I paid the bill, for about half the original amount, and the case was settled.
We moved up to our house in San Rafael, and found on arriving that it was occupied by some of our friends, who had preceded us. We had to order them out, and I won't mention the names of these people, but they weren't altogether pleased with our peremptory order. We occupied the lower cottage, where we remained for one year. I came to San Francisco every day and went up to our old home on Washington Street, where we continued to
All the chimneys in San Francisco were destroyed, and it was unsafe, in fact prohibited, to build fires in the houses, so that you could see any day laundry stoves in the middle of the street, where food was being cooked. We also did this, and anybody was invited to eat his meals with us. At that time we had a Chinese cook named Chin, whom we had left behind after the fire. He cooked all our meals, and as I said, we would have as many as eight or ten strangers to lunch every day. Water was almost impossible to obtain, as most of the mains had been broken. We had collected a little water in some of the bathtubs, but somebody thought he would like to take a bath, and used the water for that purpose, so that we were deprived of water for quite a while. There were places, however, where you could go with a bucket and get the necessary water for cooking and drinking, but it was quite a job at that. At that time breadlines were established in San Francisco, and I stood in a breadline many a day to get my allotment of food.
The city was placed under martial law at once, and shortly afterwards a Committee of Safety, consisting of one hundred persons, was appointed by the Mayor. I was one of the Committee and still have my nickel badge. This committee was to govern the city and prepare the necessary regulations, and legislation for the special session of the Legislature which was called.
There never was a more wonderful example of generosity than was displayed after the fire. Of course all our books of account were destroyed, and we didn't know who owed us money and whom we owed. We received dozens of letters from clients who said that they owed us money, and enclosed their checks. Also several corporations sent us in three years' retainer in advance. The West Publishing Company, the publishers of law books in Minneapolis, sent every reputable attorney a full set of law books and told him he could pay for them when he was able.
Immediately after the fire a bank holiday was declared, which lasted for many months, during which time you were not obliged to pay for anything you bought nor pay any debts. A day or two before the fire, my nephew, Harold Mack, was on his way East. He heard of the fire and earth-quake when he reached Ogden. He immediately sent a cable to my mother, who was then in Paris, saying that all the family were safe and over in San Rafael. He didn't know anything about it, but made a good guess, and my mother was one of the first persons in Paris to receive reassuring news, because all sorts of statements were published exaggerating the disaster, some stating that a tidal wave had swallowed up San Francisco. Harold then went on to Chicago and cashed a check for $2000 in gold, and immediately returned to San Francisco. He distributed this money to the various members of the family, and I remember carrying $100 in gold in my pocket for a whole year without the necessity of paying out a cent. That was certainly a marvelous thing for a young lad to do, and showed great self-possession, initiative and intelligence on Harold's part.
One day when I was walking in San Rafael, I met Judge Morrow, who at that time was our Representative in Congress. He was asking Congress for an appropriation to help out San Francisco, and as an illustration of the
There were many interesting incidents that happened at that time in connection with the fire. Many people lost their heads, and in evacuating their homes would drag along the most unnecessary things and leave important ones behind. I saw people carrying canaries and parrots, and other useless articles.
It was shortly afterwards that Larry Harris wrote that wonderful poem, "The Damndest Finest Ruins," of which he gave me an original signed copy. I don't know where that is today, but recently he gave me another signed copy, and I want to include the poem in these Memories.
After Kipling's On The Road to Mandalay
(SIGNED) L. W. HARRIS
Put me somewhere west of East Street where there's nothin' left but dust, Where the lads are all a hustlin' and where everything's gone bust, Where the buildin's that are standin' sort of blink and blindly stare At the damndest finest ruins ever gazed on anywhere.
Bully ruins - bricks and wall - through the night I've heard you call Sort of sorry for each other cause you had to burn and fall. From the Ferries to Van Ness you're a God-forsaken mess, But the damndest finest ruins - nothin' more or nothin' less.
The strangers who come rubberin' and a huntin' souvenirs, The fools they try to tell us it will take a million years Before we can get started, so why don't we come and live And build our homes and factories upon land they've got to give.
"Got to give"! why, on my soul, I would rather bore a hole And live right in the ashes than even move to Oakland's mole, If they'd all give me my pick of their buildin's proud and slick In the damndest finest ruins still I'd rather be a brick!
To: MARK L. GERSTLE, who used to drive the stage between San Francisco and Oakland before they put the bay in.
I was in charge of a great many of the insurance settlements following the fire. Most of the insurance companies had a clause which relieved them from liability in case property was destroyed by earthquake. I represented The Emporium in its insurance settlement, and one of the first questions raised by the insurance companies was that the dome of The Emporium had fallen during the earthquake and that therefore the insurance companies were not liable for loss. Fortunately I was able to secure a photograph which was taken after the earthquake and before The Emporium was partially destroyed by fire. This photograph showed the dome intact, and I was able to collect 96% of the insurance loss of The Emporium.
Shortly before the fire a new fire insurance company was started in San Francisco called the California Insurance Company, of which I was attorney and director. Most of the stockholders were San Francisco men. The insurance company had not been in existence more than a year or so before the fire and therefore had had no opportunity of creating a surplus. However, it paid its losses in full, and in so doing was one of the outstanding companies of the world on this occasion. We did this by levying eight 100% assessments on our stockholders, who, as I said were mostly San Francisco men and had suffered heavy losses in other enterprises. Under the law the board of directors could levy an assessment and either sell out delinquent stockholders, or by vote of the directors hold them responsible for the amount of the assessment. We chose the latter course, and at intervals of sixty days levied 100% assessments. We did this eight times and 98% of the stockholders paid in full, which is a remarkable record considering all the circumstances. Shortly after the assessments were levied I sold out my stock at a big loss, after paying the above assessments. The company was subsequently absorbed by the London Lancashire Company.
Courtesy of The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720-6000; http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/
http://content.cdlib.org/view?docId=hb4j49n9wb&brand=oac4
Title: Excerpt from: Mark Lewis Gerstle memories 1943 [chapter]
By: Gerstle, Mark Lewis
Contributing Institution: The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720-6000; http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/
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