How San Jose Fared by s.

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Mountain View, California · Jun 27, 1906

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 32, No. 25.

How San Jose Fared

By s.

The city of San Jose, like so many of its sister cities in California, was compelled to make obeisance to the perverted powers of nature on April 18.

San Jose is known throughout the country as the Garden City of California—beautifully situated, practically every residence a flower garden, well supplied with buildings artistically constructed, and seemingly strong to resist any ordinary manifestation of nature's forces.

In twenty-eight seconds the best that men could do was leveled with the ground or stood tottering like reeling inebriates.

First Street, the finest street of San Jose, lined on both sides with substantial and wealthy business enterprises, was left a trembling wreck from end to end. No single structure in all that stretch of brick and steel and stone buildings was without its mark of devastation. Some that appeared to have weathered the upheaval in a fair degree, on closer inspection have been condemned to be torn down piece by piece. Massive stone-pillared fronts were shattered and seamed, their very seeming massiveness only accentuating their treacherous weakness, and making man's strength and man's ingenuity appear frailer and less dependable by comparison with the elements that were pitted against him.

Another Scene of Earthquake Wreckage on Golden Gate Avenue, San Francisco.

Added to the enormous expense of building is the great expense of unbuilding what nature seemed content to leave standing. Practically the whole of the business portion of First Street comes down, or requires vast outlays of means to put the structures in their former condition.

But First Street did not suffer alone. Everywhere the writer found the striking evidences of the fearful temblor.

There is an effort on the part of many in this city to minify, rather than magnify, the results of the earthquake. It is firmly believed that there were many more lives lost than have been reported. Nineteen are admitted to have perished in this city. Some declare the number to be double that. We saw buildings whose whole tops were crushed in by bricks and stones from the tops of other buildings. The sidewalks were broken, dented, or shattered in front of many buildings by the great stones that were thrown down from the higher structures, in a veritable bombardment. Look where you would, it was but broken stones, shivered timbers, plaster, heaps of brick, twisted iron frames, and tangled wires.

San Jose also had her fire, but it is not to be compared with San Francisco's visitation. It seemed for some hours, however, to threaten the destruction of the business district. Two large buildings, covering about a third of a large block, were completely destroyed; but the fire was held within that block, as San Jose's water system was not injured by the earthquake.

In various parts of town, residences were set off from their foundations, some of them crushed or driven back upon their haunches, with porches torn off or tilted at dangerous angles, the buildings propped and braced to prevent serious accidents while they are being torn down.

Imagine a hale, strong man, smitten in death while still standing, and propped up that he might present an appearance of life. Such is but a weak representation of how San Jose impresses the one who once looked upon what it was and now sees it as it is.

The financial loss is now placed at $3,000,000. It is impossible to conceive how it could be rebuilt as it was for any smaller amount.

The work of clearing away the débris, strengthening the less seriously injured buildings, and rebuilding the structures that collapsed, is a task that will keep San Jose busy for months to come. She is busy now—very busy; and yet, in many places the task seems barely touched. The ruins of a few large buildings have been completely removed; many remain just as they were left when the quaking ceased; a large number are braced in at least two directions, and business continues to be transacted in them; while in all parts of town demolition and reconstruction are going on at the same time. In some of the buildings, like the Hall of Records, the great cracks are widening, and the small ones are more manifest than they were immediately after the earthquake. But San Jose is rebuilding with magnificent courage. s.