The Project Gutenberg eBook of Complete Story of the San Francisco Horror
Title: Complete Story of the San Francisco Horror
Author: Richard Linthicum
Samuel Fallows
Trumbull White
Release date: August 21, 2008 [eBook #26380]
Most recently updated: January 4, 2021
Language: English
Credits: Produced by Suzanne Shell, Sam W. and the Online Distributed
Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net
Transcriber's Note
Chapters 27 and 33 both end abruptly in the middle of a sentence. There are no omitted page numbers, so it is likely that this was an error made by the publisher when the book was in preparation.
There are some instances where sections of text are repeated, and these are preserved as printed. It may be that this book was published very hurriedly following the earthquake, and that these repetitions were simply missed.
COMPLETE STORY OF THE
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SCENES OF DEATH AND TERROR |
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Thousands Killed, Maimed, or Unaccounted For; Tens of Thousands Without Food |
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Comprising Also a Vivid Portrayal of the Recent Death-Dealing ERUPTION OF MT. VESUVIUS BY RICHARD LINTHICUM |
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Together with twelve descriptive chapters giving a graphic and detailed account of the most interesting BY TRUMBULL WHITE Profusely Illustrated with Photographic Scenes of the Great Disasters and Views |
THE AWFUL HORROR OF AN EARTHQUAKE.
Lives, homes and property lost in a few seconds.
A PANORAMA OF THE RUINS.
Photographed from Nob Hill—City Hall at the left.
BUSINESS DISTRICT IN SAN FRANCISCO.
View from Nob Hill.
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Copyright 1906
BY
HUBERT D. RUSSELL
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PREFACE
IN PRESENTING this history of the San Francisco Earthquake Horror and Conflagration to the public, the publishers can assure the reader that it is the most complete and authentic history of the great disaster published.
The publishers set out with the determination to produce a work that would leave no room for any other history on this subject, a task for which they had the best facilities and the most perfect equipment.
The question of cost was not taken into consideration. The publishers wanted the best writers, the best illustrations, the best paper, printing and binding and proceeded immediately to get them. The services of the two best historical writers in the United States were secured within an hour after the first news of the catastrophe was received. The names and historical works of Richard Linthicum and Trumbull White are known in every household in the United States where current history is read. They are the authors of many standard works, including histories of recent wars and books of permanent reference, and rank among the world’s greatest descriptive writers.
A large staff of photographers have supplied illustrations for this great historical work depicting every phase of the catastrophe from the first shock of earthquake to the final work of relief. These illustrations have special interest and value because they are made from actual photographs taken by trained and skilled photographers. This history of the most recent of the world’s great disasters is beyond all comparison the most sumptuously and completely illustrated of any publication on this subject. So numerous are the illustrations and so accurately do they portray every detail of the quake and fire that they constitute in themselves a complete, graphic and comprehensive pictorial history of the great catastrophe.
The story as told by the authors, however, is one of absorbing interest that thrills the reader with emotion and depicts the scenes of terror, destruction, misery and suffering as vividly as if the reader were an eye-witness to all the details of the stupendous disaster.
The history of the Earthquake and Fire Horror is told consecutively and systematically from beginning to end.
“The Doomed City” is a pen picture of San Francisco while its destruction was impending.
The four days of the conflagration are described each in separate chapters in such a way that the reader can follow the progress of the fire from the time of the first alarm until it was conquered by the dynamite squad of heroes.
A great amount of space has been devoted to “Thrilling Personal Experiences” and “Scenes of Death and Terror,” so that the reader has a thousand and one phases of the horror as witnessed by those who passed through the awful experience of the earthquake shock and the ordeal of the conflagration.
For purposes of comparison a chapter has been devoted to a magnificent description of San Francisco before the fire, “The City of a Hundred Hills,” the Mecca of sight-seers and pleasure loving travelers.
The descriptions of the Refuge Camps established in Golden Gate Park, the Presidio and other open spaces depict the sorrow and the suffering of the stricken people in words that appeal to the heart.
The magnificent manner in which the whole nation responded with aid and the conduct of the relief work are told in a way that brings a thrill of pride to every American heart.
“Fighting the Fire with Dynamite” is a thrilling chapter of personal bravery and heroism, and the work of the “Boys in Blue” who patrolled the city and guarded life and property is adequately narrated.
Chinatown in San Francisco was one of the sights of the world and was visited by practically every tourist that passed through the Golden Gate. That odd corner of Cathay which was converted into a roaring furnace and completely consumed is described with breathless interest.
The “Ruin and Havoc in Other Coast Cities” describes the destruction of the great Leland Stanford, Jr., University, the scenes of horror and death at the State Asylum which collapsed, and in other ruined cities of the Pacific coast.
“The Earthquake as Viewed by Scientists” is a valuable addition to the seismology of the world—a science that is too little known, but which possesses tremendous interest for everyone.
The threatened destruction of Naples by the volcano of Vesuvius preceding the San Francisco disaster is fully described. The chapters on Vesuvius are especially valuable and interesting, by reason of the scientific belief that the two disasters are intimately related.
Altogether this volume is the best and most complete history of all the great disasters of the world and one that should be in the hands of every intelligent citizen, both as a historical and reference volume.
THE PUBLISHERS.
CONTENTS
| Preface | 7 |
| Introduction | 21 |
| CHAPTER I. | |
| THE DOOMED CITY. | |
| Earthquake Begins the Wreck of San Francisco and a Conflagration without Parallel Completes the Work of Destruction—Tremendous Loss of Life in Quake and Fire—Property Loss $200,000,000 | 33 |
| CHAPTER II. | |
| SAN FRANCISCO A ROARING FURNACE. | |
| Flames Spread in a Hundred Directions and the Fire Becomes the Greatest Conflagration of Modern Times—Entire Business Section and Fairest Part of Residence District Wiped Off the Map—Palaces of Millionaires Vanish in Flames or are Blown Up by Dynamite—The Worst Day of the Catastrophe | 46 |
| CHAPTER III. | |
| THIRD DAY ADDS TO HORROR. | |
| Fire Spreads North and South Attended by Many Spectacular Features—Heroic Work of Soldiers Under General Funston—Explosions of Gas Add to General Terror | 57 |
| CHAPTER IV. | |
| TWENTY SQUARE MILES OF WRECK AND RUIN. | |
| Fierce Battle to Save the Famous Ferry Station, the Chief Inlet to and Egress from San Francisco—Fire Tugs and Vessels in the Bay Aid in Heroic Fight—Fort Mason, General Funston’s Temporary Headquarters, has Narrow Escape—A Survey of the Scene of Desolation | 69 |
| CHAPTER V. | |
| THE CITY OF A HUNDRED HILLS. | |
| A Description of San Francisco, the Metropolis of the Pacific Coast, Before the Fire—One of the Most Beautiful and Picturesque Cities in America—Home of the California Bonanza Kings | 78 |
JAMES D. PHELAN.
Former Mayor of San Francisco, and who gave $1,000,000 for the relief of the sufferers. Largest sum given by an individual.
EUGENE E. SCHMITZ.
Mayor of San Francisco and who rendered great assistance in bringing order out of chaos.
LOOKING EAST ON MARKET STREET.
VIEW FROM FIFTH AND MARKET STREETS.
| CHAPTER VI. | |
| SCENES OF TERROR, DEATH AND HEROISM. | |
| Thrilling Escapes and Deeds of Daring—Sublime Bravery and Self-Sacrifice by Men and Women—How the United States Mint and the Treasuries Were Saved and Protected by Devoted Employes and Soldiers—Pathetic Street Incidents—Soldiers and Police Compel Fashionably Attired to Assist in Cleaning Streets—Italians Drench Homes with Wine | 103 |
| CHAPTER VII. | |
| THRILLING PERSONAL EXPERIENCES. | |
| Scenes of Horror and Panic Described by Victims of the Quake Who Escaped—How Helpless People Were Crushed to Death by Falling Buildings and Debris—Some Marvelous Escapes | 119 |
| CHAPTER VIII. | |
| THRILLING PERSONAL EXPERIENCES—CONTINUED. | |
| Hairbreadth Escapes from the Hotels Whose Walls Crumbled—Frantic Mothers Seek Children from Whom They Were Torn by the Quake—Reckless Use of Firearms by Cadet Militia—Tales of Heroism and Suffering | 132 |
| CHAPTER IX. | |
| THROUGH LANES OF MISERY. | |
| A Graphic Pen Picture of San Francisco in Flames and in Ruins—Scenes and Stories of Human Interest where Millionaires and Paupers Mingled in a Common Brotherhood—A Harrowing Trip in an Automobile | 141 |
| CHAPTER X. | |
| WHOLE NATION RESPONDS WITH AID. | |
| Government Appropriates Millions and Chicago Leads All Other Cities with a Round Million of Dollars—People in All Ranks of Life from President Roosevelt to the Humblest Wage Earner Give Promptly and Freely | 157 |
| CHAPTER XI. | |
| ALL CO-OPERATE IN RELIEF WORK. | |
| Citizens’ Committee Takes Charge of the Distribution of Supplies, Aided by the Red Cross Society and the Army—Nearly Three-Fourths of the Entire Population Fed and Sheltered in Refuge Camps | 162 |
| CHAPTER XII. | |
| OUR BOYS IN BLUE PROVE HEROISM. | |
| United States Troops at the Presidio and Fort Mason Under Command of General Funston Bring Order Out of Chaos and Save City from Pestilence—San Francisco Said “Thank God for the Boys in Blue”—Stricken City Patrolled by Soldiers | 171 |
| CHAPTER XIII. | |
| IN THE REFUGE CAMPS. | |
| Scenes of Destitution in the Parks Where the Homeless Were Gathered—Rich and Poor Share Food and Bed Alike—All Distinctions of Wealth and Social Position Wiped Out by the Great Calamity | 178 |
| CHAPTER XIV. | |
| RUINS AND HAVOC IN COAST CITIES. | |
| San Jose, the Prettiest Place in the State, Wrecked by Quake—State Insane Asylum Collapsed and Buried Many Patients Beneath the Crumbled Walls—Enormous Damage at Santa Rosa | 189 |
| CHAPTER XV. | |
| DESTRUCTION OF GREAT STANFORD UNIVERSITY. | |
| California’s Magnificent Educational Institution, the Pride of the State, Wrecked by Quake—Founded by the Late Senator Leland Stanford as a Memorial to His Son and Namesake—Loss $3,000,000 | 198 |
| CHAPTER XVI. | |
| FIGHTING FIRE WITH DYNAMITE. | |
| San Francisco Conflagration Eventually Checked by the Use of Explosives—Lesson of Baltimore Needed in Coast City—Western Remnant of City in Residence Section Saved by Blowing Up Beautiful Homes of the Rich | 208 |
| CHAPTER XVII. | |
| MISCELLANEOUS FACTS AND INCIDENTS. | |
| Many Babies Born in Refuge Camps—Expressions of Sympathy from Foreign Nations—San Francisco’s Famous Restaurants—Plight of Newspaper and Telegraph Offices | 214 |
| CHAPTER XVIII. | |
| DISASTER AS VIEWED BY SCIENTISTS. | |
| Scientists are Divided Upon the Theories Concerning the Shock That Wrought Havoc in the Golden Gate City—May Have Originated Miles Under the Ocean—Growth of the Sierra Madre Mountains May Have Been the Cause | 230 |
| CHAPTER XIX. | |
| CHINATOWN, A PLAGUE SPOT BLOTTED OUT. | |
| An Oriental Hell within an American City—Foreign in Its Stores, Gambling Dens and Inhabitants—The Mecca of All San Francisco Sight Seers—Secret Passages, Opium Joints and Slave Trade Its Chief Features | 246 |
| CHAPTER XX. | |
| THE NEW SAN FRANCISCO. | |
| A Modern City of Steel on the Ruins of the City that Was—A Beautiful Vista of Boulevards, Parks and Open Spaces Flanked by the Massive Structures of Commerce and the Palaces of Wealth and Fashion | 255 |
| CHAPTER XXI. | |
| VESUVIUS THREATENS NAPLES. | |
| Beautiful Italian City on the Mediterranean Almost Engulfed in Ashes and Lava from the Terrible Volcano—Worst Eruption Since the Days of Pompeii and Herculaneum—Buildings Crushed and Thousands Rendered Homeless | 267 |
| CHAPTER XXII. | |
| SCENES IN FRIGHTENED NAPLES. | |
| Blistering Showers of Hot Ashes—The People Frantic—Cry Everywhere “When Will It End?”—Atmosphere Charged with Electricity and Poisonous Fumes | 279 |
| CHAPTER XXIII. | |
| VOLCANOES AND EARTHQUAKES EXPLAINED. | |
| BY TRUMBULL WHITE. | |
| The Theories of Science on Seismic Convulsions—Volcanoes Likened to Boils on the Human Body, Through Which the Fires and Impurities of the Blood Manifest Themselves—Seepage of Ocean Waters Through Crevices in the Rocks Reaches the Internal Fires of the Earth—Steam Is Generated and an Explosion Follows—Geysers and Steam Boilers as Illustrations—Views of the World’s Most Eminent Scientists Concerning the Causes of the Eruptions of Mount Pelee and La Soufriere | 285 |
| CHAPTER XXIV. | |
| TERRIBLE VOLCANIC DISASTERS OF THE PAST. | |
| BY TRUMBULL WHITE. | |
| Destruction of Sodom, Gomorrah and the Other Cities of the Plain—The Bible Account a Graphic Description of the Event—Ancient Writers Tell of Earthquakes and Volcanoes of Antiquity—Discovery of Buried Cities of Which No Records Remain—Formation of the Dead Sea—The Valley of the Jordan and Its Physical Characteristics | 303 |
| CHAPTER XXV. | |
| VESUVIUS AND THE DESTRUCTION OF POMPEII. | |
| BY TRUMBULL WHITE. | |
| Most Famous Volcanic Eruption in History—Roman Cities Overwhelmed—Scenes of Horror Described by Pliny, the Great Classic Writer, an Eye-Witness of the Disaster—Buried in Ashes and Lava—The Stricken Towns Preserved for Centuries Excavated in Modern Times as a Wonderful Museum of the Life of 1,800 Years Ago | 309 |
| CHAPTER XXVI. | |
| MOUNT ÆTNA AND THE SICILIAN HORRORS. | |
| BY TRUMBULL WHITE. | |
| A Volcano with a Record of Twenty-five Centuries—Seventy-eight Recorded Eruptions—Three Hundred Thousand Inhabitants Dwelling on the Slopes of the Mountain and in the Valleys at Its Base—Stories of Earthquake Shocks and Lava Flows—Tales of Destruction—Described by Ancient and Modern Writers and Eye-Witnesses | 321 |
| CHAPTER XXVII. | |
| LISBON EARTHQUAKE SCOURGED. | |
| BY TRUMBULL WHITE. | |
| Sixty Thousand Lives Lost in a Few Moments—An Opulent and Populous Capital Destroyed—Graphic Account by an English Merchant Who Resided in the Stricken City—Tidal Waves Drown Thousands in the City Streets—Ships Engulfed in the Harbor—Criminals Rob and Burn—Terrible Desolation and Suffering | 334 |
| CHAPTER XXVIII. | |
| JAPAN AND ITS DISASTROUS EARTHQUAKES AND VOLCANOES. | |
| BY TRUMBULL WHITE. | |
| The Island Empire Subject to Convulsions of Nature—Legends of Ancient Disturbances—Famous Volcano of Fuji-yama Formed in One Night—More Than One Hundred Volcanoes in Japan—Two Hundred and Thirty-two Eruptions Recorded—Devastation of Thriving Towns and Busy Cities—The Capital a Sufferer—Scenes of Desolation after the Most Recent Great Earthquakes | 344 |
| CHAPTER XXIX. | |
| KRAKATOA, THE GREATEST OF VOLCANIC EXPLOSIONS. | |
| BY TRUMBULL WHITE. | |
| East Indian Catastrophes—The Volcano that Blew Its Own Head Off—The Terrific Crash Heard Three Thousand Miles—Atmospheric Waves Travel Seven Times Around the Earth—A Pillar of Dust Seventeen Miles High—Islands of the Malay Archipelago Blotted Out of Existence—Native Villages Annihilated—Other Disastrous Upheavals in the East Indies | 353 |
| CHAPTER XXX. | |
| OUR GREAT HAWAIIAN AND ALASKAN VOLCANOES. | |
| BY TRUMBULL WHITE. | |
| Greatest Volcanoes in the World Are Under the American Flag—Huge Craters in Our Pacific Islands—Native Worship of the Gods of the Flaming Mountains—Eruptions of the Past—Heroic Defiance of Pele, the Goddess of Volcanoes by a Brave Hawaiian Queen—The Spell of Superstition Broken—Volcanic Peaks in Alaska, Our Northern Territory—Aleutian Islands Report Eruptions | 363 |
| CHAPTER XXXI. | |
| SOUTH AMERICAN CITIES DESTROYED. | |
| BY TRUMBULL WHITE. | |
| Earthquakes Ravage the Coast Cities of Peru and the Neighboring Countries—Spanish Capitals in the New World Frequent Sufferers—Lima, Callao and Caracas Devastated—Tidal Waves Accompany the Earthquakes—Juan Fernandez Island Shaken—Fissures Engulf Men and Animals—Peculiar Effects Observed | 373 |
| CHAPTER XXXII. | |
| EARTHQUAKES AND VOLCANOES IN CENTRAL AMERICA AND MEXICO. | |
| BY TRUMBULL WHITE. | |
| A Region Frequently Disturbed by Subterranean Forces—Guatemala a Fated City—A Lake Eruption in Honduras Described by a Great Painter—City of San Jose Destroyed—Inhabitants Leave the Vicinity to Wander as Beggars—Disturbances on the Route of the Proposed Nicaragua Canal—San Salvador Is Shaken—Mexican Cities Suffer | 382 |
| CHAPTER XXXIII. | |
| CHARLESTON, GALVESTON, JOHNSTOWN—OUR AMERICAN DISASTERS. | |
| BY TRUMBULL WHITE. | |
| Earthquake Shock in South Carolina—Many Lives Lost in the Riven City—Galveston Smitten by Tidal Wave and Hurricane—Thousands Die in Flood and Shattered Buildings—The Gulf Coast Desolated—Johnstown, Pennsylvania, Swept by Water from a Bursting Reservoir—Scenes of Horror | 389 |
| CHAPTER XXXIV. | |
| ST. PIERRE, MARTINIQUE, ANNIHILATED BY A VOLCANO. | |
| BY TRUMBULL WHITE. | |
| Fifty Thousand Men, Women and Children Slain in an Instant—Molten Fire and Suffocating Gases Rob Multitudes of Life—Death Reigns in the Streets of the Stricken City—The Governor and Foreign Consuls Die at Their Posts of Duty—No Escape for the Hapless Residents in the Fated Town—Scenes of Suffering Described—Desolation Over All—Few Left to Tell the Tale of the Morning of Disaster | 397 |
ILLUSTRATIONS
| The Awful Horror of an Earthquake | Frontispiece |
| A Panorama of the Ruins | Frontispiece |
| Business District of San Francisco | Frontispiece |
| Former Mayor James D. Phelan | 11 |
| Mayor Eugene E. Schmitz | 11 |
| Looking East on Market Street | 12 |
| View from Fifth and Market Streets | 12 |
| Market Street, Scene of Ruins | 31 |
| United States Guards in Charge of Dead | 32 |
| Street Torn Up by Earthquake | 41 |
| Stockton Street | 42 |
| Grant Avenue | 42 |
| Mission Street | 43 |
| O’Farrell Street | 43 |
| Looking North from Sixth and Market Streets | 44 |
| The Orpheum Theatre | 44 |
| San Francisco on Fire | 53 |
| Destroyed Wholesale Houses | 54 |
| Cracks in Earth | 63 |
| Ruins of Emporium Building | 63 |
| Map—Bird’s-Eye View of San Francisco | 64 |
| Ruins of Hall of Justice | 65 |
| Looking Down Market Toward Call Building | 66 |
| From California Street Toward Call Building | 66 |
| Market Street Before the Disaster | 75 |
| The Devouring Flames | 76 |
| Mark Hopkins Institute, Nob Hill | 85 |
| United States Mint | 86 |
| New Postoffice Building | 87 |
| Jefferson Square | 88 |
| Chronicle Building | 97 |
| St. Francis Hotel (Before the Earthquake) | 97 |
| Ferry House | 98 |
| Free Water | 115 |
| Distributing Clothes | 115 |
| Wires Destroyed | 116 |
| Military Camp | 116 |
| Kitchens in the Street | 133 |
| Wing of City Hall, Crumbled | 133 |
| Cattle Killed | 134 |
| St. John’s Church, Ruined | 134 |
| Camp Kitchen in Ball Park | 151 |
| Shacks in Golden Gate Park | 151 |
| Governor Pardee | 152 |
| Major General Adolphus Greely | 152 |
| Refugees on Telegraph Hill | 169 |
| General Funston and Wife | 170 |
| Vendome Hotel, San Jose | 187 |
| Postoffice, San Jose | 188 |
| Corner of Baptist Church | 205 |
| Kearney Street, San Francisco | 205 |
| Ferry Building | 206 |
| Military Quarters | 206 |
| Randolph Storage | 223 |
| Switchboard Destroyed | 223 |
| St. Dominici Church, Freak with Steeple | 224 |
| St. Dominici Church, Wrecked | 224 |
| Chinese Refugees | 241 |
| Flat Building, Sunk | 242 |
| Seeking Lost Friends | 259 |
| All that Was Left of a Fine Residence | 259 |
| Soldiers’ Encampment | 260 |
| Alameda Park | 260 |
| Dolores Mission | 277 |
| Wreck and Ruin | 278 |
| Wreck and Ruin | 278 |
| Crack in Earth | 295 |
| Ghoulish Thieves Looting the Dead | 296 |
| Effect of Earthquake on Modern Steel Building | 313 |
| Vesuvius During Recent Eruption | 314 |
| Road Leading to Vesuvius Before Eruption | 314 |
MAP OF SAN FRANCISCO AND VICINITY.
Showing towns and section of country that suffered the most from effects of earthquake.
INTRODUCTION
By the RT. REV. SAMUEL FALLOWS, D. D., LL. D.
A BRIGHT, intelligent unbeliever in the Providential government of the world has just said to me in discussing this greatest of calamities which has occurred in our nation’s history, “Where is your benevolent God?” I answered “He still lives and guides the affairs of men.” Another said, “The preachers would do well not to meddle with the subject.” But the reply was made, “It is precisely the subject with which they, more than others, should concern themselves.”
It is for them, when the hearts of men are failing to confidently proclaim that God has not abdicated his throne, and that man is not the sport of malign and lawless forces.
All events are ordered for the best; and the evils which we suffer are parts of a great movement conducted by Almighty power, under the direction of Infinite Wisdom and Goodness. God’s creation is a perfect work. The world in which we live is the best possible world on the whole; not the best possible to the individual at any given moment, but the best possible on the whole, all creatures considered and all the ages of man taken into the account. This is the affirmation of a triumphant optimism.
John Stuart Mill averred that a better world could have been made and more favorable conditions for man devised. But before this hypothesis can be sustained, the skeptic from the beginning of time must have scanned the history of every individual and studied it in its minutest details. He must have explored every rill and river of influence entering into his character. He must have understood every relation of the individual to every other person through all the ages. He must have mastered all the facts and laws of our earth. And as it sustains a vital connection with the solar system, he must have grasped all the mysteries which are involved in it.
As this system is related to the still grander one of which it is a part, he must have known the law and workings of its every star and sun. Still more, he must have gone from system to system with their millions of worlds and become familiar with every part of the vast stupendous whole. He must have learned every secret of all Nature’s forces, and have penetrated into the interior recesses of the Divine Being. He must have taken the place of God Himself.
A Divine Providence.
Amid all our doubts and distresses we must hold fast to the belief that there is a God who maketh the clouds His chariot and walketh upon the wings of the wind—a God who is present in every summer breath and every wintry blast, in every budding leaf, and every opening flower, in the fall of every sparrow and the wheeling of every world. His Providence is in every swinging of the tides, in every circulation of the air, in all attractions and repulsions, in all cohesions and gravitations. These, and the varied phenomena of nature are the direct expressions of the Divine Energy, the modes of operation of the Divine Mind, the manifestations of the Divine Wisdom and the expressions of the Divine Love.
The very thunderbolt that rives the oak and by its shock sunders the soul from the body of some unfortunate one purifies the air that millions may breathe the breath of life.
The very earthquake which shakes the earth to its center and shatters cities into ruin, prevents by that very concussion the graver catastrophes which bury continents out of sight.
The very hurricane which comes sweeping down and on, prostrating forests, hurling mighty tidal waves on the shore and sending down many a gallant ship with all its crew, bears on its destructive wings, “the incense of the sea,” to remotest parts, that there may be the blooming of flowers, the upspringing of grass, the waving of all the banners of green, and the carrying away of the vapors of death that spring from decaying mold.
Man the Conqueror.
Pascal said “man is but a reed, the feeblest thing in nature, but he is a reed that thinks.” The elemental forces break loose and for the time being he cannot control them. Amid nature’s convulsions he is utterly helpless and insignificant.
It is but for a moment, however, that he yields. He knows that he is the central figure in the universe of worlds. “He is not one part of the furniture of this planet, not the highest merely in the scale of its creatures but the lord of all.” He is not a parasite but the paragon of the globe. He has faith in the unchangeableness of the laws he is mastering while suffering from them. He confidently declares there is nothing fitful, nothing capricious, nothing irregular in their action. The greater the calamity the more earnest his effort to ascertain its causes and learn the lessons it teaches.
Fearlessly man must meet the events of life as they come. Speculations as to future cataclysms and fearful forebodings as to the immediate end of the world must all be given to the winds. There will be at some time an end to our globe. It may be frozen out, or burned out, or scattered into impalpable dust by the terrific explosion of steam generated by an ocean of water precipitated into an ocean of fire. But cycles of millenniums will intervene before such an apocalypse takes place.
In the spirit of Campbell’s “Last Man” we must live, and act;