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thickly peopled, humanity camping out in all
sorts of ways, and then very uncomfortable and fright-
ened. Two huge columns of smoke, one toward the
Union Iron Works, and the other in the Western Addition
told of fires still raging, and the boom of dynamite
came at short intervals. Unchallenged I started out
up Guerrero St. (parallel and one block above Valencia)
about four blocks and I came over a hill and at the
edge of the burnt area. Never could forget the impression
that sight made - nor can I describe the desolation
of blocks of foundations full of little bonfires - gaunt
chimneys rising like tombstones at the head of each
pile of ashes - broken charred wire poles - a maze of wires
on the streets - trucks of trolley cars standing askew on
warped and buckled rails. Sidewalks littered with
shells of trunks, sewing machine iron, and perambulator
wheels - iron bed steads and heaps of springs - all black.

So near in this shortened perspective that it seemed
but a few rods distant rose the tower of the City Hall
all its encircling columns gone, and most of the main
buildings a ruin.