Willett Smith to mother & sisters, 1906-05-01

Ruins of San Francisco 1. May 1st 1906.

Dear Mother & Sisters

Now that I have a few spare moments I will drop you a few lines to let you all know that I am still alive and faring very well under these trying extreme stances.

The people here are getting cooled down a little and everything is beginning to look a little bright than it did The government has supplied Everybody with tents and giving Everybody rations and the

in with cliches and provisions galore but where there was 500000 people in Frisco when the big circus came off there is only about 250000 people let and they seem to be all afraid to come back here again.

We have had a few small shocks every day since the big one but they don't amount to much I am pretty used to them now but still I am up and on the run out of the house every time one comes along I don't want to get caught in

of kerosene there isnt a store of any kind left to buy it why I tell you all it cant be imagined how much damage was done by the earthquake and fire a person has got to be here to see it I am awfull glad that none of you were here to had the experience just think how big a city this was and all the big wharehouses and wholesale houses there were here and fine mansions and not a one left all that is left of the whole ...

the house if another big one hits here. We have had a good deal of trouble to get water because all the water mains got broke in the big quake but we are doing fairly well out here on the beach we have a wind mill and I have been working on it for two days and have got it so it pumps a little tonight I expect to have it in running order by tomorrow We have no gas out here on the beach the electric light plant is put completly [real?]

[He?] is out here on the beach wit me I am stopping with him and his friends out here on the beach and he cant do to much for me and he says he will fix me up in a good [jot?] after a while so I think I will wait a while longer if the earth quakes would only quit but if they keep it up I think I will have to get [ret?] I have not slept with my clothes off for 12 days today because I dont know what minute I have to jump up and