The loss of life, though distressingly large, would have been
far greater had the disaster occurred a few hours earlier when all the theatres were crowded, but the extent of the calamity may be gathered from the second despatch received at Washington early on Thursday from General Funston, the officer commanding the troops at San Francisco :—" San Francisco is practically destroyed. You cannot send too many tents and rations. About two hundred thousand persons are now homeless. Food is very scarce, as the provision houses are all destroyed. All the Government buildings in the city have been destroyed." The response of the Government and the country has been prompt and generous. Mr. Taft has forwarded four hundred thousand rations, the Senate has voted a million dollars in relief, and the Secretary to the Treasury has authorised the opening of a credit at San Francisco of ten million dollars. The President has issued a national appeal for subscriptions to the American Red Cross Society; help, in money, food, and clothing, is pouring in from every side; and—a notable fact—the insurance companies have announced that they will not discriminate between fire and earthquake loss.
