of stairs without some of them being injured. This equipment and the entire building burned at midnight the first day of the fire.

By this time it was about 8:30 a. m., and we walked over to 445 Bush Street. Here the Company had recently completed a new eight-story class "A" building, 40 feet by 120 feet. In this building the installation of two new complete No. 1 central battery switchboards and a No. 1 toll board was nearing completion and were very shortly to have been cut in service, thereby replacing the old and obsolete equipment in the

was ham and eggs, and it was the last meal they ever served. After dinner we watched the fire as it swept up toward Chinatown. In the heart of the Chinese District the Company owned and operated an Exchange solely for the use of the Orientals, and at this time was serving 891 subscribers in a small brick and frame building about 25 feet by 40 feet, having two stories and a basement.

The express switchboard was located on the second floor and Lu Kum Shu, our Chinese Manager, lived on the first floor of the building. When it became evident that

Old Main Office at 216 Bush Street. The building was not damaged by the earthquake, but was completely gutted by the fire about 2 o'clock the following morning and the contents entirely consumed, including all the records of the Company which had been transferred from the Executive Building at 140 New Montgomery Street.

It was from the top of this building that we watched the progress of the fire all day Wednesday, and by night it had grown to a line of flames semi-circular in shape and probably over one mile in length.

Mr. Alston and myself went across the street from 445 Bush Street to the California Hotel for dinner. All they had left

the building would burn, as it did late that night, Lu Kum Shu had to move, and I am informed that Mr. Louis Glass gave him permission to move his family, which "family" later proved to consist of some fifty Chinamen, to Mr. Glass' basement.

That night my hotel at Bush and Powell Streets burned, and I moved with Captain Wildman, Chief Signal Officer of General Funston's staff, to the Officers' Quarters in the Presidio. Next morning when I came down town I could get no further than East Office, which is now known as Franklin. This office consisted of a three-story and basement class "A" building, 60 feet by 110 feet. The building was not damaged by

the earthquake, but the interior was completely burned late in the afternoon of the second day. The equipment consisted of a No. 1 relay switchboard having thirty-three "A" positions and sixteen "B" positions. The exchange had been in operation less than one year and was caring for 8,817

stations.

An interesting thing in connection with the operating room was that the switchboard was entirely burned, while a rack holding trouble tickets was unharmed.

It was from this Office that we watched the progress of the fire all day Friday, and when the fire jumped Van Ness Avenue in a few spots it was thought West Office, as well as the entire City, was doomed. Accordingly all West Office records were buried in the sand on the site where the south half of our present West Office stands. This office, together with a flat building next door, a photograph of which appears in this number, was made the Company's headquarters for some weeks after

Everything on the first floor was burned except a piano, the veneering of which was considerably warped, but otherwise it was intact.

During the second day, when it was evident that East Office would burn, the Company's headquarters were moved to West Office at the corner of Pine and Steiner Streets.

This building was only one-half its present size, and the equipment consisted of a new No. 1 common battery switchboard, which had recently been cut into service, and which was caring for 5,481 subscribers.

the fire, and cared for the business district of San Francisco for many months.

We were unable to get either gas or electric power supply to run the office, and it was necessary to bring into service one of our emergency portable charging sets. This machine gave excellent service, and to my personal knowledge was run seventy-two hours without stopping.

On the fourth day it was thought desirable to get the Western or existing part of the City in communication with the cities across the Bay. Accordingly a twisted pair consisting mostly of jumper wire, which

Section of Aerial Cable After Fire bricks or on account of cuts and breaks caused by the traffic.

Simultaneously with the above work an attempt was being made to bring our toll lines from Sausalito, Fort Point and Lime Point into West Office. I personally went over this line with one of the troublemen, and some idea of the action of the earthquake may be obtained from the condition of this lead. Frequently for many spans two adjacent wires on standard 10-pin cross-arms were whipped together as tightly as twisted pair, and on the 16-pin crossarms as many as four adjacent wires were twisted together. It was necessary for the troubleman to climb each pole for many blocks, and it was with considerable difficulty that the crosses were shaken out.

The following days, weeks and months. of restoration were strenuous ones. The Ferry building was condemned, and our private branch exchange, which was handling the business from the Ferry to the cities across the Bay, was ordered out. Upon arrival at the Ferry the wreckers were already at work on some of the piers, and the wharf end of the Postal Company's cables was being cut into cord-wood lengths by the wreckers. I hastened to the temporary Postal office, then in the Ferry building, and informed them of what was happening down below. The Postal man

thanked me, but said he had no one to splice the cable, and I believe it was one of our cable splicers who subsequently restored their cable for them.

A very interesting thing occurred in connection with our new South Office, which is now known as Market and Park. This building consisted of three stories and a basement, 65 feet by 120 feet. The upper part of the building was badly shattered by the earthquake, allowing the fire to enter the top floor, completely destroying the South and Mission switchboards, each consisting of thirty "A" positions and fourteen. "B" positions. The remaining portion of the building was unharmed, and from the appearance of the terminal room on the second floor you could not have told that there had been a fire at all. The tin clad bulkheads in the cable hole between the terminal and operating rooms having effectively stopped the entrance of the fire to the terminal room. This office was to have been cut in service in about ten days, replacing the old Park, South and Mission Offices.

The old South Office consisted of two buildings located at 464 Jessie Street. The East building consisted of a brick and frame structure approximately 25 feet by 50 feet, having one story and a basement. The West building consisted of a brick and frame structure approximately 25 feet by 65 feet, having also one story and basement. The buildings were not seriously damaged by the earthquake, with the exception of a neighboring chimney, which fell through the roof. The contents consisted of a complete express switchboard equipment, caring for 5,202 subscribers. This equipment and building were completely destroyed.

The Old Mission Office was located at 2139 Mission Street, and consisted of a Mission style building, 23 feet by 96 feet. A part of the building was two stories and the remaining portion one story with a basement under all. The contents consisted of an express equipment, caring for 5,969 subscribers. Both the switchboard and the building were entirely burned.

The old Park Office, located at 837 Page Street, consisted of a brick and frame structure approximately 25 feet by 65 feet, one story and basement. The building was badly shaken by the earthquake, but there was no fire loss. The contents consisted of an express board equipment, which was not