Earthquake in the Early Morning - Mary Pope Osborne [4]
“No wonder we feel shaky,” said Jack.
“I wonder if a lot of people got hurt,” said Annie.
They looked around. Through the dust-filled air, families were stumbling out of their crumbling houses. They all were barefoot and still wore their nightclothes.
Some babies and small children were crying. But strangely, the grown-ups were all silent. They just stared at the torn-up street and crumbling houses.
“Everyone must be in shock,” said Annie.
“I know how they feel,” said Jack. He gazed at the rubble all around them. He didn’t know what to do. He couldn’t think clearly.
Annie looked at the book again. She read aloud:
Just after the earthquake, broken chimneys, stoves, and lamps caused terrible fires. The fires raged for three days, nearly destroying all of San Francisco. Over 28,000 buildings burned down.
“That’s terrible,” breathed Jack.
In the distance, a cloud of black smoke was rolling through the sky.
“The fires are starting!” said Annie.
“Maybe we should leave,” Jack said in a panic. He wanted to get out of San Francisco before the fires spread.
“We can’t,” said Annie. “We have to find our special writing for Morgan’s library, something to lend.”
“Let’s find it fast,” said Jack.
He and Annie started walking through the rubble. They stepped over piles of bricks, chunks of concrete, and broken glass.
They passed fallen lamps and twisted trolley-car tracks.
They saw houses leaning to one side and people hauling their things out to the street.
“We can’t worry about our mission now,” Annie said. “We have to help.”
“Help? How?” said Jack. He was so shaky, he didn’t think he could be much help to anyone.
“What about them?” said Annie.
She pointed to some men frantically dragging bags out of a building and piling them into a horse-drawn wagon.
Annie ran over to the wagon.
“What are you doing?” she asked the men.
“We’re trying to get these bank bags down to the harbor,” said the wagon driver. “So a boat can take them out into the bay.”
“Why?” asked Jack.
“So we can save everyone’s money from the fires!” the man said.
He pointed at the sky. The cloud of smoke was growing bigger and blacker.
“Can we help?” asked Annie.
“We’re done,” said the driver. “You kids run home to your parents. Then get out of the city.”
Jack wished he and Annie could ride with the driver down to the bay and be safe from the fires, too. But he could see the wagon didn’t have room for them.
“Good luck!” said Annie.
“Don’t forget what I told you!” the driver said. Then he and his horses took off. The wagon turned onto the main street and disappeared over the hill.
“I wonder who we can help?” said Annie.
Jack took a deep breath.
“I don’t know,” he said. “Maybe I’ll take some notes.”
Jack pulled out his notebook. In wobbly handwriting, he wrote:
“Hey, what’s the story?” a woman asked. Her voice sounded urgent.
Jack looked up.
A man and woman stood in front of them. The woman wore a long dress and carried a notebook. The man wore a suit. He carried a big camera and a three-legged stand.
“What story?” said Annie.
“The story with the bank. My name’s Betty. I’m a reporter,” said the woman.
“For television?” asked Annie.
“What’s that?” said Betty.
“Never mind,” said Jack. He whispered quickly to Annie, “She’s a newspaper reporter. TV hasn’t been invented yet.”
“Oops,” said Annie.
“So what’s the story with the wagon that just left the bank?” Betty asked Jack and Annie.
Jack looked down at his notebook.
“They’re going to save the money by taking it to the bay and putting it on a boat,” he said.
“Good reporting work, sonny!” she said. “Get a picture of the bank, Fred.”
The photographer set his camera on the stand. He put his head under a black curtain and took a picture.
“Got it,” said Fred.
As the photographer packed up his equipment, Betty turned to Jack and Annie.
“Go home and get your parents, kids,” she said. “Fires are burning out of control.”
“We know,” said Annie. “By the end of three days, the fires will burn down nearly all of San Francisco.”
Betty looked curious. “How do you know