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Show Mrs, Corey's Story -k the firemen and the policemen standing with arms locked together forming lines to keep people off Market Street. But I had to get through, so I let out a screech, arid before they knew what was happening, I ducked under their arms and ran_ to the store. At the entrance, I met our faithful nightwatchman. I told him to let me in and then go to his family. "I walked into the quiet darkness of the building. Never before had I been there alone. But most of all I was scared that at each step, I'd bring the building down on top of me, I quickly unlocked the small safe, and removed the money and valuable papers and stuffed them into my large handbag. And there I kept them, always at my fingertips for the next three weeks, I took that long for me to find the store owners. The building was destroyed in the fire that swept through that area." On lower Market Street, the main thoroughfare of the City, block after block of buildings have been destroyed. "Suddenly, I heard the squalling of the cats, so I started downstairs, but was stopped by deep water. The water fromthe bay had gushed in through the new cracks in the foundation, and was rapidly filling the basement. The cats, caterwauling in fright, were balancing on floating boxes. They were too far away for me to reach, so I turned quickly and ran up the steps, and ran and ran, I ran past the police barricade, past gaping cracks in the sidewalks, and past frightened families clutching their few possessions," Thousands of the homeless were making their way with their blankets and scant possessions to Golden Gate Park and the beach. When I arrived home, Mama and Ruby had some things packed in boxes. I told them that we couldn't take all that stuff, but Mama was insistant. So I helped lug the stuff down to the street. We took our last look around our home - a last look at our piano and sewing machine, both too heavy for us to carry,," |