The Long Journey ( Part Two)

My sister , my Mamma and I were on foot like all the rest of the people joining us. At first you could see the other side of the street and then suddenly there were so many people coming out of their houses and apartments and they were dressed all sorts of ways, some still in their night garments and some dressed for the day. I guess we were lucky that Mamma has us get up early and do our chores or we would have been dressed in our bed clothes. It seemed like we had walked for days but it was only 11 A.M. The air was thick and full of black smoke the sun had been blocked out from all the smoke. When we reached Van Ness we where directed to go up Haight as Hayes Valley was going up in flames. Someone said it was the ham and eggs fire. Mamma set down her bucket of eggs, and cried. Then in that same moment she picked up those eggs and she made us sing, with a quivering voice my sister and I began to join her singing "We're marching to Zion, beautiful beautiful Zion". The people close to us began to sing along with us and soon there where voices joinning in from every street meeting up with us and not missing a beat. By the time we reached Scharder street we were able to view our beloved city , looking down the hill from where we had just climbed all we could see was fires burning and suddenly there would be new burst of flames . When we arrived at Stanyan and Golden Gate Park the sounds of fire engines ringing and clanging their bells could be heard all the way from downtown . The heat from the City burning was beginning to reach the park. Hot ashes fell from the sky, every once in awhile we'd have to move quickly or a large page from some one's book would float down and set their clothes on fire or land in a pile of leaves. Every where you looked there was children and Mothers. I didn't see very many men except the soldiers. Mamma said the men where helping put out the fires and Pappa, Uncle Jack and Lil Daniel would come for us as soon as it was possible. Mamma gave her bucket of eggs to a lady who had a huge pot and boiling water. They were trying to get food lines going and the lady thanked Mamma for the eggs. We finally made our way down to the windmill and a soldier from the Vancouver Barracks l ead us to our tent. This was to be our first night of many spent outside. The next day that same soldier came by and told us that he was going to put our name on our tent. Sissy found out his name was Christopher, he would check on us from time to time. On Friday the 21st. of April Christopher came by our tent with a newspaper , he wanted to know if we wanted to read it? Mamma, Sissy and I gathered around as Christopher read to us the stories in the paper. This was the first time we had realized the scope of the situation. We felt certain that our house that was in the Mission District had been lost. Christopher joined us as we prayed for Pappa, Uncle Jack and Lil Daniel. Saturday afternoon, the sky was still filled with smoke and a sea breeze had kicked in and gave us all some fresh air to breathe. I saw Christopher approaching our tent there seemed to be someone with him, I called to Mamma. Just as she came out of the tent Pappa began running towards her. Lil Daniel hugged me and Sissy. Uncle Jack was just happy to sit down. Pappa asked Christopher to join us for dinner. Uncle Jack told us at dinner how 3000 volunteers with knapsacks and brooms and a few firemen and one operating hydrant at 20th and Church stopped the fire in the Mission. It was an end to an era for San Francisco and a beginning to a new way of life for all of us. Tomorrow we rebuild this City.