▁mot ions ▁imagine able , ▁accompanied ▁by ▁a ▁cre aking , ▁gr inding , ▁r asp ing ▁sound , ▁followed ▁by ▁trem end ous ▁crashes ▁as ▁the ▁corn ices ▁of ▁ad jo ining ▁buildings ▁and ▁chim ne ys ▁tot tered ▁to ▁the ▁ground ." ▁ ▁The ▁earth qu ake ▁last ed ▁ 5 5 ▁seconds . ▁A ▁hotel ▁page ▁described ▁the ▁pan dem on ium ▁inside ▁the ▁hotel : ▁" I ▁found ▁the ▁floor ▁crow ded ▁with ▁sc ream ing ▁guests ▁running ▁every ▁which ▁way . ▁As ▁the ▁elev ators ▁were ▁all ▁out ▁of ▁order ▁the ▁guests ▁head ed ▁for ▁the ▁mar ble ▁st airs , ▁which ▁were ▁broken ▁and ▁crack ed ▁and ▁falling ▁below ." ▁The ▁hotel ▁manager , ▁James ▁Wood s , ▁we aring ▁his ▁bath ro be , ▁tried ▁to ▁calm ▁the ▁guests , ▁but ▁most ▁of ▁them ▁r ushed ▁outside ▁onto ▁Union ▁Square . ▁Later ▁in ▁the ▁morning , ▁opera ▁singer ▁En rico ▁Car uso ▁and ▁Alfred ▁H ert z , ▁the ▁conduct or ▁of ▁the ▁San ▁Francisco ▁Sym phony , ▁who ▁was ▁hosting ▁a ▁tour ▁by ▁Car uso , ▁who ▁were ▁both ▁stay ing ▁at ▁the ▁nearby ▁Palace ▁Hotel , ▁fled ▁the ▁Palace ▁and ▁came ▁to ▁the ▁St . ▁Francis , ▁where ▁the ▁restaurant ▁was ▁still ▁open ▁for ▁breakfast . ▁Car uso ▁carried ▁with ▁him ▁a ▁signed ▁photograph ▁of ▁President ▁The odore ▁Ro ose vel t , ▁and ▁sw ore ▁he ▁would ▁never ▁return ▁to ▁San ▁Francisco ; ▁he ▁never ▁did , ▁having ▁died ▁in ▁ 1 9