May 6, 1906
The Journal
BURK(sic) VANCIL
TELLS HIS STORY
Writes of
Experiences in ‘Frisco Disaster
He and his wife
spend three days in a small park before they are able
to make their
way to Berkeley, where they now are
located
Served on the
Police Force and as “Chief” of the Fire Department.
An interesting letter telling somewhat in
full the story of the destructive earthquake and
devastating flames that visited San
Francisco, has been received from Burke Vancil. The
letter was received by Mrs. Phelps of
Jackson street but was written for the benefit of Mr.
Vancil’s other neighbors. The letter in full is as
follows:
The mails and telegraph wire out here are
so congested that we do not
know whether our mail and telegrams have
reached you or not. The mail is now
quicker than the wires. We are expecting
some letters from some of our eastern
friends in a few days.
We are here at Berkeley, a beautiful city
of 25,000, across the bay from
the now desolate San Francisco. Flowers
in abundance are everywhere and the
most varied, and luxurious roses abound
on every wall and fence. It is a veritable Paradise as compared with the gloom across the
bay.
Some of you know how hard it is for us to
use a pen, but the typewriter I
had was broken in our escape so I am
compelled to use a pen. You may be
interested to know something of our
experiences of the 18th. We were both quite sound asleep and the first warning we had was
the building swaying from side to side; plaster began to fall, furniture to
topple over, windows to break and clouds of dirt filled the streets. Our room tottered
so that we could hardly stand on the floor.
People in Wild
Excitement.
People thronged the streets in night
clothes and were wild with excitement.
The shake lasted the greater part of one
minute, but it seemed much longer to me. It was not a single shake, but a repeated
shake from all directions. The building creaked, timbers split, and crashed and when
it finally stopped our building was right side up, but very badly wrecked and gas
and water pipes leaking all through the house. We hastened to dress and started
for the street. Our doors were bound and would not open. Assistance from the
outside and a few blows from a water pitcher soon broke the way down and we got
out. We soon saw that fires were breaking
out in many places, so we packed our baggage and took it
across the street to a small
lawn on the east side of the post office building,
thinking we could remain there
until the danger was over. But the fire came nearer and
nearer and we soon saw we would
have to get a place of safety. Bear in mind our baggage at this time consisted of a trunk,
suit case, grip, telescope full of papers, and typewriter. I tied the trunk rope to one
end of the trunk for a cart loading the other pieces on top and then I got in the
harness and dragged the whole load along the streets. Mrs. Vancil walked behind to keep
things from falling off the trunk. In this way we made our way to Market Street,
which is 120 feet wide and the “Broadway”
of San Francisco. I have not time to write of the many
incidents while we were at the
P.O. lawn. We were there possibly an hour. The street
car rails were banked up and
twisted out of shape; all street pipes were pulled apart
and the street in front of us had sunken
four feet and was cracked across the cobble and asphalt pavement. There was a
motley throng of men, women and children
with such of their belongings as they could bring with
them, consisting of trunks,
bedding, sewing machines, canary birds and parrots. It
was a time when everybody gave a
helping hand to any who had more than they could manage.
Camp in a Small
Park.
We remained but a short time on Market
street which was full of bricks
and stone and another shock while we were
there told us that we might yet be
buried in falling debris.
After inspecting a safe deposit vault on
the corner and deciding to leave
some valuable papers which I had left
there a day or two before, we loaded
ourselves and baggage in an express
wagon, and not knowing were we were going, soon found ourselves at a small park four
blocks square, where we spent three days and two nights. We fell in with a party
of people who had been driven from their home on Larkin street and for the time
being the only man in the party I began to plan for something to eat and a place
to sleep. Shortly after locating at
this park I rented a room for a month at
$12, in a house that had escaped serious
injury. We had made up our minds,
however, not to occupy the room until
everything quieted down. The landlady was
kind enough to let us have an old
mattress to sleep on and this supplied
eleven of us the first night. I did not sleep
and by the second night I had secured
another bed, and the Larkin street folks had saved a number of blankets, pillow, etc.,
spending almost the whole of
Wednesday night in moving bedding and
provisions. Their house did not burn
until Thursday afternoon. I had,
fortunately, some money in my pocket and in
addition to the provisions the Larkin
street people brought, I bought deviled ham, sardines, “Force,” olives, but no bread. It
was not to be had at any price. But we got along very well, and we lost no
opportunity to get hold of provisions, not knowing how long we would have to stay in this
park, Jefferson square. We had plenty
of good water here. There was a bakery not far away, but
a shortage of bakers, and a call
was made for volunteers to help make bread, and many
went. Remember, all this time
the city was under martial law and in charge of the
regular U,S, army in command of General
Funston.
Acts as Fire
“Chief”
I served on the police force Wednesday afternoon and was
“chief” of the
fire department nearly all day Thursday.
I did not handle the hose or anything of
that kind, but was ordering men around as
though I was the whole thing, and they obeyed like good fellows.
There is no question but we saved three
or four blocks from burning. For
some time we thought we would have to
leave Jefferson square as the fire was
dangerously near and the park too small
for safety. But the flames were checked
just a block away and we remained. No one
who was not there has ever seen a
real fire. It was simply one mass of
roaring flames, leaping to the sky out of the
large six, eight and ten-story buildings,
and before it all nothing was fire-proof.
Some of the most magnificent structures
were blown to atoms with powerful
charges of dynamite in hopes of checking
the fire. The suffering cannot be
described. Many lives were lost, how many
will never be known. Many were
burned, some killed by earthquakes, some
dying from exposure, and a good many shot by soldiers for stealing. Six men were
lined up in one park and shot. It is said, for looting. I am glad to say this was
after we left.
In the wildest of it all many
babies were born out in the parks.
Soon the provisions began to come from
other cities and were distributed as rations, and Mrs. Vancil and I lined up
with the rest of them in the bread line
for our little one-half loaf of bread or
a few biscuits, and we were glad to get them.
Take Refuge at
Berkeley
As soon as the fire had burned out so the
ferry could be reached, the
announcement was made that all
transportation companies, railroads, boats, etc.,
would carry passengers free to any point
within the state, and soon the march
began to the ferry. One by one our family
of eleven began to go. Four of us with
our baggage went from our camp Friday at
5 p.m., not knowing whither we were
going. We paid one man $10 to take us and
our baggage to the ferry and shipped
for Berkeley as refugees, where we have
been ever since. We shall be here
indefinitely, as our business has been
very much delayed, and we do not know
how long we may have to remain.
We are thankful we have come through this
calamity alive and have suffered
no more. San Francisco is but a memory. Just a bit of
the residence part remains.
10,000 acres, once a city, is in ashes. You must drive
twenty-six miles to go around
the burned area. $225,000,000 will not cover the loss.
The fire was in a hundred places
at once and burned four days. I used my camera
frequently,
but nothing can give you any idea of the
awful destruction.
We are both well and but for a broken typewriter and the
loss of some laundry we are no
worse for our experience.
"Below is a notice printed in the
local Carlinville paper on the day Uncle Burke died.
It draws heavily on the longer history from the
Internet. I’ve highlighted the different information."
Burke Vancil died May 3, 1925, Springfield IL, buried
in Oak Ridge Cemetery, Springfield IL block 33
lot 284 range W 1/2, IL digital archives. Married Mary
E. Steidley, Sept 30, 1891 in Macoupin County IL,
online state archives database.
Mary Etta Steidley Vancil died Nov 4, 1930, 66yrs 1m
7ds, carcinoma of the liver, buried block 33 lot 284
range W 1/4, Oak Ridge Cemetery, Springfield IL, died
at home 225 East Jackson Street.
BURKE VANCIL DIES
AFTER A SHORT ILLNESS
Was Prominent in Masonic and Civic Affairs of the City
for Years
Burke Vancil, local attorney, business man, secretary of
the Kiwanis club and very active in other civic and
fraternal affairs, died at 10 o’clock this morning at
his home, 225 East Jackson Street, of angina pectoris.
Although he has been suffering with the heart disease
for a year, he was not taken seriously ill until Friday
night while participating in Masonic lodge work in the
lodge temple. He was remove from there to his home in an
ambulance and was believed improving Saturday and
Sunday.
He suffered a relapse early today and sank steadily
until the end. Mrs. Vancil and Dr. C.A. Frazee, the
family physician, were at his beside throughout his last
minutes.
Mr. Vancil was born on a farm
near Modesto, in the northern part of Macoupin County,
Ill., on March 28, 1863. The family is of Pennsylvania
Dutch (or Holland) origin, the maternal ancestry being
of Irish descent. The name was originally "Wenzel,"
afterwards "Wensel," and finally "Vancil."
Imri B. Vancil, father of Burke, was born in
Union county and died in Macoupin in 1907. His mother
died only a short time ago.
Imri Vancil was one of the
extensive farmers, prominent and substantial citizens
of North Palmyra township, Macoupin County, where he
owned and operated an estate of 1,160 acres of
land.
The boyhood of Burke Vancil was spent upon his
father's farm. He went to Blackburn University, at
Carlinville, Ill., from which he was graduated in
1886. He came to Springfield in November, 1887, and
began the study of law in the office of Orendorff
& Patton.
In 1889, the degree of LL. B. was conferred upon him
by the Illinois Wesleyan
University at Bloomington, Ill. Following his
admission to the bar in May 1889, Mr. Vancil became
the junior member of the firm of Dikis & Vancil,
of Springfield, but in May, 1890, the year following
the forming of the partnership, Hugh F. Dikis died,
and Mr. Vancil formed an association with the
late Judge Charles P Kane. The two attorneys were never
partners, although the had offices at the same place.
Mr. Vancil is a member of the bar
of the District Court the Circuit Court, the Circuit
Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court of the United
States, as well as a member of the bar of the Supreme
Court of this State. He practiced law actively up
until about ten years ago when his various business
and faming interests took up practically all of his
time.
Mr. Vancil has never aspired to
public office, preferring to exert his influence as a
private individual. Politically, he is a Democrat. In
April, 1910, however he was elected by an overwhelming
vote of Democrats and Republicans to the office of
Assessor, becoming an unwilling candidate for the
office only the day before the primary election. While
in this office he installed the Summers system of
assessing real estate which has been practiced ever
since.
Mr Vancil was a strong Mason, belonging to practically
every branch in the city.
Was was also a thirty-third degree member. He was a
member of the St. Paul’s
lodge No. 500 A.F.&A.M.; the Springfield chapter No.
1 of the R.A.S.M. of which he retired only last year as
high priest; he was secretary of the Springfield council
of the R.A.S.M. at the time of his death. He also
belonged to the Elwood commandary No. 618 of the Knights
Templar and was commander; the Springfield Consistory,
coordinated bodies of the A.A.S.R. and a member of the
Ansar temple, A.A.O.N.N.S.
Mr. Vancil was also a member of the local Elks’ Lodge,
of which he was past exalted ruler. He was awarded the
25 year jewel in the Odd Fellows’ lodge and was strongly
connected with the activities in the Knights of Pythias
lodges. He was a member of the Illini Country Club.
Below text from:
Historical encyclopedia of Illinois (Volume v.2 :2)
(page 161 of 180) Author Newton Bateman
http://www.ebooksread.com/authors-eng/newton-bateman.shtml
VANCIL, Burke, was born on a farm near Modesto, In the
northern part of Macoupin County, Ill., on March 28,
1863. The family is of Pennsylvania Dutch (or Holland)
origin, the maternal ancestry being of Irish descent.
The name was originally "Wenzel," afterwards "Wensel,"
and finally "Vancil." A well preserved family record
shows that John Wensel and Maria Brerathin were married
on May 17, 1768, and that to them were born eleven
children, of whom Tobias was the first, and the
great-grandfather of Burke Vancil. He was born February
13, 1769. Edmund C. Vancil. his son, was born in
Virginia in 1799, and died in Macoupin County, December
31, 1891. Imri B. Vancil, father of Burke Vancil,
was born in Union County, Ill., October 15. 1825, and
died in Macoupin County, Ill., March 23, 1907. He left
surviving him Elizabeth S. (Rice) Vancil, his wife, who
now resides in Modesto. Ill., and four children Burke
Vancil, of Springfield; Effie. wife of George F. Jordan,
of Carlinville, Ill.; Ollie, wife of Lewis Rinaker. of
Chicago, and Ida, wife of Leonard G. Brown, of Modesto.
Edmund C. Vancil, the grandfather, was taken to
Muhlenberg County, Ky., by his father, Tobias Vancil, in
1801, who at a later date settled on the Mud River in
Logan County, Ky. Thereafter, Edmund C. Vancil located
in Jackson County. Ill. There he met Mary Byars, who was
born in Kentucky in 1804, and had accompanied her father
to Jackson County in 1808. In 1827, Edmund C. Vancil
left Jackson County and in the same winter located in
Macoupin County, north of Virden ; in the following
spring, he settled in North Palmyra Township, near the
present town of Modesto, which was then a part of Greene
County. He possessed a cash capital of $100.00 and
entered SO acres of land in section 4. There have been
but two conveyances of the property since the patent was
obtained from the United States, and then only from
father to son, the property remaining in the family. The
old home still stands as it did when occupied by Edmund
C. Vaucil and Mary Byars Vancil. Here they spent nearly
all of their more than sixty-five years of wedded life.
Here the wife died in 1889, aged eighty-seven years, he
surviving until December 31, 1891, when in his
ninety-third year. For many years this was one of the
finest homes in that part of the state.
Most of the lumber used in its building was obtained
from the native woods nearby. Very little sawed lumber
was used, and this was gotten out by hand. The home is
now owned by Burke Vancil.
In the winter of 1844-45, Edmund C. Vancil and his son,
Imri B. Vancil, went to Texas for the purpose of
entering or buying land, believing- that they would find
a better prospect than could be found in the undeveloped
prairies of Illinois. They soon returned, however,
satisfied to remain in Illinois. Prior to this time
Professor Turner, of Illinois College at Jacksonville,
Ill., had experimented somewhat with various thorny
trees and plants in an effort to produce a successful
hedge fence. While in Texas, Mr. Vancil and his son saw
the "Osage Orange" or "Bois d'Arc," a native tree of
that part of the country and obtained some seed which
they brought to Illinois. From this small handful of
seed was propagated and developed by Professor Turner
the first osage hedge fence, which, in later years and
prior to the introduction of the wire fence, came
into general use throughout this and adjoining states.
Imri B. Vancil was one of the extensive farmers,
prominent and substantial citizens of North Palmyra
township, Macoupin County, where he owned and operated
an estate of 1,160 acres of land. He was given excellent
educational opportunities by his father, and attended
school in Jacksonville, spending two years in the
Illinois College. In the winter of 1847-48 he attended
medical lectures in Cincinnati. After his return, he
operated a saw mill in Palmyra township until 1850, when
he joined the great exodus to California with a four
mule team, reaching Sacramento after a three months'
journey from St. Joseph. Mo., on August 13, 1850.
At first he engaged in mining, but later turned his
attention to trade and remained in the state for two
years, returning via Nicaragua, Gulf of Mexico and New
York. His father then gave him a farm of 240 acres and
on this he resided until he retired to the town of
Modesto, where he resided until his death. He took an
active part in politics and was the first supervisor
of North Palmyra township, an office he held for
seven years, serving through the famous "Court House
Fight." then he resigned, but at a later date was
prevailed upon to again assume its duties and he served
three years longer. He also served several years as
Township Treasurer and for some years was one of the
School Trustees. In all these offices he had an
intelligent conception of their duties and performed
them faithfully. On April 4, 1860, Mr. Vancil married
Elizabeth S. Rice, a daughter of Thomas B. Rice, who
came to Illinois from Virginia in 1836 and was long a
prominent citizen of Medora, Ill.
The boyhood of Burke Vancil was spent upon his father's
Macoupin County farm, where he learned to till the soil
and the foundation of his character was laid by a good
mother. From this country home he went to Blackburn
University, at Carlinville. Ill., from which he was
graduated in 1886. He came to Springfield in November,
1887, and began the study of law in the office of
Orendorff & Patton. In 1889, the degree of LL.
B. was conferred upon him by the Illinois Wesleyan
University, of Bloomington, Ill. Following his admission
to the bar in May, 1889, Mr. Vancil became the junior
member of the firm of Dikis & Vancil, of
Springfield, but in May, 1890. the year following the
forming of the partnership, Hugh F. Dikis died, and
since then Mr. Vancil has continued alone. His office
associate at the present time is Judge Charles P. Kane.
Mr. Vancil is a member of the bar of the District Court,
the Circuit Court, the Circuit Court of Appeals and the
Supreme Court of the United States, as well as a member
of the bar of the Supreme Court of this State. In
addition to his law practice and farming interests, Mr.
Vancil is connected with several business enterprises in
Springfield.
Mr. Vancil has never aspired to public office,
preferring to exert his influence as a private
individual. Politically, he is a Democrat. In April,
1910, however, he was elected by an overwhelming vote of
Democrats and Republicans to the office of Assessor,
becoming an unwilling candidate for the office only the
day before the primary election. He belongs to the
Masonic fraternity in all its branches, including the
Commandery and Consistory. He is also a member of the B.
P. O. Elks, the Odd Fellows and Knights of Pythias. His
religious connections are with the Presbyterian Church.
Socially he is a member of the Illini Country Club
of Springfield. Mr. Vancil is an excellent lawyer,
able and learned. His wide legal knowledge has been
ripened by experience and he pursues his profession
quietly, enthusiastically and industriously, bringing to
it the highest intellectual qualities of character,
which give him an enviable repxitation and earn for him
his conspicuous success.
On September 30. 1891. Mr. Vancil was united in
marriage, at Carlinville. Ill., with Mary E. Steidley,
of that place. They have no children. Mrs. Vancil comes
from an old and highly esteemed family which resided for
many years at the suburban home just west of
Carlinville. She was the daughter of John S. Steidley
and Sarah Elizabeth (Wright) Steidley, both of whom are
deceased. The maternal grandparents of Mrs. Vancil were
William Wright and Sarah B. Wright, well known residents
of Carlinville, and for many years prominently connected
with business interests of that vicinity. She has four
brothers, William A. Steidley, residing in Denver.
Colo.. Solomon F. Steidley, residing In Carlinville,
James B. Steidley, residing in Kansas City, Kan., and
Alex. B. Steidley, residing in Oakland, Calif. Her
sisters are Laura Rosella, now deceased, wife of Xerxes
X. Crum ; Florence I., wife of H. F. Valentine, now
deceased, and Harriet G., wife of Judge Robert B.
Shirley. Mrs. Valentine and Mrs. Shirley both reside in
Carlinville. Mrs. Vancil is a member of several
religious and social organizations in Springfield and
has a wide circle of friends and acquaintances. She is a
member of the Presbyterian Church and the Illini Country
Club. Mr. and Mrs. Vancil have travelled extensively in
the west, visiting all the principal points of interest,
including the Yosemite Valley, Grand Canyon in Arizona,
Yellowstone National Park, etc. They were in the great
San Francisco earthquake and fire on April 18, 1906, and
for many days thereafter were believed to have been
lost. They now reside at number 225 East Jackson Street,
where they have lived since 1893.
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