Volume 2 - ElectricCanadian.com

288 HISTORY OF THE BANKminer at a neighbouring table say to his companion, "Well,partner, I guess I'll take my money out of the bank that wasblown up, in the morning." Taking a good look at thespeaker on his way out, the officer kept a watch for him in themorning. The two comrades came in early, and seemedsurprised to find that there was stillmoney left with which todo business. On one of the men enquiring whether he couldwithdraw his deposit he was told that he certainly could, andafter filling out the necessary voucher, he took the money.Immediately he wished to re-deposit it, but was met with afirm refusal, being told that if he was too scared to keep a fewhundred dollars in The Canadian Bank of Commerce, he hadbetter keep it in his pocket. By this time quite a few menwere in line for a similar purpose, but hearing the conversationthey began to slink away, and thus the staff escaped the ordealof the first half-hour's run on the bank which they had lookedfor in a community accustomed to the little one-office banksof the small towns in the United States. Later the managerwas told by one of the miners that he and his friends hadintended taking out every dollar they had, but on seeing theattitude of the bank's officials and that ifthey took theirmoney out it might not be accepted for re-deposit, they hadchanged their minds.Of the many harrowing experiences through whichofficers of The Canadian Bank of Commerce have passed, noother has equalled that of the earthquake at San Francisco,which occurred shortly after daybreak on the morning ofApril 18, 1906. The earthquake was immediately followed bymany fires, which raged unchecked for three days and continuedto break out sporadically for two days longer, devastating thewhole of the business district and a large number of the bestresidences in the city. Although, according to official records,the earthquake lasted only sixty seconds, in that short intervalof time it destroyed the entire water, lighting, heating anddrainage systems of the city, and the authorities foundthemselves without the ordinary means of fighting fire. The