The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1850-02-11
[coaaEsposDssoE OF TIE NEW YoRx rnrsusK.
The Great Fire at Sam Francisco.


The long expected and much dreaded cry of fire
has at length been heard in San Francisco. About
thirty OF the best houses. and stores in the very
heart Of the city have been swept away. Over
100 900 OF property has been destroyed, among
which was the porter house. Dunbar,s Exchan ore
which has just been opened under very favorable
auspices; and the Ell Dorado, the largest buildng
in San Francisco, situated on the corner of Ports.
mouth square and Washington street. the upper
two stories Of which rented for offices and odg
ing rooms, and the lower for gambling tables. l
was aroused by the fearful cry Just as my alarm
watch informed me that il was 6. O'Clock, on the
aoih OF December J sprung to the window TO be-
change, building in the middle of the square, oc
cupied as gambling establishment, and about half
square from my domcil. ] at glance that
had no time to lose, and forthwith commenced
putting my traps in movable trim. commenced
by cutting my own portrait of Captain Suttcr from
its stretching frame and rolling ii up, and encos
ing it in tin case which had made for the pur-
and hurried off across to the wndward side of the
square, and deposited them in the Office of C.. Il.
Emmett, esq, and again returned to bring my
trunk, which had been previously packed for the
By this time the whole of the port house
was enyeloped in flames, and the Ell Dorado, which
adjoined it, of course doomed to the same fate II
was rumored through the crowd that this large
structure was to be blown up which caused the
crowd TO rush back, but it could not be cleared of
persons in time, and in an astonishingly short
space OF time 1t was wrapped in the devouring ele
ment.
The fire spread with almost unparalleled rapidi
ty in consequence of the houses being all of wood
and celed with chintz or calico. The heat from
the FL Dorado was SO intense that was not able to
pass it carry my other things to friend Emmett's,
but was obliged TO carry them in another direction
and deposit them in an open lot, before had sue
ceeded in taking every thing away, although had
disposed OF almost every thing some days previous.
When Dunbar's Exchange, the fifth building from
the FL Dorado, was blown up, was in my room, in
the upper part of a store owned by LOOMS & Gibbs;
and. hearing the sound of the explosion, made for
the wall thinking to find safer shelter there than
in the middle OF the room, in case of the fragments
falling upon the slight building. 1t was moment
OF awful suspense butt fortunately the quantity of
powder so small that it barely tore the building
TO pieces, 30 that 1t fell to the earth The buildings
on our side OF the street several times fire.
The one in which roomed, although protected by
wet blankets and mud in liquid state, which was
dipped up from the Streets and thrown, in the
sistency Of paste, all over the front of the building
Mud was found to be valuable commodity on this
occasion, being very serviceable in preserving
many of the buildings; but, at the same time hun
dreds of thousands of dollars worth Of goods were
utterly ruined by being thrown into and otherwise
injured by It, as very few persons had any house to
carry them to after being driven from their own
premises.
The blowing up of the Exchange had no effect in
staying the progress of the fire at that point, and
the experiment was tried again another building
with like success 1t was at last arrested by the
brick wall of store which building on the
corner OF Washington and Montgomery streets.
Its further progress in the square stopped by
demolishing some low buildings next to Dennison's
Exchange as soon the fire discovered.
There was only one engine in the town. Most of
the wells gave out, and there great difficulty
in getting water to drink for considerable dis
lance from the scene Of action, after the fire was
subdued.
Frank Wood, some of whose property narrowly
escaped, with his accustomed Gberalty, presided
at the efurnished tables of the spacious hotel in
Portsmouth square, just opened, bearing his name,
and invited the public to eat and drink at his ex-
pense during the whole day. There were several
persons severely wounded, but heard of no lives
being lost.
With usual Yankee energy and enterprise, many
of those persons who were burned out commenced
business again in tents the next day after the fire,
and many commenced on the Same day to build
iron and other houses the sites Of their old stores
and il is said that n contract entered into TO
have Dennison's Exchange rebuilt and completely
finished in sixteen days; and while write, this with
several other buildings, is framed and covered,
and the paper hangers, or rather calico hangers,
are ready with their stuffs TO the insides.
Considerable gold and silver has been found in a
fused state. Yours, &c, S. S. o.