The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1850-11-09
rhe Fourth re4flhls Coudasratlon,
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T. SHARES CONSUMED,
From the Alta CelitornGa Sept. Ia. -'A'-.-..
1t is our most painful duty to record, for the
fourth time within the short space Of nine
months an account OF one OF those terrible visit
atoms which makes the heart ache to witness.
! Again has the devouring element run riot in
our midst, licking up as with the tongues Of
demons houses and homes, and goods OF all
kinds burying in ashes the rewards OF long toll
and enterprise, crushing out hope from the
hearts of many aud schocking the senslbllltles OF
all with its awfully sudden and devastating Jury
Our paper had but just gone to press and
portion Of it worked off, when the Startling cry
of"Fire, fire" alarmed the waseful and aroused
! the sleeping with suddenncss and terror THAI
I'll earthquake could not have produced. Per
haps in no other place in the wide world can (
that fearful cry arouse at once such general =
alarm and throw every individual of the eommu
nifty into such sudden and overwhelming eX-
element SO many whirlwinds OF destruction
have swept over this devoted city, at such short
intervals, with such fearful strides that the whole
community is us excited as ii they stood on the
brink of II crater. ...I# faa..t..
The alarm WAS given at about four O'Clock
and ina few seconds the streets were iuil Oh
people and tho engines Of the lire companies
were in full run for the scene. The fire occurred
,
Jackson street, three doors from the Washing
ton Market So rapidly did the flames spread
that all efforts to arrest it seemed, for long
while, totally vain At first it was perfectly
calm but the wind increased rapidly as the
; flames, whirling the black masses OF smoke the
: lurid sheets of fire and immense quantities OF
. flaming cinders aloft and in all directions. The
: coniagration spread on every side. Most OF the
. buildings in the vicinity were Of very light franc
a ! ,rnrx nd anynrinn and pycepdinUlV cOmbuStl-
e be Several buildings on Jackson street
were torn downin succession, but the progress
ofthe flames was so rapid that this avaIled no.
:, thing
e The "Climax" on the corner of kearney and
s Pacific streets, was torn down, which, together
with the skill and energy displayed by those
who batted for the Court House, had the effect
TO save that building although it was very much
scorched and the blankets and carpets that COW
cred its front were burned to einders. The only
house saved Of the entire square, bounded by
Jackson, Kearney, Pacific and Dupont streets,
. was on the northwest corner, the Polka"
G Crossing Jackson street, it swept everything
UP to Portsmouth square and to Kearney street,
leaving only between the latter and Dupont the
AHS Caiiforaia Office, the California, Lafayette,
and Excellent restaurants, and two dwelling
houses. Besides the Excellent, which stands on
the corner of Washington and Dupont, only
, four buildings on Dupont were saved between
Washington and Pacific streets. The back
wooden buildings belonging to this office were
laid in ashes The Rendezvous and Bella Union,
together with all the other buildings extending
10 the walls of our Office, were burned to the
earth. But thanks be to brick walls and to God,
we got through the ordeal with the loss above
mentioned Had the Alta building been of wood,
every house between it and Dupont street, and
perhaps many beyond, must have gone by the
: board.
From the Washington market, the fire crossed
Kearney street, and soon the Pacific Neacs build
tng was in flames. Alas, alas when last even
linr we penned few lines in pleasantly abiding
to the low condition of our respected contempt
cary, by neason of the high grade Of the street,
which had partially hidden his office we little
!, Thought what entire destruction awaited him.
The NelcS lost ything-buildings presses,
: materials of all Kinds, paper, and even Their
| buoxs were not saved. All were put in the rear
brick building, which was supposed fre-proot,
but that, with its entire contents, was destroyed
With the exception of the Verandah, corner
j. Of W qshington and kcarncy, ant an unfinished
building corner of Kearncy and Pacific, the
whole row on the east side of Kearny between
:, Washing ton and Pacific streets, was destroyeG.
;, On Washington, below the Verandah, four more
buildings were urned, when the fire was stayed
u bv pulling down Il wooden house. The Veran-
l. dab was saved almost miracuously. Nearly all
its windows were on fire, and the flame seemed
:, to cling and twist around it With irresistible vio-
: lenee Its interior was much damaged. Moth
ing but its thick brick wall saved it from entire
destr,ntion The Parker house was not quite
covered in, was ttsought to be in much danger,
but good management together with five brick
e stories of the Ell Dorado, which stood between
S it and the flames, saved it and with it, proba-
bly,. the entire square in which it is located
The entire loss cannot be stated with any de-
gree Of certainty. 1t is far less in proportion to
she space burned over, than any OF the previous
. fires that have swept over US. The buildings
= were, many of them, of one story, and small.
!, Perhaps about one hundred and twenty FIVE
f were DESTROYED The total loss has been esti-
mated at amounts varying from two hundred and
r fifty thousand TO million of dollars. 1t is our
. opinion that three hu ndred thousand dollars
would cover the whole loss This estimate il
based upon the fact that manyao the build
iDgs were mere shantics, and also from the par
tirular estimates of the sufferers themselves
That the original cost was very much more than
they could justly be estimated at yesterday.
every one knows. .-.. .....