New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1851-06-20
CALIFORNIA.
The Great Fire-Progress OF the Flames-Ex-
tent OF the Damage WarehOuses-Th
Newspapcrs-W onderful Energy of the City
The MarketS-Earthquake.


Core >pondence Of The Tribune
san FRAscsco, Thursday, May Is, 1851.
Another of those devastating calamtles
which have so often attacked this city, has laid IN
ashes all The best built most densely inhabited and
business portions of tins city since the departure Of
the last steamer On the 9TH of May, 1880, about 3
O'Clock Ia the morning, fire was discovered which,
before 1t was oxtngushed, destroyed large portion
Of the cty Three times. between that and the 3D.
of May. 1851. did destructive fires again and again
destroy the results of energy and perseverance
hitherto unparalleled ia the ANIMAL, of the world -
On The night Of the 3d of May, at II O'Clock. a small
,hanly about - feet by 90 was discovered 20 be- on
fire. By O'Clock on Sunday morning, the ith May,
more than one half Of the city laid IN smoking runs
and buildings and property were destroyed more than
cqualng IN extent and value all that the four great
fires besides the lesser ones which had occurred
within Il tweye-month had consumed. To attempt
to describe the appearance Of the city, while en-
yeloped IN this terrible confagTaton or the aspect
Of the smoking ruins, when the devastation was
complete or the feelings Of those whose breast,
were filled withhope the previous evening, and whose
fortunes were destroyed in a ieW hours would be
hopeless task. Frame buildings burned like Under
iron houses curled up Ike sheet, o. paper before
gave way and cumbled into ruins OF scores Of
buildings supposed 10 be fre-proof within the limits
Of the burned district not dozen remain, and II
seems a. If they were preserved by miracle. such
was TIE 6ercene,s Of tie flames, that they leaped
streets 100 feet wide and gnited the buildings
as # they were made of touchWo0j. And when the
fury Of the flames WIS exhausted, they were extn-
gushed IN improbable manner they had raw
aged. They destroyed one end OF a wooden build
ing and went out, leaving the remainder standing
To tear down buildings was useless. They might
begin a block of, but before tie first building was
demolished the flames had reached them To blow
them up, seemed equally unsericeabe-the flames
crossed The gap thus made as II . were nothing.
forward 10 you, accompanying tins, map show
ing the burned district which. with the explanations
accompanying u, Will enable readers ~ understand
better the accounts YOU may publish respecting this
great catastrophe. The los, Is lncalcuidDle. You
VIII ind the various ewspapers estimate al from
ssren 10 ttrenty millions Of dollars think the latter
estimate viii be much nearer the truth than the
former Tie list OF losses. which YOU viii find IN the
newspapers. are entirely falacOus and give good
data upon which 70 make any calculations The loss
~ the destruction OF buildings AID goods on the
ground, bounded by the Plaza on the west, Clay-st
on the SOUTH Montgomery on tire east, and Wash
Hgton-st on the north. can be readily summed up 10
exceed firo HiiiDHs AZ d9lQrs AMI this j. one block
only out Of more than twenty In the two bonded
warehouses which were destroyed, one on Callfor-
mast and the other on Clay-st there were more
than fv9'ftobsaad tpns Of merchandise stored. The
value Of this merchandise alone Wa between four
hundred fhOt'saHf gnf hair Hfti0H Of fOfldrs Then
II must be considered d4ai every store IN the city
almost had a fuD stock OF goods and many more
were destroyed chan were saved Ia consequence OF
the rapldity with which the flames spread and the
unexpected directions which they took Hundreds
Of persons v no were nch on Saturday night on sun
DAY morning had nothing but the clothes in which
they stood. Mutiudes Of persons DID NOT save a ma
Ier. And, alas, numbers lost their lives In one
store on the corner Of Montgomery and Sacramento
SIS, no less than SIX met fiery death some four or
hFe' whose names are unknown, are known TO have
peHshed IN the burning streets, and some are be-
HeVed 10 have persisted IN burning buildings whose
iie Will never be known earth save by conjecture
"nen they are never heard Of again.
BJ. The most wonderful part vi the history Of TIN.
re IS ID" energy and perseverance dlSplayed bvfbe
c.i.zens here. Tie an' ase does moi contain words
ON fLi -'tenh" ar Onmsnd thcI courage and