The Davenport gazette., 1851-07-03
FIRE AT SAN FRANCISCO.


The particulars ofthc great connagratiol
at San Francisco would occupy every col
umu in our paper, if published in full, ane
prove ofIitlle interest to the general reader
Wo give below a picture of the fire and ,
scene that there occurred:-
PICTURE OF THE FIRE.
The editor Of the Alta California gives
the following vivid picture OF tho conAa
grafton: !.
leaves, and sent forth their brilliant flames
of green, blue and yellow tnts; mingled
with and modifying tho great red tongues
of fire which flashed upward from thou.
sand burning houses. The hill sides were
lighted as ifthe sun were above the Eastern
mountains, and their trees, shrubs, herbage
and houses, were as distinguishabie in the
bright light as il il were noon. Darkness.
hung over large portion Of the shipping
where the broad and heavy ocean OF smoke
lay down in mpenetrable gloom over the
Bay. People became para!yzed. Many
removed their stock Of goods, or portions o.
them, four or five times, and had them over.
taken and destroyed by the flames at last
The streets were crammed with masses Of
human beings and rushing teams, only Civ
ing wsy before the advance of the elements
as the smoke and heat and crashing walls
pushed them bach. Men became m9d;
some rushed headlong into the ilames.-
Weeping women and prattllng iniuncN were
wandering amid ashes and destruction. =
Every few moments the earth and air irem.
sed. as great buildings were torn into trlg-
snent by explosions Of ginpowder, and the
atmosphere was flied with suffered tim
hers brick and mortar. The muItilnie
hung upon the borders If this s.vast sen i
Aa me-" few comparatveI knew, or aid
know, what were the dangers 1nd eNcrilons
OF those who were within the rsnge i the
sitting smoke aud scorching Il i#me IN less
than niue hours from the begInnlHf, more
than twenty squares existed eny - mem
ory, and in The ascending columns oi
smoke and flame which covered the cit, s
site
But the saddest sight OF all was the des-
truction of brave, but bewldefed men, who,
finding themselves suddenly surrounded
with fire, rushed, staggered and uncertain,
from flame to flame, IN hopeless efforts to
escape, until strangled and scorched they
writhed and fell in full view of hundreds
who were completely pnwer'ess to save
them Others, after battling inside Of what
they had considered firc-proof buildings,
finding their efforts to save them vain, en-
deavored to escape, hnt too late. The
doors and window blinds were red hot, and
could no, be opened in some instances. and
their last chance of safety failed them
We cannot express our sensations oi yester-
day while looking upon the blackened re
mains Of poor humanity, as they still lay
burned to Goals amid the fire which filed
the cellar nf building on Montgomery-st
s,ill beyond the reach Of all who gazed up
on them. May we never again see 50 hor-
rible spectacle.
EXCITING INCIDENT.
One of the most exciting incidents Of the
fire occurred in the building of II. NJ.
Naglee, corner Of Montgomery aud Mer-
chant sis. Messrs. Naglee, Horace 7.
James, G. F. Moves, VIM. C Stiles, Callet,
Wm. Forst, Merrell, McVicar, Crlt'enden
and Winga.c, were 10 aud on the building.
exer,ing themselves 10 their utmost TO pro-
tect i, from the surrounding flames, until
they were entirely cut oil from all hope Of
escape. The building was filed with
smoke, which was almost binding and
smo,hering, and the inmates had only SIX
buckets OF water, with no possible chance
ofge,,ing further supply Ofconrse they
were obliged to practise economy in lis use
and wherever the smallest blaze appeared,
dipper full exlinguished it. In many in
stances they were obliged 10 tread out the
fire with their feet! For this purpose q
sledge hammer was found extremely use
full. b, their superhuman eyerlions was
the building finally saved.
Mr. Hastings, who occupied. with Gre
gory ,be lower story. also remained IN
the ui'ding and alone ballled with the hfe
which wa constantly creeping through the
crevices ia the doors aud windows. iiaa
The Il lmes finallv succeeded in making ~
progress. he would have shut himself lp IT,
the vault - the only hope of saving his NE.
II thsir own energy. courage 7nd deter.
minaiion alone d. the gentlemen we have
named owe their escape, = Pacific Mems.
Married,