The southern press., 1851-08-08
ne I'm II - yHp1 n

Ala California. The 6rs occurred on EatasdAy.
the 22d Of June:
Yesterday morning. little after tan o'slcak,
the dreadful cry Of Fire" was raised, and crowds
Immediately gathered around the building whsre
1t originated. This was ia Pxct6c stF14t; on
the north side, near Powell stsaet. ID two-atory
wooden building. Fire was frst discovered
breaking out OF the roof and under the eaves Of
the house, A few moments before the 6re, the
air seemed calm and stiFlsss, but with the pro-
gress Of the hamas wind seemed to Tlse. and in
few minutes strong gale blew from The north
west Next door to the house where thu 'I{rs
was first seen was the carpenters shop X Nor
rss T. Reynolds which immediately capehf+-
The fire spread from this down PaciGs Stzset,
when the building ut the corner Of IN al34Y noas
Stockton street was torn down with tks hope ef
arresting the flames. A pile Of lumbar n he
rear of the house where the FIRE oriGieAny
caught, was soon on fire. and In few mfnates
the whole block to Broadway and on te Mack
ton street was in u blaze. s
The fire about Iaf-past ten crossed Pani6c
street, and with the strong wind blowing sooa
communicated to the whole block A Gar ~ Inek-
son street Houses on the corner Of JArkaon
and Stockton streets were torn down, but with
no avail The wind had risen 70 = perfect hur-
ricane, and as there was no water in that vicini-
ty there was nothing to be done but gaze upon
the progress of the flames over q portion Of the
city built Of the most combastible materials. At
the time the fire crossed Stockton strset il At the
same time spread down Broadway, Pacific and
Jackson streets Along the former Il burnt on
the side toward the Plaza ~ far - Kasxpay
street. On Pacific street Il burned 70 Ohio stfaet,
taking the City Hall and the City Hospitai IN ita
course On Jackson street It reached "a ! fsw
houses below Montgomery street. The hrst
burned furiously along Stockton street. on both
sides, nearly down to Washington street, whare
by the most extraordinary exertions the frame
building on the corner Of Washington and Stock.
ton street, owned by w. ID. M. Howard, $50,
and occupied by DR.. Wozencraft, was saved.
Blankets were thrown over the roof, which
was kept continually wet and thus the FIRE was
here combstted II then crossed ia diagonal
direction in the rear of the Baptist church, which
was also saved, into Washington street, burning
down the hospital Of DR.. Arthur B. Htont and
the adjoining buildings. 1t passed down Wash
ington and along Dupont street. On the latter
street it stopped at the old adobe buildinQ Con-
ing down Washington street it caught the Jack
son House. The buildings on Dupont street.
between Washington and Pacific streets. were
all on FIRE, and then the whole city seemed
House and the house adjoining was burned, while
the California restaurant, above and adjoining
our Office, was blown up. At the time the fire
was spreading down Washington street 1t was
being met by the burning of tho buildings on
Kearny street, which, being nearly all Of wood,
burned very readily. The flames caught below
our office in the wooden buildings between II
and the Bella Union, and then It was that our
Office caught after we had removed from 1t al
it was possible to save. The house known "A
the "LOuisiana," was torn dcwn, the doors Of
the Bella Union closed, and the lattcr left to
take its chance. At the same time the flames
were crossing from Dupont street to the light
frame buildings in the rear of the old adobe,
which soon caught and burned.
Crossing in the rear of the Verandah, the fire
extended down Washington street to Sapsome,
taking both sides of the street as far a. Mont
gomery street, stopping on the south side at Bur-
goyne's new buding.-On Montgomery street,
the west side is burned entirely from Pacific
street to Washington, and the east side with the
exception of the buildings of ]. B. Bidelman. J.
FriedIander, aud ]. Wilber, near the corner Of
Jackson street. Between Washington and Clay
streets the only building burned was on the west
side, near the corner of Merchant street. and
occupied by Messrs. Cronn e. Markley From
Washington street the fire crossed over in the
rear of "El Dorado" to the new theatre, which
was soon enveIoped in flames, and to the build
ings in its rear, communicating into Merchant,
and from there crossing into Clay street on the
north side below the California Exchange The
building on Clay street next to the Exchange
was torn down and the rem iinder of the build
ings on the north side burned IA far as the brick
building occupied by Tallant e. Wilde, on the
corner Of Montgomery street. Here the FIRE sp-
peared to be stayed, the engines having been
playing upon all the houses east of the Plaza.
and most vigorous efforts having been made to
save them.
The scene upon the Plaza WAS terrific and
singular Goods we're moved to it from all parts
of the city, and after the buildings on the north
side, and the above buildings had caught and
were burning, many Of the goods on the WASH
ington side Of the Plaza were soon in flames
They were moved, and removed and ,posifsd
on the lot vacated by the burning Of the City
Hotel at the last FIRE. The buildings o, Pacific
and Jackson streets and the block between them
were principally occupied by French and Mexi-
can population.
The patients in the City Hospital, number
ing about ninety, were removed into q lot In the
rear Of the hospital, and were afterward tnken
to building at the foot Of Dupont street on
the North Beach, where they were comfortably
provided for.
The prisoners in the city prison were mme-
dately remanded to the county jail, and all the
books of record in the recorders and marshal's
office were saved. The Buildings saved upon
the Plaza are the Bella Union, the Custom
House, Verandah, Ell Dorado, Union, and Cali
fornia Exchange, together with the wooden
buildings between Union and California Ex-
change. The Union was saved only by the
greatest exerions. While the theatre was
burning the Union was smoking. and only by
the most constant application Of the engine
companies, and the fearless labor of personal
friends of the proprietors was the Union pre-
vented from burning. The principal houses
destroyed upon the Plaza are the Alta Califor-
MIA office, Lafayette Restaurant, Jackson House,
the Old Adobe, Louisiana, Maguire's House, (the
Jenny Lind Theatre)
The Presbyterian Church Of Rev. Albert
Williams, in Stockton street, was burned
The burned district extends down Broadway
to kearney street, along Kearney, taking both
sides, to Pacific street, down Pacific to Ohio, and