Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1851-06-26
Great Fire at San Francisco,

The fifth great fire of San Francisco
commenced at a little after eleven o'clock.
on the night of May Sd, 1851, in the sec
ond story of a paint shop on Clay street, on
the south side of Portsmouth Square. 1t is
quite generally believed that it was the
work of an incendiary, as the proprietors
had carefully e|xtinguished all the lights but
one, an hour before leaving, and took with
them the last light out of the building
The paint shop was the next building to
the American on the west side. The wind
was blowing fresh at the time, and soon in
creased to a furious gale. The engines
were soon on the ground, and the fremen
worked with wonderful energy, but the
Chief and First Assistant Engineers being
absent from the CITY, their efforts were moi
as well concentrated as they otherwise
would have been.
The flame when first seen was not larger
than a mans body, but in less than five
minutes the entlte room in which it origi-
mated was full of it. Soon it burst from
the windows and doors, and communicated
to the "American' to the east, and to an
adjoining building occupied by Mrs. Rhodes
as a furnishing store, and from that moment
all efforts to arrest it seemed in vain. 1t
extended to the west up Clay almost to Du-
pond street, to the South it crossed Sacra-
mento almost to California street, crossed
Kearny and extended to the South, cross
ing California, as far as Pine, east along
to Sansome, north along Sansome to a short
distance beyond California street, then east
to Battery street, which is the southern
boundary of the fire, except at its extreme
north east point, where it crossed Battery
and burned to the salt water. From the
point of beginning it passed down Clay to
Kearny, north along Kearny to Jackson,
east along Jackson to Montgomery, then
north to the Pacific, cast halfa block, when
it crossed Broadway, and extended diago-
nally along to Vallejo street, and then
crossing Battery street to the east, it ex-
tended to the salt water of the bay.
Within this entire circuit, embracing a
tract a mile long by half a mile wide, not
more than fifteen buildings escaped. There
were a number left with their walls stand
ing, the entire contents and wood work
within being destroyed. A few safes and
vaults, though exposed TO intense heat,
passed the ordeal like faithful guards, and
completely protected their contents. At
least nineteen squares were destroyed. The
number of buildings is not easy to fix
They must have been at least fifteen hun
dred. The total loss has been estimated at
from twelve TO twenty millions of dollars
Fifteen millions is probably a very reason
able figure: The fire performed its task
in less than ten hours, the last building be.
ing a bed of ruins by nine o'clock on the
morning of May 4th.
The sight was appalling. Thousands
upon thousands, men, women and children,
were thrust almost without notice into the
streets, without saving even a suit of clothes
in countless instances. The city was full
OF wanderers. But everything else was
forgotten in the sensations Of horror felt, as
some poor, half strangIed, burning crea-
ture would burst from the flames, rush into
the steets, and after a blind and vain effort
to escape, sink down in torture and despair
within sight of hundreds who were totally
unable to render assistance. Two were
thus burned to death in the streets, and six
were destroyed in Taafe g. McCahiIl's iron
bulldlng-eight in all known TO have lost