Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1851-06-21


versay day of the "bg fire year SINCE The
the present fire. and the loss incurred only be compared
to the fire which occurred your city the winter Of
The loss in goods alone could be replaced short Of ue
millions OF dollars, and Of buildings certainly much
Theeourhs OF our merchants have lost their Stores goods
and not few their all The best par, city destroyed
Nearly oil OF the handsome have persisted in the great
confagraon Argens splendid banking establishment stands
almost alone In its glory owing the superhuman efforts Of Mr.
Argent and few friends who stood by and guarded every
sbe aperture that might opened by the dreadful tornado
wind and fire which carrying death and destruction be-
fore it,
Already quite large number of cheap shanies have been
erected or temporary company Others again have
menced the building Of fine brick ed6ces but streets
mostly ruinedhe panks of which they are made being
burnt and rendered almost impossible In almost every
the covering to the was burnt off, leaving
huge blackened ditch running along the middle of the Streets
and will DO many day, fear before the citys credit,
wofay depressed by this disaster will be sufficient 10 re
pair them All day Monday and part of Tuesday the fire
slowly consuming them. little exerton might have
exnguished this fire. and saved much Of the planking but
we presume those whese duty was 10 attend to other
wise occupied.
The building used for assyng U. s.ngots &C. by Moat
Humbert was totally consumed and will be six weeks
before they VIII De able to resume business Consequently
gold OF California coinage selling by the &c.
which Is equal 10 about 10 per cent. discount.
SAN FRAScIsco, MAY is, 1851.
The fire was on the evening Of the Sd May, being the
niversay OF the "bg fire. which occurred here year
Nearly t,centy fve hundred buildings ,Dre burnt
Unfortunately this dire disaster bee our city on Saturday
night when, but few hours previous Mayor and Al
demen had laid aside their respective Offices while our e,U
Mayor lBrenham,) the Common Council, and other
city officials, had not been into Office Consequently
they not qualified to act by the authority Of law Hence
every thing was at loose ends and the elements had full
sweep. The result il in every way disastrous the city,
The treasury is empty, and San Francisco virtually
bankrupt We have prisons wherein coDne the crim
mails, who run wild in midst, doing evil continually The
fact is that every thing here sadly damaged and for the
present, in awful condition Of doubt and uncertainty
Merchants are at loss TO know how to proceed few
who have escaped asking prices for goods,
without eectng any sales Those who are burnt out, in
whole in part busy making preparations for building
which, in too many instances will consume their little all
Numerous instances could be cited Of parties who been
burnt out three and four times here in this city within eighteen
months past and yet, with courage and enterprise found
only in California, they rebuilding willing try again
the burning embers have had time cool off Notwith
standing all this have yet to hear Of single failure and
this circumstances only be explained by the fact that many
Of merchants receive all their goods from abroad on con-
Segment Hence the heaves, losses must of necessity fall
parties elsewhere and be scattered all along the Atlantic
coast from Maine to Texas, Mexico and England
France, SPAIN Germany in fact there is scarcely spot on
the face Of the civilized world but its inhabitants either
merchants, traders, shippers otherwise will be compelled
sustain greater less proportion of this awful desruc
ton Of property, which only be estimated by its millions
Not less than mile square has been burnt ouer and that
the !" city Of fires"
Scarcely had recovered from the first shock occasoned
BY this dire calamity, when hear Of similar fire at
Sockon which, in size and amount Of property consumed
in every respect equal own, estimating according
population Confidence of course, has received such
shock that with the great Of capital sustained years
suffice lost position The beautiful
brick building Of Delmonicos is in ruins and, while the
workmen engaged in tearing down the toerng walls
preparatory to rebuilding, they fell down. buying half
dozen PERSONS and killing outright Frenchmen who
aboring on the premises
OF the printing establishments in operation only
capped that Of the Alta California which will be fortune
to the propretors The Public Balance, originally started
by Mr. Burkalew, has suspended. The "True Standard
ably conducted by Eugene Cassey (onr Slate prnte
is making strong efforts to epubsh the paper here
ofore The Herald" Nugent editor and proprietor, is
full blast again, having suffered heartily. The "Pacfc
News issue their paper usual. The "Pcayune" lost
every thing It is said Of Mr. Sheppard one Of the propre-
tors that he sacrificed his property, his ALL in his successful
efforts to the life of stranger whom he picked up in
the Streets badly burnt and disabled he carrying of
the books Of his Office Mr. Sheppard il is sad threw down
his books and, placing the man on his shoulders carried
him hither and yander supposed place of safety but
finally driven of by the fire. carried his victim TO the hosp
tall and when he returned to his office all consumed
Mr. F. G. Bennett another Of the proprieto had only just
returned from the Legislature at San Jose of which he is
member and informs that he has not only lost his
paper property but all the money and papers 000) which
he brought from the capahs whole winters work State
scrip &C. As for the Courier, (Crane and Rice, editors
and propretor they too used up, though they
making extraordinary efforts to resume the publication Of their
"Whig organ"
THos Butler KING, the Collector Of the port, abb
sent from the city Cup the mnes) at the time Of the fire.
The custom-house building entirely destroyed, with
many valuable papers. The subtreasuy" is safe, and is
daily guarded by armed force Of United States marines
There is about four millions Of dollars in the vault When
the cusomhous threatened, Mr. Cost the naval officer
appointed six gentlemen to supernend the operations for the
defence. Every point well guarded, and the building
not abandoned until all hope Of saving it out Of the
question Mr.. Cost himself severely scorched in escap
ing but we happy TO say his injuries, though painful,
not serious He has been attending to business within
the last few days. usual The building owned by
w. H. Davis, Esq, and rented for $4,000 per annum
His loss otherwise was very great
MANY merchants who rich last week have told me
they had not saved dollar that all they possessed in the
world was simply the clothes they stood in and these in
stances are not isolated they every where appa
rent seen, and felt and yet these striving for
the mastery, going ahead in true Yankee style.
The most terrible scene enacted in the iron building
Of Taas & McCah the corner Of Montgomery aud Sac
ramento streets Into this five persons had gone after the
flames had reached it. 10 order valuable articles
They closed all the iron window shutters and DOORS that
no draft Of air might enter. When they found the house
getting too hot stay longer they attempted get out but
horrible to relate the windows and doors had expanded
the hea, that all their efforts unable open them, and
all within persisted in the flames.
The San Francisco Herald says that at the recent fire in
tina. city, the articles of ohouses and Roman prov
ed utterly useless protection against fire. The iron build
ines were found be any thing else than repoo aud the
cement crambed away in the brick walls, which yielded
to The fire. prove utterly unreliable when exposed
to heat.