The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1851-06-28
IMPORTANT FROM CALIFORNIA
PARTICULARS or TIE
G r Z A FIRES s!

lIIr steamers from Ban lrnriseu are uu-
drauol 'o have brought down about two mil-
lnus Hni half Of gold
The Crescent City brought l7iOli5 ia
ruld dust. asi bs7 psswugora f..r-
s'+ TllE FlREs
Tho distressing news Of the destructive
runiiAprattuug ~ san filuriacn Aud stockton
b, couGmcd, although the estimated loss by
ilu nrmot, r. stated by fiie Ala California
ai ALpit 8 7,O0h0D0, Instead OF SO 600 600
UhrIu reported, The San Francisco Herr
ald litarr- 10 40 tI2,UO0O0O. The estimates
ufindiyidunl losses were made by the suler-
rH themselves and as our papers suggest, u
-4,ut Improbable lint 10 The excitement Of
thc 0.caiion, they aru greatly exaggerated in
.,,4g,y i,,si-....
Thofro brote oui M about ~ o'clook on
the niellt OF the "a OF May, in he Cpholsie-
~ torc of Aiessra Baker 4 Alcsserypi on the
wc.t slde Of the Plaza, aud nearly opposite
llo Post Oairo Tho buildings Ia that yirin-
b., being an Of wood, the hamcs spread With
nfghth rapidly up Clay street, back to-
wards Sacramento, aud down Clay street To-
wards kearnry, aud were not siayed'in their
isrugfpss Uifit tlIp0-MdiflH, AM nat tlr
most valuable portion Of the city lay IN snuk
iug iliins, Nineteen bio ks nstmlted To-
contain ucarly thousand buildings we're al
most entirely destroyed.
abg tlarp IN which the fire originated
w., entirely destroyed, with the exception
~ so mn b of IL ~ lfonts upon Dupont street
md lics above the Plaza The next square
to the north.nud bounded by California street
al with lie exception ofthc prop
,FV ON Dupont street and u phrt ut CuIIiOlT
ua street Upon fho west side OF koamcy
street, lndWccn JACK son and summer street,
t0f auoj nll j. funr, with the exception Of
the Nrraudah saloon al the south west corn
,rof Wa-h,uglop street. the III Dorado SN'
loon NJ the north west corner Of the same (;
tho California LNyhangc, ~ the southeast
rururr ~ lay street aud llahn's clothing
Store, at the 0pposito corner. Montgomery
street b. Va ruins on the west (or water side)
. from Pacific street 10 Pine street on the
est idr, from jackson % summer street
with the exception Of Naplcc's building on the
corner Of Merchant street, lin which Gregg
We Express Office was locatcd) Howard q
Glrcn's liue building occupied by III. i. Ar
gcnu and the /. =. Assay Office. the building
occupied 10y James King of William, o the
corner at Commercial street, the building oc-
,ataoA hy Gildermciainr x 90, ON the same
square and the building on the corner of
Stmnrt- sifrri The SWnrc bounded by
Sdnsome, Battery, broadway and Pacific sts
81 entirely PROSTATE, ~ also all thc buildings
"a lhn three squares bounded by Sansome
Ritterv, Pacific aud SACRAMENTO streets, with
the exception of the fine Gre proof bonded
warehouse of Gross 4 Co. On Sacramento
sitcrt all is goue on both sides, from near the
.ururr ri Dupont strrrt ~ Buitury'- street
50 also with CALIFORNIA; street, from kearncy
10 Snnsomc, with the exception of the store
Of Cooke Bros, & Co, Jones Hotel, new
aud Gne building, and the store Of IIasler,
Baincs X Co. Liedesdor-i streets complete
!, obliurucd The North side of Jackson
street alij both sides of Washington street,
from Kcnrncy TO Battery streets, are also en-
urcv deatroyrd. 80 also a portion OF tho
buildings on the next to the southeast corner
OF Pacific aud Sansomc streets; also on all
the corner. OF Broadway and Battery streets.
Cmy street upon both sides, from above the
Plaza and 20 Battery streets, is lcvcllcd, with
the exceptions already mentioned.
'fhu statement that the fire reached the
shipping in the harhor IL without foundation.
Three storcships, 'hc Mantle, Gen. Iarri-
son and Apollo old huks which 10y the On
croachmrnts upon the waters of the bay, had
brcn brought quite into the heart of the city,
--llLl- lXere Ii4el -storehnuses, were the only
vessels burned. Battery street vas not flied
in Although extensive business was douc
on each side of It, tho water ran through the
centre, forming "A sort of canal The cpnnec-
ton betwenn- thu- liru and Lhr property upon
the west side Of Battery street, being severed
bv tearing up the cross docks or streets, the
conhagration was prevented from extending
further in that dircction-twith the exception
ot Long wharf, about hal0oi which was dcs-
troycd. None other of Pie wharves are scri-
uu5ly injured.
Every newspaper office in the city, was
destroyed, except the Alta California. The
balance, Pacific News, aud Herald, saved a
portion OF their materials.
Tho News and Herald have both been re-
issued aud it is said that the California Cour.
Ter would also lie re-estabished, although il
lost ovoVy thing, including the best power
press on the Pacific, steam engine, and com
plcic newspaper and Job olhee.
The Picayunc lost everything II is said
of Mr. Sheppard, one of the proprietors, that
he sacrificed his property, his all, in his sue
-rrySiul efforts to save the Eio Of a stranger,
- whom he piCkCd up in the street., badly burn.
cd and disabled, rs he was carrying OIL" the
hooks Of his office. Mr. Sheppard (it is said)
throw down his books. aud placing the man
GA bis shoulders, carried him hither and yon-
der TO a supposed place of safety, but finally
driven of by the fire, carried his victim tc
the hospital and when he returned To his of,
flee all was consumed. MIR g. +. Bennett AN
other of The prpprietors, had only just return
cd FROM the Legislature Mt San Jose COT which
he is n nirmhrr) and informs me that he has
nm only lost his newspaper property, but all
the money aud papers (SIO,o0o) which ho
brought from the Capital, his whole winters
81 work, in State scrip, SSc.
Besides the immense loss Of property, we
have to record the melancholy fact that scye-
raj individuals lost their lives. Among them
are Capt. Welsh, of Baltimore, Edward Nc
Cabin Mr. Leon Greenbaum, Reuben Baker
NeushS4en and Roscnthal. .IZ----.
The most terrible scene was enacted in the
IRON bGiifljng Of TaalIe and MeGshill, at the
corner OF Montgomery andSacramcnto streets
Into this five persons had gone, after the
flames had reached it, in order to save some
valuahu ARTICLES. They closed all the iron
window shutters and doors, so that no DRAFT
OF AIR might enter. Whom they found the
house getting too hot to stay longer, they at,
- tempted to get out but horrible To relate the
windows and doors had expanded so by the
heat that all their efforts were unable to open
them. All within persisted in the flames
Their calcined bones could he SEEN subsc.
quently, smoulderng amid the ruins be-
meath.