Volcano weekly ledger., 1856-07-12
From the Sacramento Daily Union
DESTRUCTION OF PLACERvILLE.
FULL PARTICULARS OF THE FIRE.


sumed, reach our city. From him we are
enabled to give full particulars of the terri
bic connagraton which occurred in Placer
vile on Sunday the 9th of July.
/ The fire, which originated in the Union
Hotel, on Main street, is believed to have
been purely accidental. The flames spread
with such rapdity that it was found impossi-
bic to use the hooks and ladders with any ef-
feet and as it so happened, the large reser-
voir on the hill was either empty, or the hy-
drants were so much out Of order that they
could not be used, rendering the efforts of
the fremen unayailing The flames swept in
every direction like q tornado, and it was
only with great difficulty thatanything could
be saved The only person known positively
to have lost his life was Mr.. Benham, pro-
pretor of toll road on the Hangtown hill,
an old man, whose remains were Unidentified
by plate of tceth-his body having been
burnt to a crisp near the american Office
BY his side was the body Of dog The re-
port in regard to the death of the daughter
of Walter i Barwell is untrue. One other
person, it is thought, may have persisted in
the French hospital, but this fact is not clear
| " ascertained No other lives were lost.
The printing material of the Placervile
American was not burned, as at first reported
Nearly the entire Office was removed and
saved That Of the Mountain Democrat was
almost wholly consumed. The last form Of
the paper and few fonts of job type were
all that could be saved. Several cases of
type were taken out and placed in what was
supposed to be safe place, but were there
consumed
On Monday several buildings were tenn
porarily erected, and business was resumed
by d. Newbauer and one or two keepers Of
saloons Mr. Fountain, entirely burned out,
was again manufacturing and selling soda on
Monday evening.
The progress of the fire and losses sustain
ed can be best understood from the following
recapituation of property destroyed, COM
mencng at the Union Hotel, on the south
side of Main street. where the fire origina-
ted:
b r. Nickerson, proprietor of the Union
Hotel, entire loss. House kept by d. w.
Levan who lost all the furniture and every
thing in it, Mr. Leyan was burnt ont at the
Orleans Hotel in April last. His wife barely
escaped with her life. The clothing Of the
dodgers was all burnt In the same block of
buildings were S. w. Ho1, barber and bath
ing saloon; Mrs Thompson, ice cream saloon;
Geo Loney, drinking saloon; Jacob Hart
man, Washington Baths; Mr. Timmons, gro
Ger and baker; Mr. Clark shoemaker; j NJ
Douglass, grocer; Mr. Bell Boomerang Sa-
loon; Robert White, druggist; barber shop
and bathing saloon, occupied by some colored
men, where the fire was stopped on that side
of the street, by Hooker's fre-proof store.
Commencing on the opposite side Of the
street, it consumed a blacksmith shop, built
since the last fire; next, Stephens fine new
stable and granary-loss very heavy; seve:al
small buildings used as shops, and house
used as a hospital, in which it is reported one
man was burned; Hogle's furniture store. a
large assortment on hand; Harvey Lees law
Office and library, in brick bnilding at the
corner of Main and Coloma streets, walls
only standing.
On Coloma street it burned the buildings
of A. Krahner, lager beerSaloon; Mr.. Peters,
paint shop; Mr. Hooker's stable; three val
liable buildings belonging to L. S. Cardwell,
one of which was the Mountain Democrat
ollice Capt Smiths stable; Mr. Dodd's resi-
dence; Conrad's Exchange, and the handsome
residence of d. Newbauer.
In the block on the north side of Main
street, and running up the street, the fire
swept off the building containing. the Placer
Theatre in the upper story; lower story oc-
cupied by Geo. i. Jones, grocer-heayy loss
land the Grey Hound Saloon, in which the
billiard tables were saved; Ohio Hotel, kept
by Francis Null nearly total loss; A. Bins
wanger fruit dealer; next to this was s. Lion
e. Co 3 fre-nroof clothinp store i'm which
every thing was saved The fire, however,
passed on, taking DR.. p. Chamberlns resi-
dence, up stairs, and a shoe store in first
story A Arvidson, jeweler, heavy loss; next,
the fre-proof block of A. & H. Seligman,
which was saved The fire passed on burn
: ing the cigar, tobacco and liquor store of d.
Newbauer, portion of the stock saved in
brick vault Next to this was the fre-proof
store Of Lee, Harmon q CO., which was
saved. Passing this, itburned the cigar store
of A. Wildstadter on first floor, and Drs.
Harvey, Clark & Keene's Office ON the second;
the City Hall Office and Station House; sew
eral small clothing stores, fruit stores, and
the Arcade Bakery A Hass' iire-proof
store escaped. Beyond this were burned the
clothing store of Bamberger q Kline, who
saved some goods in brick vault Fassett
q Whites grocery store, Pacific Express
Company's Office. Some OF the groceries in
this store, and the safe of the Express Co.,
having escaped.
Starting from the Union Hotel on the OPP
posite side of the street, and RAINING up the
creek, the fire consumed the Crystal Baths Of
f. A. Bell, new frame house belonging to
George Condee, and occupied by Kinney a.