Weekly Trinity journal., 1870-10-29
OUR SAN FRANCISCO LETTER.
SAN Francisco. October 2l. 1870.


lumber mills on Beale street last night. Even
before the alarm was given the heavens were in
glow, and by the time that the Department
reached the spot the mass of flames had leaped
from building to building, until eleven of the
largest workshops in that portion of the city
were on fire. AT eleven o'clock, the city was as
light as MONDAY, and it seems as if it would be
past human power to check the progress of the
flames. Hour after hour the brave hremen
fought with the terrible element sometimes
gaining temporary advantage, but only to be
driven back in a few more minutes by the
ward rush Of the fiery sea. At midnight the
spectacle was fearfully grand. Acres of fame
shot high up in the air, vomiting VOLCANOES of
sparks, while the centre of the mass wrthed and
glowed to the accompaniment of sullen roar,
that sounded like defiance of all efforts to con-
troll its awakened fury. Right in the middle of
the fiery ocean was coal yard containing five
hundred tons of coal which literally added fuel
to the flame. In less than hour after the
discovery of the Gre, property valued at $780,
600 was destroyed, and how many lives were
lost is yet unknown. The heat was so intense
that buildings thirty yards off scorched and blis-
tered and all the glass in the adjoining streets,
cracked and broke. Amongst the buildings
burnt down were Milton & Iialey's mills (cm-
ploying two hundred men), the Glasgow Iron
and Metal importing warehouse, the Summit
Ice Company's house, the Beale Street MIN,
Caseboldt Co.'S Wagon Factory, Pacific works,
n dozen dwelling houses, stores etc and coal
yard. Had there been any wind the whole
southwestern portion of the city must have been
destroyed, for the Fire Department was quite
powerless to cope with the flames. AS it was,
its progress was checked by large bonded
warehouse on one side, and it was allowed to
burn down the block on the other, and die for
want of food.
At three o'clock this afternoon, engines were
still playing on the smouldering fragments, and
thousands of people were congregated around
the burnt district.
CLERICAL.
A new Disappointing a trio of those high
clerical dignitares now attached to San Fran
csco-arrived here on Saturday from Russia, to
take charge of the members belonging to the
Greek church. Whether he will be more popu-
lar with his flock than the other two Alemany,
Roman Catholic, and Kip, Protestant Episcopal,
are with theirs, remains to be seen. Kip gets
into constant difficulties anent his High Church
proclivities, and Alemany is too strict in his re-
quirements to suit the more liberal and progress
sive Catholics. The latter has not yet returned
from the Ecumenical Council, and as he recently
wrote that he intended TO remain in Rome until
the Pope got ont of his difficulties, the faithful
are not at all likely to their shepherd for this
generation.
A NOTABLE ANNIVERSARY.
Two years ago to-day, our confidence in the
stability Of things terrestrial received shock
from which it took months to recover. San
Francisco never held a more demoralized COM
munty than on the 2lst Of October, and until a
shaking severe as that one, again gives an
earthquake fright, it is not likely that she will
hold such another. Caifornians have hitherto
been proud of their earthquakes. They have
looked upon them as productions indigenous to
the Pacific, and as a special monopoly in which
none Of the other States could share. But there
is no longer any credit in living in an earthquake
country if every Eastern State can have its own
private shake. SO yesterday sensation in New
York and Massachusetts is likely to have the eff
feet of cutting off this special of Califor-
nian pride.
HOW TO PREDICT EARTHQUAKES
Frank Stewart, of San Jose, has achieved con-
siderable reputation as an earthquake prophet.
of Al ~ |,
heretofore been a secret, but in order that every
man may become his own prophet, I intend to
divulge it. On the first Of each month, Stewart
announces that there will be shake between
that date and the fifteenth On the fifteenth he
postpones the event until some time between
never misses an earthquake, and is considered
right smart man down in the Santa Clara Val
ley.
A PIONEER WHEELBARRow.
In l850 an adventurous individual determined
to get to California by hook or by crook, and
not having the Wherewitbal to purchase team,
bundled up all his worldly effects into a small
compass and putting them in a wheebarrow he
started for the land of gold. Trundling his bar
row before him he accomplished the journey
from Council Bluffs in Iowa, to Placervlle in
one hundred and ffty-fve days. reaching his
destination on the 26th of September without
having met accident or adventure Having
prospered and grown rich during the intervening
twenty years, he wishes to show his gratitude
by doing something for suffering humanity, and
accordingly astonishei the committee of the
German Sanitary Fund by proposing to wheel
one of the most rotund of this number along
Montgomery street, while the others should col
lect money for their fnnd from admiring citizens
during the performance. Germany couldn't see
it, but the wheelbarrow man-not to be baked of
his good intentions-is going to deliver a lect-