Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1871-02-25
SAN FRANCISCO LETTER.
[yRox QUIZ n.au1Aa CORRESPONDENCE
THE BRAVE AND UNRRwARD.
I'D FIREMRN OF SAN FRAN.
CIsCO-FORTUNATE ACTRESS
THE SKATING CARNIVAL
THE LATE GALE.

THE LATE
SAN Francisco, Feb. %, 1871.
The gale Of Monday night, to which
I briefly referred in my last letter,
was, as I surmised, one of the heaviest
ever experienced in this latitude ; in
deed, people whose memories can
range back through more years than
my own, say that 1t was the stiffest
storm ever known in California. 1t
appears to have commenced simulta-
neously all over the State, and to have
extended across the Sierra, though Its
force was rather unequally distributed,
San Francisco getting the lions share
Of wind, rain, lightning and thunder.
The total rainfall in this city during
the continuance Of the storm was
nearly two inches, while across the
Bay it did not exceed one inch. 1t
vas the first time that many Of our
juveniles had heard thunder, and they
seem to think that earthquakes are
only "small potatoes" compared
with it. Yesterday the sun shone out
for q brief space, and enabled those OF
our militia warriors who were not
afraid of getting their boots muddy to
march through the streets in honor OF
the late George Washington. To-day
the heavens are again shedding an un-
necessary amount of moisture on an
unappreciative city, and everybody Is
blessing the farmers in consequence
justly holding that they are RESPONSE
BILE for the uncomfortable pluvial dis
pensation-and hoping there will be
no more growing from them about
want of rain.
The PIremon
have had q pretty rough week Of 1t so
far. On Monday they were called out
while it was blowing big guns to quell
a fire on Jackson street, and they had
only just returned to the engine-houses,
when they were summoned to Minna
street, where the wall of q new three
story brick building had been blown
down by the storm, crushing in the
roof of the frame house next to 1t, and
killing or burying. alive all the in
mates. 1t was ten o'clock next morn
ing before the debris was sufficiently
removed to ascertain how many had
been killed by the disaster, then four
dead bodies carried off to the morgue
showed that the flremen had had q
mournful mornings work. Three Of
the brave boys were badly injured du
ring the search by another portion of
the wall falling upon them, and one,
1t Is to be feared, will never again re-
spond to the thrilling signal Of the
alarm bell. On Tuesday the Depart
ment was called out twice, and early
on Wednesday morning 1t was again
on active service, battling for hours In
the midst of a pouring rain with Its old
and never vanquished elemental enemy.
I am certain that we do not sufficiently
value the services Of our brave fire.
men. Night after night they rush to
their posts at o moments notice, ever
careless Of their own safety, and ever
ready to brave all kinds Of dangers, If
by doing so they nj save life or prop
erty from the most terrible of the ele-
ments. Yet they get little or no praise
for 1t, and never q substantial ac-
acknowledgement from those whose
wealth they rescue from destruction.
II is taken as q matter of course that
they should do exactly what they did,
and they are considered only to have
done q duty for which they are paid.
When n ship ut sen assists another, she
can claim salvage. When q person
finds anything in the street that be-
longs to another, he expects and gets
q reward. When one man saves the
life of another, all rewards fall so far
short of compensation that he expects
only gratitude. Yet seven, eight and
ten times a week our flremen do the
equal of these things, and are lone the
richer for 1t, either in purse or thanks.
IF any young merchant In San Fran
cisco was to Il up q ladder tonight
in front Of a burning house, the heat
scorching and burning his skin, the
flames roaring like a furnace, and then
break open q window and creep into
a room filled with black volumes of
smoke and licking fiery tongues, pres
emily to reappear with o child In his
arms, and safely to descend to the
ground, the whole State would de-
seryedly ring with his glorious hero
ism. But let a firemen do this and-it
was his duty-and that Is the last of 1t.
And it is just the same with property.
Our firemen save millions Of dollars,
save this man from beggary and that
one from the loss of a life's labor, yet
thew cannot claim q cent Of salvage,
and rarely get even a card Of thanks.
Perhaps some day or other the fire.
mans services will be estimated ut
their proper value, but 1t Is certain
that at present he represents the mdri-
u of heroism and the minimum Of Its
appreciation.
Inc nuFulu8 u hshnCOtu SCuVol
on Wednesday morning was a sad
loss to the city. Our schools are al
ready insufficient for the accommoda-
ton of all the children who desire to
attend them, and this calamity will
still further reduce their capacity. 1t
was the finest edifce ever erected on
the coast for public educational pur-
poses, and was alike al ornament and
q credit to San Francisco. The build
ing was finished in 1865, at n cost of
al, 900, and had rooms for 1,100
A rough computation of the
damage places It at $4,000, which,
with q depleted school fund and no in
surance on the building, Is a sum that
cannot readily be raised. 1t was at
first supposed that the fire was the
work OF an incendiary, but a more
thorough examination renders 1t prob
able that it was caused by an over
flue. Eleven hundred boys
would have been made supremely
by the event, but unfortunately
for them, though fortunately for their
parents, a large school-house has just
been erected at Hayes Valley, to
most of the classes will be trans