Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1880-03-10

! OAKLAND, March h.-This morning about
/ 2 o'clock the Grand Central Hotel, on
Twelfth street, was discovered to be on fire,
! and an alarm was sounded which brought
out the whole fire department, which re-
! sponded prol.ptly. The Grand Central Hotel
was an Immense wooden structure, three hun
dred feet long by sixty feet in width. four
stories nigh. with mansard roof, and was
built about seven years ago by Michael
| Reese, the recently deceased millionaire, at
cost of SlS0, 900, and furnished at cost of
| $4,000 more. The wind was blowing
from the north almost a hurricane and the
flEe had made good progress when the
fire department. arrived ON the ground.
All around the hotel were situated
other buildings, among which was the
Webster House worth $4,000. The efforts
of the department were insufficient to save
the hotel and adjoining buildings, except two
on the west SIDE Of Webster street and on
Eleventh, and the consequences were that
seven buildings, including the hotel, were
destroyed. The losses W. re as follows Grand
Central Hotel, $3.50, 00o, partially insured in
the California Goa pan'es; Webster House,
owned by DIR. Merritt, total loss, $4,000, no
insurance; DIR. Cushing's residence, insured
for $1,000; VIM. Atkinson's house, $500;
Albert Atkinsons house, 500. These last
two were situate five blocks distant, and
caught from sparks waited from the burning
hotel. The fire department worked nobly
and Is entitled to much credit for its labor.
Total loss, $4,000 insured for $4,000.
ACCOUNT OF AN INMATE OF THE HOTEL.
The following is an account furnished by an
inmate of the Grand Central:
L room ON the second floor, and last night
went to bed early. L heard an alarm of fire
and got up-as | always do when l hear an
alarm of fre-and looked at my watch after
lighting the gas and looking out of the win
dow. The first alarm was about |, or little
after. The FIRST summons of our threatened
destruction was violent ringing of the
alarm, or servants bell, in the hall. 1t was
jerked in way that meant something
although no voice or ejaculation of any kind
accompanied the metallic sounds l got up,
looked out OF the window, looked at my
watch-it was ten minutes to in the morn |
ing-and was about to eXtingush the gas
light and return TO my bed, when footsteps
and conversation arrested my attention. | |
therefore went to the door and looked out
and saw half-dressed men and women, SEEM |
inglv in an agitaJed state. simultaneously |
heard some one say, The cupola is on fire
we shall not save thing p l believed
then that our hotel was on fire, and dressed |
myself at once, and went out into the hall |
and ascertained positively that our hotel was |
on FIRE [ returned and got my trunk and |
took it down into the street, and placed it in |
the hotel near the vacant corner of Twelfth |
and Harrison streets Knowing that Dick !
Sinton and his family had quarters near my
own, returned, with the object of giving |
to them what assistance l could. The |
fire bells were now ringing, and fire APP
paratus were arriving. When | got to the |
first floor, l saw that great excitement pre-
vailed-that is, there was much rushing to |
and fro Of men and women, some fully and |
some partially dressed. l saw, also, that the |
fire was making great Roadway in the center
of the hotel and apparently up into the |
tower. 1t was about half-past 2, and the fire |
department were disposed in working order. !
There was little or no smoke in the main hall, |
and the boarders were hurrying to and fro, |
up stairs and down, and i'll all directions.
1t was the most quiet sight of the kind i |
ever saw. Not word was spoken, hardly, |
and no unpleasant connection seemed to |
exist Men and women Were packing down |
trunks pictures, sewing machines, and even
planes. then went upstairs to the second |
floor, and upon reaching MIR. Sintons apart
ments, found that Mr. and Mrs. Sinton and |
their son and daughter were up and dressed, |
and getting their things In readiness to pack |
down stairs. | also saw Judge Camp
bell and Mrs. Campbell, Mrs. Mackey |
and others whom L knew either per- |
sonally or by sight, taking down stairs
with them what they could pack the most |
readily of a valuable character. | assisted /
the Sintons down stairs with their things, all |
of which they saved except piano, but In |
Guiding sewing machine, several trunks, |
ETC. 1t was now getting along after 3 |
o'clock, and vast flame had enveloped the |
central tower. The wind was blowing as | |
have never seen it before blow in Oakland, as
the many trees uprooted ana fences capsized |
will attest. The Fire Department was dong |
its best to check the flames, but the attempt to
bail out Lake Tahoe with pint cup would |
have been no more futile. At half
past 3 the roof and upper story from
the central tower was one vast sheet
OF flame, which licked the air with thousand |
forked tongues. Although the wiud came at
an awful rate from the northwest, still |
the demon crowded along toward Web
ster-street END, despite the several good
streams from two steamers, and the heroic |
attempts of the Fire Department, to save !
s portion of the building. Now the |
ntral tower fell with a great crash /;
the projecting ornaments ana cornices fell |
burning from the front of TIE building into
the street, and grandly but slowly the whole |
ediGce became enveloped in flames. For
many Iuares each and every way the city |
illumination On all sides people could lie |
seen removing their goods from houses to
places in the streets, and to vacant lots
and from one place to another At Il 9
juncture the horses and carriages Were
taken from the Dexter and Grand Central
stables. The Episcopal Church caught fire
in two places ; the theatre, pavilion and the
Webster House, and all the buildings sur
rounding the burning structure, Were
threatened with destruction. Hun
dreds of people were rushing to and
fro with articles of furniture, and other hun
dreds were assisting the 6remen in many
ways About 4 o'clock the flames reached
the Webster House, hotel adjoining the
Grand Central on Webster street, and despite
the heroic efforts of the fremen, the structure
soon succumbed tosthe devouring flames. At
one time it looked as if the whole neighbor-
hood of houses for many squares to the south
and east would be destroyed. Had the Grand
Central been made of pine, instead OF red
wood, it would have burned in one quarter of
the time taken in its destruction, and uoth
ing would have saved that part of Oakland.
As far as L can hear no opb has been hurt,
and the boarders at the hotel saved nearly all
of their goods. except their pianos. 1t is adj
mitted by all that the firemen displayed great
heroism and endurance.