Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1881-03-14
| SATURDAY NIGHTS FIRES.
NARROW ESCAPE FROM DISASTROUS
CONFEDERATION.
Work of cendiaries-Attenpt to Burn
Residences for Purposes of Plumber
Horses Lost-Insurance

IRE under good neaQWay IN the Dac
porch Of the Hotel D'Italia, on Front street
between L and NJ, the flames passing u
along the south wall of the Sacrament
FIGURING Mills. owned by G. McCreary & CO
Alarms were Immediately and simultaneous.
turned in from boxes at Fourth and o an,
Second and Nj streets. The fire compaple
were soon on hand, and also the RAILROAD
company, as soon as the alarm was given
ran down the engine Governor Stanford
with extra water tank attached, to act a
a fire engine. By the time the com
panies had reached there the flames, famed
by the furious wind that was blowing,
had enveloped the whole rear portion OF the
hotel building and extended to the box fac
tory of Cooke s. Son, and the rear portion Of
the building known as Hunts planning mill.
which were light wooden structures, and
filed with dry, seasoned lumber, and light,
inhammable material.
PROPERTY BURNED.
The hotel building is owned by Robert An,
derson. It Is of brick with, 10 feet frontage
on Front street. The north 20 feet was oc-
cupied for hotel purposes by G. B. Corrado,
and the south half was occupied by Cooke &
Son, the upper floor being used as residence,
the main floor for an Office and store-room
and the basement for storage of stock. Next
south of this and extending to NJ street is the
brick building know as the Pioneer box fac
tory, carried ON by Cooke & Son, the build
ing belonging to the estate Of Stephen Ell
well. In the rear of this, fronting 40 feet on
NJ street. aud extending north past the rear
of the hotel building to the Touring mill
of McCrsary, was light wooden
building owned and used by Cooke 4 Son in
their business, in which was stored several
hundred dollars worth of box material which
had Just been put in. There was also several
hundred dollars worth of machinery in this
building which was not used by the firm in
their present business. Next east of this
building, and fronting on NJ street, stood the
Hunts planning mill, the'machinery in which
was owned by George B. Knowles of San
Francisco, and the building by the Elwell
estate. This reached also back to the -four
ing mill on the NORTH and to the alley on the
east, against which were the Sacramento
Lumber Company's yards, and also that of
N. L. Drew, while Immediately across the
street, on the south side of NJ, are the
yards of the Friend & Terry Lumber
Company. A more prolific field of combus-
tible material could not have been found in
the city, and when the fire companies arrived
the wind, which was blowing perfect hurri-
cane and filling the air with clouds of dust
from the streets, was also tanning and carry
ing the flames like magic through the finder
like materials which surrounded it upon all
sides, except the high brick wall of the -four
ing mill on the north and the brick walls sur
rounding the main building of the Pioneer
Box Factory on the corner. Fear was gem
orally entertained that all the surrounding
property above described would be burned,
mourning an exceedingly heavy loss.
ExTINGUIsHING THE FIRE.
The FIRE companies went to work with a
will under the direction of Chief Sullivan,
the extra engine being also brought into
service. The efforts of the city FIRE companies
were directed to the south and east sides.
while in front was the railroad engine, which
took position on the side-track nearest the
burning buildings Chief Karcher took
charge of the hose from this, and with the aid
of police officers did excellent execution to-
ward helping to subdue the fire and save ad.
joining property.
The portion of the building occupied as a
hotel was completely burned out; also the
part occupied by Cooke & Son in the upper
story and the rear portion of the main and
basement floors and the balcony were en-
tirely demoralized and ruined in putting out
the fire. The Pioneer Box Factory building
on the corner being Of brick and covered
with tin roof was so carefully guarded and
kept under shower Of water from the hose
that it escaped any serious injury, the fire
not getting inside except once when base
ment door was driven open from the force of
a stream that was being sent against it. The
door was soon closed again by two employees
of the place, who then took shop hose and
put out the fire which had got started in the
shavings and materials inside. This building
contained all the machinery now in use, and
the principal works of Cooke & Son, so that
they will not be interrupted in their box
business. Their building on NJ street, next
back of this brick building, is completely
burned out, and all the stock and machinery
stored in it is destroyed. The planning mill
was sided and rooted with corrugated iron,
but was badly burned out and the machinery
injured TO quite an extent
Notwithstanding the almost unexampled
activity and efficient work of the Fire De-
partment and the force at the railroad engine,
it is believed that with the terrific wind pre-
vailing at the time nothing could have pre-
vented much more disastrous results had not
the high brick walls of the Pioneer Factory
largely hemmed in the burning materials
from blowing across NJ street into the Friend
l. Terry Lumber Company's yards, and the
aid rendered by the iron sides and roof of the
planning mill in keeping the flames from lap
the Sacramento Lumber Company's yards on
the east side.
LOSSES AND INSURANCE.
The estimated loss to the several owners
and the insurance upon the property burned
is as follows: Robert Anderson, loss upon
building about $4,000 insurance in the I'm
perial, London. Northern and Queen, 81, 600
lSweetser & Alsip agents) Cooke & Sons loss
is from 50, 500 TO 81, 900, upon which they
have insurance of 81, 500 in the North Ger
man III. Hausche agent), 81, $50 in the Com
mercial of San Francisco A. Leonard AGENT
and $500 in the Union Insurance Company
&C. Cadwalader agent. g. B. Corrado, loss
upon furniture and fixtures in the Hotel
D'Italia, 81, 500; no insurance. The Elwell
estate loss upon planning mill building about
81, 200; insured for 81, 200 ia the South
British (P. l.. Hickman agsnt). George B.
Knowles loss qpon. machinery probably
$1,000; insured for 1000 in the Fireman.
Fund Insurance Company CIV. P. Coleman
& Co. agents..
There is nothing positively known as to
how this FIRE occurred, but it is thought quite
possible that it caught from a brick oven
back of the hotel as it originated at or. near
where it was located.
ANOTHER FIRE
Occurred about half-past on Sunday
morning in the alley between NJ and n,
Ninth and Tenth streets, in a small wooden
stable in the rear of 915 n street. An alarm
was turned IN by officer Frazee from box Al
The wind was still blowing a gale when this
fire was discovered. Opposite was the
large stable of DR.. Nixon, and just beyond,
the stable and residence of DR.. Simmons
Those who first saw the fire and the manner
in which the wind was blowing feared these
buildings, and all upon the south half of the
square, were fatedito be swept away. The
barn, however, which was on ire. was of
such light material that it burned down
quickly, and under the management OF the
fire department the other buildings were pre-
vented from taking fire. In the stable were
two horses, both of which were burned to
death.
The stable and horses belonged to George
and Clayton Brogan, two boys who are car
riers upon the RECORD UNION. Both OF their
horses were considered especially valuable to
them, as they were trained and familiar with
the route. Besides the horses and stable, they
lost their saddles and other accouterments,
amounting in all to about $500, and upon
which there was no insurance. The fire was
the
WORK OF AN INCENDIARY,
And it is the belief in the neighberhood that
it was set with the expectation that it would
burn many adjoining buildings. owing to the
state of the wind, and that the object was
plumber. The fire was set on the outside of
a - I. L.