Eureka daily sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1871-1887, 1886-05-02
A FATAL CONFLAGRArION.

Fatalities Reported.
ESPECIAL TO THE SENTINEL
SAN Francisco. May Ia few minutes
before 4 o'clock yesterday afternoon an
alarm Of fire sounded for a fire which was
discovered in the building on the south
side of Market street, between Third and
Fourth streets, owned by A.. l.. Bancroft
& Co., stationers and publishers, and
occupied by them and l.. & q. Emanuel,
furniture manufacturers and dealers. The
building was five stories high, and the
entire east side and two top stories OF tho
west side of it were occupied by Bancroft
& Co., while the three lower stories and
| basement of the west side we're tenanted by
| l.. & E, Emanuel. Although the fire de-
partment responde promptly to the sum-
| mons the infammable nature OF the con-
TENT OF the entire building gave the ire q
good start, and within 10 minutes after
the first alarm had been sounded a second
| had been turned in. Nothing definite is
| known as where the fire started, or what
| was the cause. Some assert it started IN
Emanuels basement; others that it orig
| mated in Bancroft's engine room. 1t
apparently, however, started in the W
part of the structure near one of the
elevator shafts, which il assembled like q
| rocket and spread itself over every floor OF
the building in a very short time. Hopes
which were at first entertained that q large
portion of the contents Of the building
could be saved, soon vanished, and efforts
were then made to confine the flames TO
the building in which it had started. But
even in this the fire department. was un-
successful. The bursting OF a hose and a
westerly wind, which was blowing, oper-
ated against them. Every engine in the
city was called, and fears that this might
be inadequate to the emergency caused
Chief Scanned to summon assistance from
the Oakland FIRE department, which was
promptly rendered. Meanwhile the fire
continued to rage. and soon every window
in the burning building fronting on Mar.
ket street was curtained with q sheet o!
flame, while from the roof Of the building
! dense clouds of smoke, internationally PEN
etrated by monster tongues Of the flames,
rose high in the air and ioated eastward
| over the bay toward Oakland. While the
whole of the interior of the building was
| thus completely!wrspped in flames q crash
| was heard and the top flooring, on which
huge printing presses and the plant had
been standing, gave way, precipitsting hall
the molten mass of metal to the floor be-
low. This, in turn, being half eaten
through by the flames, gave way, and soon
each floor in turn crashed downward until
| nothing of the interior was left. TIL fire,
however, did not conine its rayages to the
| Bancroft building alone, but had leaped
the narrow width OF Jessie street in the
! rear, and soon ignited a dozen or more
| smaller houses used mostly as dwellings.
| Most OF these were entirely consumed, or
so badly wrecked that they will have to be
| rebuilt. The flames also spread to the
| buildings on either side OF the doomed
| Bancroft ediice. About 5:15 o'clock the
| rear part Of the west wall OF Bancrofts
| fell with q crash and demolished a small
| building alongside Of it fronting on Jessie
| street, which took fire and buried several
| men under the ruins. All were rescued
| with but slight injuries. Soon after this
| the rear wall fell, and this was followed
by the front portion of the west wall
| adjoining Emanuel on the west, and 'front.'
| ing on Market street was a two-story
building occupied as a piano salesroom,
a trunk factory and q frame factory.
| When the last wall fell it brought dow
| with it this building, which was hattened
so thoroughly that no semblance OF a
building remained. 1t was not until
about an hour and q half after the fire
started that it was gotten under control.
The losses are estimated at about $3.50, 900,
divided as near as can be ascertained as fol-
lows: A. L. Bancroft Il Co., building,
S120, 900, with an insurance on it OF S70,-
coo; stock and plant, $400, 900, with an in
surance of S120, 900. L. d E. Emanuel,
stock of furniture, Sl20, 900, with an in
surance of $50, 900. The other buildings
and contents on which we're q little insur-
ance will probably make up the balance OF
the $3.50, 900.
A number Of persons are reported killed
and seriously injured. Patrick Beatty,
aged As, employed in the trunk factory adj
Joining Emanuel, was caught in the falling
ruins aud taken out in q dying condition.
He was removed to the City Hospital,
where he died shortly afterward. Jack
Curran, a fireman, who had his leg broken
, at the Crocker fire, sustained the same in
! iury to-day. There we're about $50 peo-
pie in the Bancroft and Emanuel estab'
lishments, including a large number OF
i girls employed in Bancroft's, who, when
the alarm was sounded throughout the
building, made q stampede on q stairway
leading to the street. Fortunately, how
ever, all escaped in safety. The five-year'
! old boy of Mr.. Baron, a blacksmith, on
Broadway street, near Stockton, while
y viewing the fire from the roof of his father
house, lost his balance, fell, and was
killed.
., LATER-Four persons are this morning
: reported missing. who are believed to have
persisted in the ruins OF the Bancroft fire
, Yesterday. Search will be made as soon as
possible. The ire is still burning among
:. the ruins. A. L. Bancroft d Co. have
. opened temporary offices at No. ITO Geary
. street, where they will attend to all bust
. ness, as usual. All their accounts and
. = business books we're saved. The firm has
J received the following letter, which ex'
> plains itself:
J Messrs. A. L. Bancroft & Oo.-Gentle.
men: 1t is with deep regret We learn Of
: YOUR great loss by fire. We sympathize
i with your misfortune the more from the
9 fact that we have so lately passed through
: the same fiery ordeal. We extend to you
= our heartfelt sympathies and all facilities
9 that our limited establishment can afford
: until You resume business. Yours, truly,
II. s. CRoCKER x Co.