Los Angeles daily herald., 1886-05-01
TELEGRAPHIC.
Loss of Life and Property
in San Francisco.
THE PRESIDENTS FIANCEE.
The Anti-Chinese MOvement-MOrt
Strikes in the East-Greeee
Yields TO the Powers.

a
SAN FRANCISCO, April 30.-A few
minutes before four this afternoon an
alarm was sounded for fire which was
discovered in building on the south
side OF Market street, between Third
and Fourth streets, owned by A. l..
Bancroft & Co., ationers and publish
ere, and occupied by them aud l.. 4
Il. Emanuel, furniture manufacturers
and dealers. The building was five
stories high and the entire east side and
two top stories Of the east side OF il
were occupied by Bancroft & Co., while
the three lower stories and basement Of
the west side were tenanted byL. & Il.
Emanuel. Although the fire depart.
ment responded promptly to the sum-
mons, the nfammable nature of the con-
tents of the entire building gave the fire
IA good start, and within fifteen minutes
after the first alarm hnd been sounded q
second had been turned in.
Nothing definite is known as to where
the fire started or what was the cause.
Some assert II started in Emanue's base
ment, others that it originated in Ban
crOfts engine room. IL apparently.
however, started in the lower part OF
the structure, near one of the elevator
shafts, which 1t assembled like rocket
and spread itself over every floor of the
building in a very short time. Hopes
which were at first entertained that O
large portion OF the contents OF the
bLldng could be saved soon van
i3hed 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 unsuccessful, bursting hose, and the
westerly wind which was blowing oper.
ated against them. Every engine in
the city was called into requisition, but
for fear that this might be inadequate
to the emergency, Chief Scannell sum
inoned assistance from the Oakland fire
department, which was promptly ten
dered. Meanwhile the fire continued to
rage, and soon every window in the
burning building fronting on Market
street was eurtaIned with a sheet Of
flame, while from the roof OF the build
ing dense clouds of smoke internationally
penetrated by monster tongues of flame,
rose high in the air and tloated eastward
over the bay towards Oakland. While
the whole interior Of the building was
thus completely wrapped in flames Il
crash was heard, and the top flooring on
which the huge printing presses and
plant had been standing gave way, pie.
cipitating the half-molten mass OF
metal to the fl Jor below. This,
in turn, being half eaten through by the
flames, gave way, and SO on each floor
in turn went crashing downward until
nothing of the interior was left.
The fire, however, had not confined
its rdvages to the Bancroft building
alone, but had leaped the narrow Width
OF Jessie street IN the rear. and soon
had ignited a dozen or more smaller
houses, used mostly as dwellings. Mosl
OF these were entirely consumed oil
so badly wrecked that they will
have to be razed. The flames also
spread to the buildings ON the east
side of the doomed Bancroft editice,
About 5:l5 the rear part of the west wall
of Bancroft's fell with a crash, and de-
molished a small building alongside it,
fronting ON Jessie street, which took fire
and buried several men under the debris,
All were rescued with but slight injuries.
Soon after the rear wall fell, and this
was followed by the front portion OF the
west wall. Adjoining Emanuel's on the
west, and fronting on Market street,
was a two.story building occupied as Q
Il md
frame factory, and when the last wal
fell it brought down with it this build
ing, which was hattened so thoroughly
that no semblance OF building
remained. 1t was not until abou
an hour and half aftel
the fire started that it was gotten under
cont oil. The losses are estimated a
about $3.50 900, divided, as near as cat
be aseertained, as follows; A. L.. Ban
croft and Co., building, 100000. insur
ance so, 900; stock and plant, S4O0, 900
insurance $40, 600; l.. and Il. Emanuel
stock of furniture, Sl20. 900, insurance
$50, 900. 0her buildings and contents
on which there were little insurance
will probable make up the balance oil
S750,0OO. A number of persons are re
ported killed and seriously injured
Patrick Beatty, aged 40, employed in
the trunk factory adjoining Emanuel's
was caught in the falling ruin:
and taken out in dying condition
He was removed to the City Hospital
where he died shortly afterwards. Jack
Curran, a fireman, who had leg broken
at the Croker fire, sustained the same
injury to.day. There were about 25t
people in the Bancrofts and Emanuel'
establishments, including large number
OF girls employed in Bancrofts, who
when the alarm was sounded through
out the building, made a stampede fol
the stairways leading to the streets
Fortunately, however. all escaped il
safety. A five year old boy of Mr.
Baron, blacksmith on Broadway street
near Stockton, while viewing the fire
from the roof of his fathers house, LOST
his balance and was killed.