Los Angeles daily herald., 1888-09-10
FATEFUL FLAMES.
One Million Dollars Gone Up
i'm Smoke.
GREAT FIRE AT SAN FRANCISCO.
Firemen Baffied to Stay the Raging
Element - Heavy Losses.
Hairbreadth Escapes.

Associated Press Dispatches to the HERALD
SAN Francisco, September GA dis
astrous fire broke out this afternoon in
the sash and door factory of Day, Huber
& Crocker, on Main street. The entire
fire department of the city was called
out. The fire is only now under control.
The burnt district embraces two whole
blocks, which were entirely consumed,
and three blocks which are almost total
loss. The loss at present is estimated at
million and quarter dollars.
THE PARTICULARS.
Seldom in the history of San Francisco
has the fire department been called upon
to make war with such furious and un-
manageable flames as those which
caused general alarm to be sounded
shortly after l o'clock this after
noon. The fire started in the
sash and door and blind factory
of Day. Huber & Crocker, on the
ground floor of the factory. When the
tirem en- arrived on the spot the flames
had attacked the inflammable material
stored in the factory, and by the time
water from the hoses had commenced
pouring into the building, the roof had
caved in and the flames were cracking
above. South of Day, Huber & Crock
er's factory. was three-story frame
building, occupied by the National Iron
Works, owned by Marsburg & Contrall.
The flames quickly caught the iron works
and ate up the building The heat was
SO intense that the water was warm be-
fore it left the hose, while the roar and
crackle of the flames was almost deafen-
ing. From the iron works the fire.
swept on its devastating course across
Main street to Nos. III and 119, which
were occupied by the Novelty Iron
Works, of which George III. Mixer is
proprietor, and the Union Fence Com
pany, OF which d. D. Mayors is chief
owner. The changing wind swerved the
fire to the northeast of the lumber yards.
and after threatening the rear OF some
saloons and tenement houses on Howard
street between Main and Spear streets,
it travelled to the southwest corner of
Mission and Spear streets, destroying on
it's way Joseph Wagner's mill wright
and machinery factory, the American
Tool Works, the Etna Iron Works, and
Eureka Boiler Works. The intense heat
caused three-story frame building on
the northwest corner of Spear and Mis-
sion streets to catch fire next. 1t was
occupied as saloon and restaurant and
lodging house, and in few minutes was
swept from existence, the occupants
barely escaping with their lives, saved
but little of their worldly goods. On
Mission street, east of Spear, the flames
sprang from house to house until thew
reached the west side of East street,
where the further progress of the fire
was stayed by the employees of
the Narrow Guage Railroad, who were
out in force with the Company's hose,
playing heavy streams of water on the
blazing timbers. On its course from
Spear street to the Bay the flames con-
sumed all the buildings on the south
side of Mission street and halfway down
to Howard, a few buildings on the north
side OF Mission street, from Spear street
to the water front, also falling victims to
the destroying element.
HAIRBREADTH ESCAPES.
The confagration was one of the most
furious the department ever handled.
and, had it not been for the able service
rendered by the Oakland and Alameda
firemen, the loss would have been much
greater. The enormous crowd
of people which blocked every
passage way and gave the police
much trouble, aided the fire by impeding
the firemen in their work. The scorch-
ing heat which was we'll nigh unbearable
block from the center of the fire, caused
several persons to succumb. and it was
common sight to see ladies, firemen and
spectators being borne to places of safety.
Hair-breadth escapes were numerous.
Next door to the factory in which the
fire started was the factory of A. J.
Nicoll d Co., in the elevator works busi-
ness. The entire place was destroyed in
a remarkably short space of time. Sew
eral firemen who were standing
on balcony built out from
the wall were warned before
it fell by hoarse cry of terror from the
thousands Of people in the street, who
saw their danger and the men managed
to save themselves from an awful death,
by jumping from the balcony to the
street, a distance of about twenty feet.
They escaped with nothing more serious
than severe shaking up.
| THE LOSSES.
Among the principal losses are the
National Iron Works, $4,000, insur-
ance $4,000; G. H. Mixer Novelty Iron
Works, loss $4,000, insurance
SIS 900 Deacon Machine Works,
$4,000; Piracy & Mayer.
Aetna Iron Works, $4,000; w. J. On,
ions pattern shop, $1,000; Joseph Wag-
ner & Co.'s machine works, 5000, 600.
insurance $75, 900; Jason Springer & Co.
sash and doors, $75, ,0OO, insurance ST.
600; 5eythey & Trott, lumber
dealers, $4,000; James cooper shop.
$4,000; Joseph Wagner's four story
building, $75 900, insurance $34, 1000; Le.
wellyn's Columbia foundry. $50, 900. in
surance 81 900. The total loss is now
estimated at million dollars, with in
surance at 100000. The fire swept the
three blocks running east from Main
street to the Bay, and bounded on the
north by Mission and the south by How
ard streets. The blocks on the opposite
side OF Howard and Mission streets were
also partly consumed. The fire
Is supposed to have started
from spark from a furnace.
About 1000 men will be thrown out of
employment. Very many of the buildings
were old and deemed Of too little value
to insure. One man suffered death from
the flames and two more were severely
burned.
SUNDAY Rail Games.