The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1890-11-10
ONE EXCITING INCIDENT.
A Fire EnIiveDs Things in the Registrar


There was only one exciting incident in
the basement of the new City Hall yester-
day, aud that was caused by a fire which
started from some unknown cause in heap
of rubbish below the grating just inside the
rear avenue entrance.
The fire had been smodering for half an
hour, and smoke penetrated every nook and
corner of the city's big brick pile before the
burning was located. In the Registrars
office, about twenty feet away, were two
watchers and two policeman. 1t was just
5 :55 o'clock in the afternoon, and the eyes
of the men had grown weary from looking
at the bright. red daubS of wax on the
doors, locks and bars leading to the vaults
containing the ballots of 296 precincts, when
Officer Ii. i. Melpndy shifted the air sus-
piciously and exclaimed: Boys. there's a
big fire in the building.
But the watchers, P. Jacobs (R) and
Thomas f. Garrity 3D. did not stir. They
were too old at the business to be lured
away from their posts bv a little smoke. So
Melendy aud Officer McGee made rapid
tour OF the basement and soon located the
source of the smoke. While one poured
buckets of water down between the gratings
the other was trying 10 open the tire-hose
locker. No one had key, and by the time
the door of the locker had been smashed IN
and the hose unreeled the fire was out.
There was an air of mystery about tbs
little blaze in the pile OF rubbish that greatly
puzzled the officers. About fifteen men had
been seen standing around the steps few
feet away for two hours before the blaze
sent forth the warning smoke. Had these
men something to do with the fire? was
it the work of an incendiary who hoped to
burn through pile of Old lumber and two
wooden partitions and destroy those vaults
containing the precious ballots, and thereby
81. Nhn IF
the peace did not hesitate. They scanned
the faces of knot Of honest-lOOking labor
erS who stood on the steps, and then decided
that spontaneous combustion or a lighted
cigar or cigarette stump had started the fire.
Half a dozen clerks from the Registrars
Office were securing the city all day in
search of the Democratic inspectors of
fourteen precincts who carried off the dupli-
cate tally-sheet5, from which it is desired to
make the bulletins and complete the re-
turns. These bulletins are required by the
Election Commissioners during the official
canvass of the returns, which begins this
morning and promises TO last longer than
the usual ten days. The inspectors were
not found, and the chances are that many
of them will still be missing when the Elec-
ton Board begins its labors to-day.
After the fire excitement quieted down,
the watchers and the policemen were argu-
ing the merits of the Australian ballot sys-
TEN and the Story system, when they were
startled by the words waited in through an
open window. "Liarsl thieves! towards"
beloved a voice on the Sand-lOt Five heads
were quickly thrust from the window, and
the listeners soon realized that the words of
denunciation were being dropped from the
lips of G. C. 0'DOnnel To small knot of
men he impaired the information that he
would contest his right to the Mayoralty by
having recount. Then he told how he had
been defrauded, and how easily he himself
could have counted the votes in any precinct
in fifteen minutes.
0'Donnell has called off his watchers" of
the ballot vaults. Il had no show thar" he
says. Zone of my men was drugged, and
the other bought off for $40. There's a trap
door under that vault and the men can fix
things there to suit themselves"