The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1892-12-23
4 SEVERE LOSS.
rIain s. WinCheSter's Store
Burnt Out.
Firemen Have to Fight the Overhead
Wires-The Stock Badly Damaged
by Fire and Smoke. -.

When the workmen employed by Main s.
Winchester, the well-knOwn wholesale
dealers in harness, saddlery, saddlers' hard
ware and fancy goods pertaining to their
trade, left their workroom in the fourth
story of the building, at 216 Battery stree,
at noon Yesterday, they left a roaring, BIZ
fire burning in crazy old stove in the CEN
tier of he room that had not been Us d
for months before. and securely locked the
doors behind them in order that no one
should enter the room in their absence aud
steal their tools.
While the workmen were busy with their
coffee and dougbnuts pedestrians on Bat
terry and Richmond streets had their atten-
ton arrested by cries of FIRE, and saw flame
and smoke bursting through the roof Of The.
building occupied by Main & Winchester.
An alarm was sent in from box 26
and was sounded at 1882 o'clock. P. NJ,
the department quickly responding. Th.
chemical engine was the first TO arrive and,
as stated, the firemen found the doors OF the
workroom locked and were unable to effect
an entrance until they could getaxes and
break tile doors in. ::
By this time the fire had gained suc4,
Roadway that the chemical engine was.
found inadequate to cope with it. The:
blaze had evidently caught between the
roof and ceiling from the defective stove
pipe attached to the stove so seldom used,
and had probably been burning for some
time previous TO the workmenS leaving the
room for lunch. -
When the Fire Department got to work
Assistant Chief Sullivan found himself III
the usual predicamsnt. The fire was in the
roof OF tour-story building, and there
were enough telegraph, telephone and slice
trlc-light wires strung on poles in front of
the place to prevent the raising of ladder
so as to enable the hosemen to get stream
Of water directly on the blaze. A half
dozen attempts were made to get the lad
ders up TO the windows, and finally. by
bracing and splicing, it was possible to run
line of hose up to tho front windows, but
the crowd held its breath as it watched the
fremen ascending the treacherous ladder.
Once the flames were reached 1t was
an easy matter 20 control the fire, which
WAS confined to the roof OF the building. at
216 Battery street. and extinguished in short
order. The building itself was damaged
only by the fire in the top story, but the
ocean of water il was found necessary to
put on the flames ran down through the
floors below and made sad havoc of the Stock.
1t is impossible 20 estimate the damage
done TO the stock, but it is considerable.
On the ground floor the firm had their dis
play of fine saddles, bits, harness. etc. The
second floor was stocked with fine saddlery,
harness, robes, and the third floor was
divided between workroom and storeroom
for stock, the upper floor being entirely
devoted TO the workmen. The fire being on
the top floor, the water poured down oyef
the stock IN torrents, and where the water
did not ruin things the smoke did.
The insurance on the building and stock
amounts TO $4,000 and the damage is APP
proximated at about $50 600, divided into
$4,000 on building and tonls and So, coo oal
the stock, damaged solely by water.
Jerusalem is still supplied with water from
Solomon's Pools through an aqueduct built