The morning call., 1893-12-26

room extending from Clay to Commercial
along Leidesdorff street. In the Clay street
end was kept the oils, tvarnisb, glue aDd
material used in manufacturing. The
manufactured stock of inks and roller COM
pound was piled high upon shelves on
each side Of the store in cans and pack
ages in the Commercial street end. The
business Office occupying the front end
facing on Commercial street.
On the floor above was the printing es-
tablishment and .bindery of Edward
Bosqui. Three heavy cylinder presses
and six job presses stood about the center
Of the room. The composing room and
finished stock room faced on Commercial
street.
The building with its inf1ammable ma
terials was just behind the composing
rooms. In the front part of the establish
ment was the business Office, lithograph-
stone storerooms. finished and raw stock
rooms.
Facing on Commercial street, on the
corner of Leidesdorff. was Blake, Moffat
& Towne's wareho those already de-
scribed are on the floors above. Adjoining
this and extending twelve doors down to
of Fra ncis, Valentine & Co. For over a
quarter Of a century this house has occu-
pied the same building. Their place was
one of the largest of its kind in the city,
they doing an immense business, besides
their theatrical and job printing. in print
ing newspapers and magazine publications
that own no printing plant. On the
ground floor was located fourteen of the
heaviest presses in the house, each weigh
ing many tons. a large mum Der of locked
forms and a huge quantity of printed
paper ready for delivery were also on this
floor. On the second floor was located the
job rooms. containing, as near as can be
.scertained. twenty-five second size cylin-
der presses and sixteen job presses. Here
also on this floor was a quantity of paper
and large stock of printing inks, rollers,
oil, etc, used in operating the presses in
the firms business.
On the third floor was the bindery, dry
rooms, bookroomS. several presses and
the composiug-ro oms. Also on this floor
as On the others was quan tity of paper,
inks and other combustitle substances.
BY its years of use the floors. underneath
and around the presses had become satu-
rated with oil and ink. Although each
night before leaving at 6 o'clock, all
around the presses was wiped up carefully
all particles of rags and cloth placed safely
in metallic vessel, but still on every floor
almost every substance was food for the
ravages Of the flames. The basement of
this building was also used by the big
house. There sort of storeroom was
main tanned for materials. Underneath the
number so Commercial street, commenced
the space occupied by the Commercial
steam power works, and ran down to
5O6% The business of the company was
furnishing power to operate the printing
plants that abound in the neighborhood.
They furnished power to all who used it
located in the squares bounded by Mont
gomery, Sacramento, Battery and Mer-
chant streets. Their plant was a large
one and operated by steam. Huge steel
shafts run in all directions nnder the
paved streets and up into the different
buildings where their customers are
located. At No. sos Commercial street,
directly over the power works, Is the lock
and gun-store Of Paul Brunette. The
place is a small one, running back about
% feet. A supply of powder is always
kept in the store, and at the time of the
breaking out of the fire, about fifty pounds
was on hand. which, however, was gstten