The morning call., 1894-04-19
FIRE in SACRAMENTO
Electric Streetcars Standing Idle
on the Tracks
The Damage Is Estimated at Over
Quarter of Million
Dollars.

SACRAMENTO, April 1S.-Every electric
car on the streets of this city stopped run
ming at about 7:30 O'clock this morning.
The motormen turned indicators this way
and that, and conductors pulled at trolley
cords and tried vainly TO set cars in mo-
ton.
While they were SO engaged tie firebells
of the city Changed furiously. The pas
sengers In the cars caught the number Of
the box sounded, and then they gazed down
toward the southwestern extremity of the
city, where tower of smoke was shooting
heavenward.
AS it rose and twisted sparks and flame
could be seen in the cloudy mass. 1t grew
thicker and blacker, and the sparks be-
C ame more numerous.
The immense electric plant of the Capt.
tai Gas Company was burning down. and
the electric cars on thirty miles or more
of lines stood silent while the vast plant
which gave them motion was going up in
smek e.
The fire was one of the fercest ever
witnessed In this city. The building, In
which twenty four dynamos whirr, is
lighted by over dozen great windows.
Out IF these windows came great tongues
OF living flame, and through them was to
be seen great tongues of red and yellow
fire.
Rising from the well-kept lawn which
fronts the power-house and standing at the
southwest corner Of the bu ming building
was tall pole. the crossbeams of which
were weighted with over hundred wires
heavily insulated. These wires ran from
Ia ~. c.~I. a
connected with the electrical machinery,
making the arteries which supplied city
Of $4,000 people with electricity and gave
the throb of life to the entire streetcar
system.
A sudden outburst of fame from the
windows and the wires dropped below,
shaking the tall pole as a tree shakes in a
storm, and settling the fate of the car sys-
tenn and street illumination for days and
may be weeks TO come.
Yardmaster Martin Halloran was near
the passenger depot when he saw the first
smoke from the fire. In a few moments it
was seen that the pOweT-honse was
doomed, and so tie fire crew turned the
DoZZles on the boiier-room. 1t contains
six mammoth boilers. the explosion of one
of which would shake the city like an
earthquake. There were 125 pounds of
steam on when the fire broke out. and it
took courage to stay there and smother
the fire. with flames threatening to eater
the room every minute. But the power
house men worked like heroes until all the
steam was out of the boilers aud the lives
OF the people In the locality we're no longer
threatened.
The officials OF the company appear to
have concluded that the fire originated at
the switchboard of the wires.
The loss will foot up from S250,000 to
$500. 900. The plant was one OF the finest
on the coast, and probably the very finest
outside of San Francisco. There were
twenty-f0uf dynamos on the concrete
floor, which furnished the power for tn Q
street lights and the car lines. They were
valued at $50, 900 and we're ruined. Three
immense engines were also destroyed.
The Central Electric Railway Company
has provided for a partial restoration of
their service tomorrow or Friday. A
la rpe generator will arrive & -lieht from
San Francisco. and power will be obtained
from one of the local mills, enough to keep
about sixteen cars in operation.
There are no streets lighted tonight, and
cannot be until dynamos can be had. The
only independent electric light plants are
those in the Record Union office, one
packing firm and thai at the railroad
shops. The stores nearly all have gas.
but the city presents an unusual aspect.
Happily there is full moon.