The morning call., 1894-04-10
TX HORSES BURNT TO DEATH.

by an alarm from box 15S, and the appa-
Tatus hurried to Fifth and Folsom streets.
By the time the box was reached a
bright light showed up at Sixth and Ma
toma streets, and most of the engines
moved on in lis direction.
The Standard laundry, long two-story
building extending along the south side of
NatOma street, few doors below Sixth.
was already mass OF flames. Ii burned
like a tlnder- box and sent up myriad of
sparks that rained down on the wooden
buildings in the Immediate vicinity, threat
enng them all with destruction, and for a
time il was feared that an extremely dis
astrous conaagratiOG was inevitable.
The inhammable character of the build
ing made it an easy prey for the furious
flames, and the heat scared and blisIered
the houses on the north side of the street.
The FIRE was very conspicuous one and
people FASTENED to it from all parts of the
city. Those who lived in the neighbOs-
hood were panic-strickeD. Thev tumbled
out Of their houses IN all sorts of costumes
and stood not upon the order of their
going, but went at once.
La short time Natoma street was filed
with furniture and bedding, which the
frightened occupants of the dwellings
dragged out of the doors and even pitched
ouI Of the windows.
The streams which the firemen poured
into the laundry had no apparent effect
and the firemen directed their efforts
toward saving surrounding property.
The Standard Laundry was conducted
by Doherty s. Co., and the building was
owned by Miller & Waugh. George STAN
ton, the foreman, lived just across the
street, at 450 Natoma, and his family
viewed the destruction Of the laundry
from their parlor window.
In the rear of the laundry was junk
shop, conducted by NJ. Stein. 1t was here
that the fire started.
W. T. Summers, teamstsr for NJ. Stein,
the DOttle-dealer. is supposed to have had
some connection with its origin. he slept
and lived in the junkstore. Early in the
night Summers went into James FarrelPs
saloon at ass Natoma street. directly in
front OF STEMS store, and spent the night
their with other habitues of the place.
When the flames burst through the roof
and walls he was in the saloon in a dazed
condition, and in fact knew nothing of
what happened until an alarm sounded
anu hOul6u dUQ luCU III VIC kLOCclI
an outcry.
The flames were first seen in the por-
tiun of the bottle-and-jnnk store where
Summers room was situated. This fact
led some of the neighbors to believe that
Summers had been in the place and left
a candle burning or had thrown a match
on the floor which burned slowly and
finally set the place on fire.
Summers was seen in the grocery-store
during the fire. He could only express his
surprise in grunts and bewail the loss of
his clothing and effects. The three horses
he had charge of were burned to death.
The eoalyard, owned by James Cantley.
at $50 Howard street. was badly damaged
and three horses were killed, but the losses
were covered by insurance.
Thomas T. Lonergan Of 1717 Brannan
street, when riding on Howard-street
car, saw flames coming from the second
story OF the junk shop. he jumped from
the car and turned in an alarm at Sixth
and Howard streets.
The inmates Of 449 Natoma street had a
narrow escape. James Fl. Riley lived
there and in 449R lived Miss Butler, an
aged lady OF some 60 years. She is bed
ridden from rheumatism and when the
fire broke out was helpless in her bed.
The Rilevs ana other inmates got safely
out of The building. the roof and west side
Of which were all abaze, but Miss Riley's
screams attracted Officers Mcpherson and
Perrin to her assistance.
They took her out and lodged her safely
IN a neighbor's house across the street.
The west side of 449 was the home Of John
house was badly burned out, the side
nearest The laundry being destroyed and
also the laundry. Carroll Bros. of Third
and Minpa streets owned 449 and 45l. II
is not known whether either building was
insured.
A one-story frame in the rear OF AT
Natoma street, owned by Charles Burnes
and occupied by Z. Adams and family as
residence. was damaged to the extent Of
about 500, fully insured. Most of the
furniture and contents were consumed, on
which there is no insurance.
The dwelling of Mrs w. A. Brown. on
the west Of the laundry, was set on fire by
the intense heat. The water from the hose
kept the fire back for cOnsidera bic time.
and crowd of men hustled the furniture
out in such lively fashion that before
1t was necessary to send the streams
into the dwelling through the front
windows most Of the contents
had been taken out and piled
on the opposite sidewalk. where Mrs.
Brown sat on pile of bedding and gazed
at the witherlng walls OF her home. This
building, the laundry, the junk store and
the Riley house were the only structures
destroyed by fire which frightened half
the city into believing that the loss would
mount up 10 the hundreds of thousands of
dollars. 1t burned brightly for about an
hour and then was drenched out
At the outbreak OF the fire there was a
great confusion of alarms. Almost sim
ulteneously with the alarm from box 15S
there were alarms sent in from boxes 64
and g.
The total loss is estimated at $4,000
This is placing the laundry at $4,000
There was no insurance on the building,
and it was stated that none of the occu-
pants of the dwellings carried Insurance.
Only one accident occurred. William
Shackleton, tillerman of truck 1, while
olpo hino mn to tho roOf of a hnusa in the