The morning call., 1894-12-26

Cliff House this afternoon" said Lessee
Wilkins. "The day was chilly and we
had fires burning in the crates. | had
made up tho cash and gone uD to Sutro
Heights, where L have made my home.
The bell rang the annunciator shortly
after half-past o'clock. Smoke was dis
covered in liltls room off the bar and l
was hastily summoned. / went to the
parlor and found the fire just beginning to
break through where the flue passed above
the ceiling. Smoke was coming out of the
crevices in many places. We were help
less from the start to fight the flames.
grabbed one of the fire extinguishers and
ATTEMPTED to subdue the fire In the parlor.
Then / went 10 the shell room and used
one of the extinguishers there. None Of
US realized at the outset that the fire was
to prove so serious 1t was supposed that
the timbers about the flue had merely be-
gun to char. In the shell room the fire had
begun to break through the ceiling when
l reached the room. The first extin-
guiSher had no effect. l tried another. 1t
proved useless.
"We went to the hall next which had
begun to smoke. We rushed over and un-
rolled the hose which leads from Sutro
Heights and has water pressure of I5O
pounds to the inch. This hose connects
with the reservoir on the mill. II was too
late. Five minutes after / reached the
Cliff House. having been summoned from
Sutro Heights, the fire was breaking
through the roof. This gives an idea of
the rapidity with which the flames
worked. With all the splendid apparatus
wi b which the Sutro Heights is equipped
to fight fire we were helpless to put out the
flames.
"When we saw that we couldn't save
the building, we turned our attention to
such articles as might be hastily removed.
Many of the pictures we saved We se-
cured the mirrors and the silverware, and
we saved quite portion of the stock OF
wines and liquors.
''Mr. Sutro," continued Lessee Wilkins,
"owned the building. He estimated its
value at $4,000. 1t cost much more than
that to construct the Cliff House, and I
tbiuk that he underestimates its value as it
stood before the fire. The building was
uninsured.
u had an insurance policy of S12,0 900 on
the furniture, fixtures and stock, but l
had recently Cancelled $4,000 of this insur-
ance, az l felt that the hard times made it
necessary for me to economic. This left
my insurance at $1,000. 1t is difficult at
this time to form any estimate of the loss
which l sustained. l hardly know what
to place it al. In rough way / might
guess the loss to be $4,000 or S160 900. or
about twice he Insurance..
''The house was opened in October,
1863" continued Mr.. Wilkins, giving a
Ii tie "reminiscences. "The first meal served
was given in honor of P. B. Cornwall. That
was on October Is. 1868. Captain j. r.
Foster opened the house and held the
lease for about twenty years. Moss &
Sheldon succeeded him as proprietors for
a term of three years. Then / took the
place and have been the lessee for the last
eight or nine years.
mot noted person In the world who
visited San Francisco failed to see the
Cliff House. General Grant and General
harrison were It's guests. Princes and
nobemen Of every land and cline have
shared its hospitality. I don't sup lose
there s place In the world with so many
pleasant "reminiscences"
Huddled against the high board fence
the little crowd looked on after a futiIe
effort at salvage. Sirewn along beside the
fence for a couple of rods were the less
perishable articles rescued from the