The herald., 1895-06-28
AWOman Loses Her Life Trying
to Save Property
THE LOSS GOES OVER A MILLION
A Shift of the Wind Saves the Southern
End of the Town
The Blaze Passes the Famous Southern
Pacific Building at Fourth and Townsend
and Is Only Checked When 1t
Strikes the Brick Walls Of
Some Big Wineries
Associated Press Special Wire.

Associated Press Special wire.
SAN FRANCISCO, June 27.--Shortly
before oclock fire broke out in the
rear of the San Francisco box factory, To-
Gated on the corner OF Fifth and Bryant
streets. The factory was two-story
frame building filled with the most in
f1amma Ole material. The fire spread rap
idly and it soon became apparent that
serious &C Indignation was threatened.
The first alarm was turned in from box
IS, and it was Immediately responded
to by the department. A second alarm
was turned in upon the fire spreading to
the Liberty Soda Works, adjoining St.
Roses church on Brannan street, on the
other side of the block.
Within a few minutes the entire east
end of the block bounded by Brannan
and Bryant streets was mass of seething
flames. A strong southerly wind was
blowing anu it was deemed necessary to
turn in third alarm.
The flames soon spread all over the
block, destroying in few moments the
yards OF the Spring Valley Water Works
and the furniture factory of H. Eule.
At $3.50 o'clock the ntire block bounded
by Fourth, Fifth, Bluxome and Brannan
streets is a mass of ruins. The fire has
reached the Overland Transfer company's
brick freight warehouse and the hard
ware store house of Baker & milton.
These brick buildings bave temporarily
checked the flames, but they are working
Tound to TIE railroad yards. A number
of immense wool warehouses have been
destroyed. The enormous brick winery
Df 8. Lachman g. Co., which contains
several millions of gallons of wine has
just caught fire at one corner. 1t is
thought however, that this valuable
property can be saved. The wind is blow
ing half gale and the sparks are being
carried for blocks, greatly increasing the
spread OF the fire. The winery OF Lach-
man g. Jacoby, which is even bigger than
tn, Lachman winery, at the corner of
Third and Brannan streets, has not yet
been reached by the fra, and the tiremen
are devoting all their energies to keep it
from spreading in that direction.
By O'Clock the fire which had been
raging for three hours and was burning
ns fercely as ever Now that darkness
had fallen the magnitude of the cvnha-
grafton began to be appreciated by the
people. The whole southern sky was
ablaze and thousands OF people hocked to
the scene from all parts of the city. The
police had hard work to keep the careless
multitude out of danger and to give the
fremen room in which to work. Every
engine and fireman in the city was at
work and all the extra men, police and
special police are being pressed into sell
vice.
At 9:15 the fire was at the Lachman
winery and appeared to be checked, but
began eating its way on all sides of the
big brick building. Kohler e. Won Ber-
gems large winery Is only nalf block
from the Ldchman place and there was
prospect that that also might be reached
by the flames.
A high wind which famed the flames
and swept them upon their mad career
drove the firemen back by degrees and the
situation became critical in the extreme.
Long tongues OF flame shot out from
the burning mass clear across the street.
and from time to time the hose had to
be turned on buildings which threatened
to involve still larger territory in the
confagration.
By AS p. m. the whole OF the block
bounded by Fourth Fifth Brannan md
Bryant streets was destroyed with the ex-
ception of the machine shop on the cor
ner of Fourth and Bryant.
At that hour the fire was spreading
south toward Bluxome, sweeping on its
way he lumber.yard OF N. N. Van Wart,
on the corner of Fourth andBrannan, the
Meehan Lumber company on Brannan
street and various small machine shops
and tenements.
While the fire department. was strus-
Cling with the flames. which grew fiercer
and mercer every moment every ava liable
resource at the command of the Southern
Pacific company was drawn upon to
check the advance of the fire fiend in
southerly direction.
The intense heat made it difficult to
utilize to its full capacity the water sup
ply which. was anything but sufficient
owing to the unusual number of nydrants
called into play all over the district. The
water tower rendered most efficient SER
vice. furnishing jet of water which had
been rendered sers ceable where the other
streams thrown upon the flames were
turned into steam before they had barely
left tho nozzle.
After destroying two complete blocks
with the exception of the northeast
quarter, the destrurtion continued across
Fourth street. 1t ravaged strip half
block in width south of Townsend from
Barnnan and north to Welsh. small
thoroughfare between Bryant and Bran
nan. 10 the east. midway to Third. the
progress was checked by the brick wine
vaults of s. Lachman on Zue street, be-
low Brannan. On the upper side the
new Mechanics hotel and a Chinese wash