The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-06-29
SCENE OF DEVASTATION.
The Area Covered by the Fire
Was About Sixteen
Acres.
AID FOR THE SUFFERERS,
The Extent of the Damage Wrought
Partially Due to Defective Mains
and Hydrants.

Sixteen acres of smoldering debris mark
the scene of Thursdays conhagration, and
tell the sad story of many homeless people
and loss of about $1,20O,OOO. Two hun
dred and twenty buildings were swept
away, of which the greater portion were
dwellings of the poor--old wooden build
ings that burned like pine knots. The
wreck and ruin along the path of this
fierce whirlwind of flame is complete.
Some spots are swept as clean as floor,
while in others warped and dismantled
machinery marks the site of manufacture
ing establishments.
From point near the center of this fire.
swept area rises the brick walls of new St
Roses Church, which was in course of con-
struction. What little of woodwork there
was to burn went up in fame with the sur
rounding structures, but the skeleton yet
stands intact, with two sides but little
damaged. A big brass bell marks the spot
where the old edifce of the same name
stood adjoining, with its attached school
and rectory.
The site of Bradbury's power plant, that
had just put in several thousand dollars
worth of new machinery, is marked by q
brick chimney, and on the opposite side OF
Brannan street crum bling brick ruin is
all that is left of Hoey's mattress factory.
OF the Union Box Factory and Hoss-
mans Soda Works there are also ruins
that rise out of smoldering stretch of en-
bers, but for the remainder of the burned
district everything is nearly level with the
ground. The whole is framed about on
three sides with the blackened walls of
buildings that were saved, and above
Fourth street by the ragged and sooty
skeletons OF those that were Quilted by the
flames.
1t was a hard fire to combat in more
ways than one. Its material was the most
inhammable possible to get, and the wind
acted in a most erratic manner. There were
four alarms turned in, and for every call
the wind shifted.
The Fire Department was seriously
hampered by lack of water, and at the
Iachman Winery the great vat which
holds 10000 gallons was tapped, and wine
run through the hose in the place of water.
Had it been possible to have obtained ade-
quate pressure the firemen declare that the
flames could have been stopped in the
building where it originated.
No less than 5000 people visited the
scene of the fire yesterday. From o'clock
in the morning until late at night the cross
town cars were crowded with passengers
bound for the scene of the biggest blaze
that San Francisco has seen for many a
day.
4 line of police patrolled that portion of
the burned district bounded by Fourth,
Brannan, Fifth and Welsh streets, and
kept the crowd outside the lines. The
resident streets adjacent to the ruined
area presented a strange spec
tacle yesterday. The thoroughfares,
especially those crossing Fourth in the
track of the flames-Freelon, Brannan and
Welsh-were in some places completely
barricaded by furniture that had been
hurredly removed in anticipation of still
greater sweep of the flames. At the
Mechanics Hotel on Brannan street every
thing portable was removed, and this
was true of many of the dwellings for
several blocks around. 1t is impossible to
know at this time the number made desti-
tute by the conhagration. Several hun
dred have already asked aid of the
Examiners Relief Bureau and of indi-
viduals, and many have been furnished
with temporary assistance, with many
more to hear from. Those who lost their
dwellings have taken up quarters for the
time being at the lodging houses and
with friends,
The San Francisco Benevolent Society
has given $1,000 for the relief of the
sufferers and other relief measures will be
devised to-day.