The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1895-06-28
MANY HOMELESS
BUSINESS HOUSES ARE IN ASHES.
A Possibility That Lives May
Have Been Lost

SAN FRANCISCO. June 2S.-Shortly be-
fore O'Clock last night fire broke out
In the rear Of the San Francisco box fac
tory, ON the corner Of Fifth and Bryant
streets. Tho foctory was a two-story
frame building filled with innammablo
material. The flames spread rapidly, and
1t soon became apparent that u serious
contagration was threatened. A second
alarm was turned In, upon the fire spread
ing to the Liberty sofa works, adjoining
the other side of the block.
Within few minutes the entire east
end Of the block bounded by Brannan and
Bryant streets was mass OF flames. The
flames soon spread all over the block, de-
stroying Ia few minutes tho yards of tho
Spring Valley watcrworks and the furni-
ture factory OF IL. Fuller. The box fac
tory Of Kerball Bros. at 728 Bryant street,
also tho stable Of II. Washburn at 657
Bryant street, and the carriage factory Of
q. w. Phelan and the sofa factory of j. 5.
Hortman were all destroyedin short order.
The high wind famed the flames and
swept them on their mad rush. driving tho
firemen back by degrees, and the situation
became criticol Long tongues Of flames
stuck cut from the flaming mass clear
ucIoSs the sitttHs lHc uTcilltn WcFc rt-
enforced by the full department by this
time and fought mnnfully to conflne tho
fire within the block where IL originated
by 6;45 the whole OF the block, bounded
by Fourth, Fifth, Brannan and Bryant
streets, was destroyed, with the exception
OF the machine shops on the corner OF
Fourth and Bryant streets. At this hour
the fire was spreading toward Buxom
81 Sxynanipax thn har
yard Of Van wart ON one corner of Fourth
and Brannan streets, the Mcehan Lumber
company on Brannan street and various
small machine shops and tenement houses.
Heat Was Intense.
The intense heat made Il difficult to
utilize to its full capacity the water sup
ply, which was anything but sufficient,
owing to the unusual number OF hydrants
called into play all over the district.
Many streams thrown upon the flames
were turned Into steam before they had
barely left the nozzle.
Among the chief buildings destroyed
were the san Francisco box factory,
where the fire started, the Southern Pa
cific hay barns and warehouses, Hculers
furniture manufactory, George w. Phel.
ans wagon and trunk manufactory, Cap
itoA oOA luolOry, rrciloHt hOtcl, L. III.
Small's iron foundry, ,Vandorberg & Lowis'
stair building establishment Commercial
feed mill, independent feed mill, Irwin +.
Ncihaufs hardware store, August Stein.
metz building Becker a. Hollman's fur.
niturc factory, Custom feed mills, Gar.
rick, Williams 81 Wright's box factory.
Several fircmon were injured 10y falling
timbers, and three were overcome by tho
heat. When four kegs of powder exploded
1t was rurnorcd that several persons weru
killed, but this Is deemed hardly true.
More than 800 faIuilies are homeless 1t
Is impossible 10 penetrate the burnt dis.
trict TO look for dead bodies. 1t Is not
known that anyone was killed. st. Rose
church, newly built. was destroyed.
At midnight the walls fell, one side
wall falling in and the other falling out,
into the alley where the firemen were at
work. The fire is now under control.
The total loss will aggregate over 500 0Oo.