Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1895-07-04
MILLIONS GO UP IN SMOKE.

Fire in San Francisco Destroys Prop
erty Worth at Least $2,OOO,OOO
The manufacturing district of San
Francisco was swept by fire Thursday
night that caused total loss of at least
S2.OOO.OOO Shortly before q o'clock Il
fire broke out in the rear of the San Fran
cisco box factory. located on the corner
of Fifth and Bryant streets. The factory
was two-story frame building filled with
inflammable material The flames spread
rapidly and it soon became evident that
n serious confagration was threatene
Within few minutes the entire east end
of the block, bounded by Brannan and
Bryant streets, was q mass of flames. A
strong southerly wind was blowing and it
was deemed necessary to turn in another
alarm. The flames soon spread all over
the block, destroying in few minutes
the yards of the Spring Valley water
works and the furniture factory of III.
Eueler, the box factory of Korbell Bros.
at 723 Bryant street, also the stable of III.
Washburn at 657 Bryant street. The
carriage factory of G. w. Helan and the
soda factory of j. Horstmann were all
destroyed in short order
The high wind which famed the flames
and swept them on drove the firemen back
by degrees, and the situation became crit
ical. BY 6:45 the whole of the block
bounded by Fourth, Fifth, Brannan and
Bryant streets was destroyed with the ex-
ception of the machine shops on the cor
ner of Fourth and Bryant. At that hour
the fire was spreading toward Bluxom
street, sweeping on its way the lumber
yard of Van Wart on the corner Of Fourth
and Brannan, the Meehan Lumber Com
pany's yard on Brannan street and various
small machine shops and tenements. The
intense heat made 1t difficult to utilize to
its full capacity the water supply, which
was anything but sufficient, owing to the
unusual number of hydrants called into
play all over the district. The water tow
er rendered most efficient service furnish
ing a jet of water which could be rendered
eerviceable where the other streams
thrown upon the flames were turned into
steam when they had barely left the
nozzle. AT S:3O p. m. the entire block
bounded by Fourth, Fifth, Bluxom and
Brennan streets was mass of ruins. The
fire had reached the Overland Transfer
Company's brick freight warehouse and
the hardware store of Baker & Hamilton.
These brick buildings temporarily checked
the flames. The wind was blowing n gale
and the sparks were carried for blocks.
greatly increasing the spread of the fire.
One death is reported. A Miss Gilroy,
while attempting to save some of her be-
Iongings, was covered with burning oil
and burned to death. A number of peo-
pie received injuries from the falling walls
and the flying timbcrs. The people in the
fire district were terror stricken. Most of
them are of the poorer classes and were
making great efforts to save their small
belongings. Express wagons and drays
were at a premium and people were NOV.
ing few blocks away from the fire. Prob
ably 100000 people were gathered at the
fire, and the police were powerless to keep
them away. The fire was so hot, however.
that the unmanageable crowd did not get
near enough to be in serious danger.
At late hour the fire department got
the fire under control. The wind shifted
TO the southwest, driving the flames back
over the burned area. Over 100 families
have lost their homes and all they possess.