The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-09-24
FLAMES At SAN RAFAEL.
A Twenty Thousand Dollar
Blaze in the Marin County
Seat.
Disastrous Conflagration Caused by
the CareIessness of
Young Man.

SAN RAFAEL, CAL, Sept. 23.-A fire,
which originated in the furniture-stCre OF
William Sales, on Fourth street, between
A and B, at $3.50 o'clock this morning, re-
suited in the destruction of nearly $50, 00O
worth of property. The town was saved
from a confagration that would have
swept the entire business portion by the
prompt and efficient work of the fire de-
partment, aided by the finest water system
In the State.
A young man employed by William
Sales had placed pot of tar on the fire in
a stove occupying a corner OF the rear end
of the furniture-store and gone into the
rear yard to do some other work. tie
either forgot his red hot fire and his pot OF
tar or thought the job could take care OF
itself. Mr.. Sales stated this afternoon that
he was aware that the boy was boiling
tar to patch the roof about the chimneys,
but supposed he was attending to 1t.
II was busy at my desk in the front of
the store" said Mr.. Sales, land suddenly
l saw puff of blaze and a dense smoke. |
ran back and called the boy; then l ran
out and gave an alarm. 1t was all SO quick
that | had no chance to do much, the
flames spread SO rapidly"
By the time the firebOys had reached the
place the entire building was ablaze and
the flames were spreading rapidly. The
fire Jumped across the open spa ce to Julie
street on the north and licked up a small
building occupied by John Williams. Mrs.
Williams and her child had scarcely time
to save themselves and lost all their be-
longings.
There were five streams of water soon
doing effective work and within half an
hour the progress Of the fire was stopped,
combining its principal damage to Sales
store, the Williams dwelling and barn
owned by T. c. King. These three were
almost total loss. There wasn't $40 worth
of material left in the whole three stories
of the store and the front wall alone held
its place, but was so charred inside that 1t
is practically useless.
The King building, adjoining Sales store
on the west, occupied by Malone & Cody,
druggists, was badly burned in the rear
and the stock largely destroyed.
The occupants of the Miller block, on
the west of Kings building, suffered some
damage by water and breakage, but none
by fire.
Jelinsky, the cigar-dealer, and E. H.
Conway, the plumber, in the Sales build
ing, also suffered loss by breakage, but
none by fire.
r The postoffice, in the Miller building,
escaped all damage through the prompt
ness of the postmaster ana assistants
Vogel, the baker, also got off free of loss.
4. D. MduOLe, an attorney, WIZ ocCupIeu
offices in the east part of the Sales build
ing, saved his library.
The fire reached Sales barn, in the rear
of McMlllen's studio, and Hotchkiss' cy
clery, which it consumed, but the building
which fronts on A street was saved with
out damage.
The fire burned and smoldered for two
or three hours, but all the damage done
occurred within an hour. The losses in
detail as estimated by the owners of build
ings and goods are as follows:
William Sales, loss on building, $4,000
insurance $1,000; loss on goods, $500, no
insurance.
T. G.. King, loss on store and barn, $1,000;
fully covered by insurance.
Malone & Cody, loss on stock and house
hold furniture, $1,000; the stock insured,
but household goods uninsured.
d. c. Sutherland, loss on tools and goods,
$500.
W. J. Miller, loss on Williams dwelling,
5000; no insurance.
Jelinsky, loss on cigars, $500; no insur-
ance.
E. H. Conway, loss on stock and tools.
$3.50.
Besides these losses mentioned there was
a total loss of household goods stored in
the third story of the Sales store owned by
C. P Ferris, M. Hazlett, Basil Heathcote,
H. J. Maxwell, Miss Emma Burns, G. H.
HaskilI, Mrs. Cowles, DIR. Brance and Miss
L. Panier.
These holdings were variously estimated
at from 5000 TO $500 each, few of which
were insured. A majority of the owners
are out of town, some being only summer
residents. while others, number of them
teachers who reside in San Rafael in the
winter, have not yet returned, so that it
is impossible to learn definitely these losses.