The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-07-25

fined the flames, disastrous con1agratlon
might have resulted. The ''water tower
and gallery" stream working together
did most effective work. The former
poured steady stream into the third story
OF the building and the latter was worked
on the lower floors.
Tillmann & Bendel will not be heavy
losers by the fire. Their stock was valued
at about $45, 900 and the insurance was
$39, 500. A considerable quantity of the
coffee and beans stored in the warehouse
were saved, and although damaged by wa
ter and smoke they can be dried and used
again as an inferior article. The building,
owned by Maison Bros, was ruined, and
the loss on it will be about 600.
The adjoining building, owned by
George Robbins, and occupied by Lee Wo
d Co. as shoe factory and Lee Soon as a
cigar factory, was slightly burned and the
contents damaged by water. The building
on the other side, owned and occupied by
E. Z. Anthony, was also slightly dam
aged.
There were two alarms turned in from
box 81, the first at :45 and the second at
6:51 A. M. When Chief Sullivan arrived on
the scene he at once saw there was no hope
of saving the merchandise, so he got the
water tower in position and Hooded the
building. The contents were composed al
most entirely of coffee, spices, beans and
teas, while in the basement were oils and
liquors, which added greatly to the fierce
ness of the flames when once they started
burning.
The fire is supposed to have started in
the rear of Tillmann q BendeFs. A new
coffee-roaster was put in about month
ago and defect in its construction is
blamed for the loss. Close TO the rooster
there was an elevator shaft and once the
the top floor. No doubt the fire smold-
dered all night and suddenly broke out in
the morning. The walls OF the structure
are cracked in dozen places and the build
ing will probably be condemned.
The Waterman on the beat noticed a
peculiar smell of something burning early
in the morning, but did not pay very much
attention to it. H. Meyer of the New Man
haitian saloon, on the corner OF CONNER
cial and Battery. came to the conclusion
at 80 that there was fire in Tillmann d
BendePs, but his key would not open the
alarm box, and he also paid no more atten-
ton to the matter.
Two other fires kept the department
busy during the day and early morning.
At 2:21 A. NJ. building on Tennessee
street, owned by Christian Refs and occu-
pltO ny OeOTS0 TCSCOTHl, Was DuEileu W tue
ground. He lived in the upper fiat, and
used the lower one as fruitstore. The
fire spread to the stable, and two horses
and wagon were burned up. e. Luke
had in the same stable three horses and a
buggy, and o. koblock had one horse. All
persisted in the flames. The buildings
were valued at $500 and the horses and
wagons at $1,000
The alarm at 1888 p NJ. from box 512 was
for fire in the Pacific Box Factory, on the
corner of Fourth and Kentucky streets.
HI. Stevenson, the fireman, was at work,
and few minutes previously had fed the
furnace. Through some unexplainable
means a considerable quantity of gas was
generated, and in an instant there was
an explosion, the furnace doors were burst
open, and a long Jet of flame rushed out
the fireman and setting fire to
the bin in which the sawdust used as fuel
was stored. Stevenson's clothes were al
most burned off his body, his hair. whis-
kers and eyebrows were all gone, and alto
gether he presented a pitiable spectacle
when rescued. He was anointed with oil.
q physician was called in, and under his
advice Stevenson was removed to his
home. His injuries are not thought to be