The San Francisco call., 1897-11-04
Wiped OUT BY
4 Big BLAZE
A Dozen Families Rendered
Homeless Near Towns
end Street.
The Department Called Out on
Three Quickly Sounded
Alarms.
The Fire Started in James NewelPs
Stable in the Middle Of
the Block.

A fire causing about $l5, 200 loss in
property and rendering homeless a dozen
or more families broke out near the
Southern Pacific Company's Townsend
street depot Yesterday afternoon and
made neces- ary the attendance Of the
larger part OF the fire department.
AT $40 o'clock the first alarm was
sounded from box 5} for blaze that was
# scove-ed in the stable occupied by
lames Newell, the driver for C. Z. Whit
A y, at the end of Crooks street small
alley that runs off Thwnsend between
Third and Fourth. The stable was close
$40 lie old Lus6 canneTy, where here was
:: a big fire ,eyeral years ago. AS soon as
+ District Engineer Dougherty reac ed the
lace be >aw that II " as not a fire that
could be irihed with and be sent III an
other alarm from the same box. y tew
minutes later some one sounded bird
alarm, bus from ro1 IS for the same tre.
Before the additional apparatus could
resca the place the blaze had completely
elvelOped the barn, and the heat and
flames from over forty tons OF hay and he
uTy material OF the oil shed had set on
ire the ends OF row OF dwelling houses
iaclHg On Clyde street.
Tne west wind was flowing full and
strong on the ire, and for a short time 1t
looked as though not only the houses
would be DESTROYED, but that tie entire
block toward Third street would be swe pt
away. The tiremen were ordered by Chief
Sullivan 20 make stand IN Clyde street
and fight The advancing flames from that
pOiat, when they did with success.
The families who were in the line Of
danger had but little time to get their
effects out OF the way, and in tnis their
etforts were sadly handicapped by the
presence Uf so much apparatus and fire.
men, Tor Clyde street is not over twenty
feet wide. Nearly all the furniture that
was saved was badly damaged, and the
owners being poor people, they will ieel
their loss keenly.
After nard fight of nearly an hour the
hremen got the blaze under control. They
we're so fortunate as to conhne the fire 10
SIX houses on the west side of Clyde
street and 10 the stable and one house on
Crooks street. The principal victims and
lOSses wer. as follows:
On Crooks street, No IL, James Newelps
stable and contents, OF hay, harness. etc. :;
No. Q, David Robinson, dwelling and part
Of the contents. The west side of the
house was badly damaged. The upper
story, No 9IZ. was vacant.
On Clyde street, No l, a two-storv frame
Eouse, was occupied by Mrs. William
j ggins; No. 11e was occupied by James
E-rphy, No ,, d two-s.ory frame touse,
a occupied by J ohm Borden, and ~ by
j. {. Dougberty. Mrs. Murphy of oak
land owned botn premises. No. was a
tenement house owned by J. Fr.tz, who
llveu there with sew raj families.
Among these were J. Scrouse and Mrs
{. Deal. The unp4r part vas not occa-
pied. Nos. TO So be.ong to the Little
estate and were vacant. No. 3 was occu-
ped by Mrs. I. fennyson, ana No. 81
was occupied by Mrs. Stewart Nos. ana
- were owned and occupied by Mr.. and
Mss Day. No. 5 was rented by C. FIN
MY, and No. 81 by Mr.. Flynn.
- Ia nearly all o. these premises the loss
OF uersonal property amounted to from
$500 0 $500, and but little OF it was coy
eIed by insurance. With the buildings
the damaae was considerable, and the ex-
text il every instance cannot be esli-
mated for several days. Captain Com
stock OF the ire pafroi estimates the total
loss at about SO 000.
How the FIRE started is not known, but
It IS suspected that some boys who were
seen TO en- er the stable lit while be-
iore the blaze was seen may have had
some hing o do with il.