The record-union., 1897-01-31
Five Warehouses Burned Early Yes
terday Morning.
The City Trustees Appoint Special
Officers to Serve Until the Excite
ment SubSideS-An Italian Under
Arrest Confesses TO Setting Fire
to the Warehouses and the Draw
bridge Across PetaIuma Creek.

PETALUMA. Jan. 3O.-That an out
rageous plot, having for its object the
destruction of the business portion of
this city by fire. has been on foot dur
ing the last few days, there seems mo
longer any reason to doubt
If proof in addition to that already
on hand We're needed it was furnished
by the disastrous occurrences of last
night, or, to be more exact, of this
morning.
Though the schemes Of the wretches
who are responsible for the outrage
miscarried in part, they proved at least
partially successful.
Many thousand dollars worth of
property have been destroyed, and 4
vast amount of additional damage was
only prevented by good fortune and the
vigilance of the city officials and prop
eI'ty owners.
AS it is, the great Whitney ware
houses, five in number, lie in ruins this
morning, buildings and contents a total
loss. and a determined effort was also
made to destroy the woolen mills, and
also the D-street draw bridge over Pet
aluma Greek. 1t was the second at
tempt to burn the laSt-named struct-
ure.
The first attempt of the firebugs was
made last Tuesday night, when they
fired the lumber yards of John Cava-
nagh, the flames being discovered about
an hour before midnight About the
same time the D-Street draWbridge was
also found to be in flames.
The fire in the lumber yards had
gained 50 much headway that it was
difficult to subdue, and it was only by
the most strenuous efforts that it was
finally brought under control. Nor was
this accomplished until a great amount
of lumber had been destroyed and very
heavy loss caused to Mr. Cavanagh.
The bridge, fortunately, did not burn
so readily. and though great pains had
been taken by the incendiarieS in stack
ing up combustibles underneath the
piers, the flames were extinguished
with comparative ease and before much
damage had been done.
Evidently the firebugs came to the
conclusion, after Tuesday nights expe-
rence, that a later hour in the night
would be more suitable for the success
full carrying out of their plans.
At 5:45 this morning the firemen
We're called out to fight the biggest and
most destructive fire in the history of
Petaluma. The blaze started in the
buildings know as the Whitney ware
houses, used principally for stora sc
purposes, and said to be the largest
buildings of the kind in Sonoma Coun-
ty The warehouses, five in all, con-
tanning over 1900 tons of hay, with a
total valuation of $500 were totally
destroyed. The fire department had a
hard time to save the gas works, plan
ing mills and drawbridge, in close proX-
unity which already had commenced
smoking, also several residences close
by.
The south door of the warehouse was
found broken, and it is evident that
firebugs broke into the building and set
fire to the center of the pile of baIed
hay. In a moment the whole structure
was in flames.
Following are the principal losses:
Whitney estate building, $1,000, partly
insured: A. Kahn, hay and merchan-
disc, s.. 1000 insurance $1,000; G. P. Nc
Near, hay $4,000, no insurance; Golden
Eagle Milling Company, hay Sl,oOO, no
insurance; William Hill & Co., hay
S2,500, no insurance. The remainder
of the losses range from $50 to $500.
among merchants and farmers who had
goods in storage.
This afternoon the City Trustees call
ed a special meeting to appoint special
officers until the fire excitement sub
sides, also preliminary steps were taken
to remove the old building known as
the "Old Brooklyn Hotel" and to pro-
vide better facilities to fight fire. The
night policemen We're ordered to keep
their beats till daylight.
An Italian arrested this evening con-
fesses to setting fire to the warehouse,
also to the drawbridge fired three days
ago.