The herald., 1898-12-16
DOWN THE LINE
< ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

8 DOWN The LINE 81
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
He is Lucky" yet, this man Baldwin, who
has for so many years been favorite of for
tune. l met his man
Still Fortunes ager, Mr.. Unruh, yes
Favorite terday, who has just
come back from the
scene of the Baldwin hotel disaster. un-
rub asserts that his chief has been offered
enough for the vacant property where the
hotel stood to pay off all his debts and leave
him several hundred thousand dollars over
besides all his other property. mat is TO
say the lot will bring enough to pay on the
big mortgage he placed some time ago, and
leave him a comfortable fortune over, be-
sides removing all liens on his thousands OF
acres hereabouts He will have an income
Of from $4,000 to $1,000 a month clear, which
ought to be enough for him to struggle
along on with equanimity.
81 call it a two million dollar loss to the
good" said Mr.. Unruh, 'for the hotel has,
ever since Mr.. Bald
A Loss to win took it, absorbed
the Good most of the products
of his other resources.
All that we made at the ranch went IN
there, and | am of the opinion that MI
Baldwin will in some particulars be better
off now that the thing is gone. ms tax
about the place being dangerous Is not weil
based. When the hotel was opened MI.
Baldwin took the chief engineer OF the hre
department through it and asked him 70 say
what should be done in the way OF apparatus
and safety, and carried out everything that
was suggested and then offered to do more
if the chief would say what there was to
do. He was told that nothing more was
needed.
Mr.. Unruh makes the startling assertion
that the San Francisco fire department did
not do its duty at the
A Scandal confagration Of the
Suggested big hotel; in fact, he
intimates that in ii
short time he will be ready to bring the
most serious charges against this organl
Zation IF as much attention had been pald
to putting out the fire, says Mr.. Unruhs
'as there was given to looting the place, the
loss of life and property would have been
much less 1t is fact that not trunk
was found in the rooms that were not con
sumed that did not have its lock broken
and its contents ritled. 1t was the same
way with the bureau drawers that had been
left locked. In thes2 cases the thieves
lifted off the marble tops OF the bureaus and
thus reached the first drawer and then
smashed the bottom out of that to get into
the next one"
Mr.. Badwin's friends claim that he has
the hostility of the great corporations in
San Francisco on ac-
His Enemies count of his refusal
Pursued to be bled by them.
He was charged Sl200
A month for water by the Spring Valley
Water company, so, at a cost of S2500. he
put well down in the hotel, and the water
for the place has not since cost him 500 a
month. He did the same thing with the
gas company, and the electric light COM
pany, and he refused to pay the rates de-
manded by the insurance companies, so
those that take his views claim that he has
| been made the victim OF the hostility OF
such companies. which was reflected by the
! fire department during the destruction OF
the hotel. This view will hardly bear the
test of investigation, though Mr.. Unruh
thinks that he will have sufficient evidence
in the shape of affidavits and the like to
show that he has some reason for his views
| O O o
John W. Mitchell got back from San
Francisco yesterday, where he had been on
private business,
CIV for he saws There wa
| the Colonel lot of local states
men, however, who
were there on presumably public business.
For example, at one time in the Palace lobby
were noted Senator White, ex-Mayor-soon-
tobe Snyder, George Roberts, Harry Pat
ton, who could not get an audience with
the governor, it is said; Martin Marsh and
GUY Barham. Guy is doing what he calls
the act OF forming public opinion. lie is
taking himself au grand serieux in this
Burns senatorial political fracas and is
talking with all his might and main about
what a great, good and noble man Colonel
Dan Burns is "What we must dc" says
Guy, sis simply to let the people know what
splendid fellow the colonel is, and that
is all that is needed" all OF which show,
what royal friend Guy is.
THE GOSSIPER.