The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1898-10-24
FIRE DOES
MUCH DAMAGE
IN PANAMA
Nearly Forty Build
ings Destroyed.
ARRIVAL OF THE SAN JUAN
THE NICARAGUA CANAL ROUTE
BEING EXAMINED.
Arrival Of a Party Of Experts From
New York Causes Much I'm
easiness on the
Isthmus.
ARRIVAL OF THE SAN JUAN
THE NICARAGUA CANAL ROUTE
BEING EXAMINED.

They are having lively times in Pan
anna According to the news brought by
the Mail steamer San Juan a goodly por-
ton of the business part of the town has
been burned and the authorities are
terribly worried over the building of the
Nicaragua canal. Naturally the people
Of the isthmus do not want to see that
scheme carried through by the United
States, as 1t would be a death blow to
Panama
The fire which did so much damage to
Panama broke out few days before the
San Juan sailed for San Francisco. 1T
began in the store of Francisco Torn and
is supposed to have been of incendiary
origin. Thirty-two buildings and their
contents were burned and five were de-
molished in attempts to stay the progress
of the flames. The loss, including mer-
chandise is estimated at $500 900.
They have no water works in Panama,
but the Panama Railway Steamship Com
pany got its pumps to work and saved
a lot of property besides its own wharves.
The city had plenty of hose, but the coup
lings would not fit the steamship com
panys appliances, so little could be done
Large quantities of alcohol, rum ana KeI
osene were stored in the burning Dullu-
ings and they materially assisted the con-
fagration. In the store of Hipolito de Ia
Olivia, dynamite was stored, and when the
explosive went off everybody thought the
most a panic and the troops had 10 pc
called out to preserve order. Fresh goooS
had been ordered and the work OF re-
building many OF the stores had begun De
fore the San Juan sailed.
The arrival of the steamer tlnanGe
brought to Panama f. Eyre OF w. H.
Grace & Co, Edward Cragin of Chicago
Drainage Canal fame, Frank Washburn
of Washburn x Sons, contractors OF New
York and Alex Bacon, New YORK attor-
ney. They remained a short time on the
isthmus and the people were hoping
against hope that their visit might nave
something to do with the Panama canal
All their hopes went gllmmerlng, now
ever, when the gentlemen in question
took passage for CorintO, Nicaragua, with
the ayOWed intention of going over and
making a thorough examination OF the
Nicaragua canal route. They viii return
home via San Francisco, but Will probably
have very little TO say about the scheme.
According to the officers of the San Juan
the Eyre, Cragin, Washburn party will
remain in Nicaragua month.
The cabin passengers Of the San Juan
We're Maurice Drake, Mrs. Thraylkill,
Mrs. W. c. Craig, +. d. Casa, Yam Chuen,
Piari Yue, w. S. Keys, H. B. Whipple
and eleven Europeans and thirteen Chi !
nese, in transit TO Hongkong in the steer |
The barkentines ). G. Wilder and S. N. |
Castle and bark Andrew WEIGH are hay
Honolulu. The Castle beat the others up, !
but Captain Drew of the Andrew WEIGH |
vows that he won't do the trick again.
The new yacht Gladys, built for Thomas
HOlron of Honolulu, went down on the !
deck of the Andrew Welch. The hand
some little craft met with a bad mishap
before she was got aboard. She was
brought over from Stones shipyard last
Thursday morning and the vessel was to
go to sea as soon as the yacht was safely
aboard. In order to get the Gladys into
the space reserved on deck for her she
had to be taken between the Andrew
Welch and the wharf. The swell from
passing ferry steamer threw the bark
against the yacht, jamming the latter
against the piles, smashing a couple
OF her planks, starting others and doing
some minor damage. The builder worked
all that day and all night on the yacht
and got things shipshape again SO that
the Andrew Welch was only detained a
day.
st. Nicholas arrived from karluk yeSter-
day with 80 200 cases of salmon and all
the Chinese from the cannery.
The work OF getting the transports
ready is going on night and day. The
Ohio and Indiana at the sea wall, the Zea- !
landia at Pacific street and the Pennsyl- |
vania at the Union Iron Works, will be |
ready this week and the chances are they |
will all get away next Monday or Tues |
day. The Newport is ready to go out |
when called upon, and the City of Pueba |
will be overhauled at once. She was
fumigated yesterday and came over to /
broadway wharf, where she locked. Cap
tain Harry Goodall is not very we'll and |
the chances are that he will not go out |
again on the Pueblo.
The seamer George w. Elder arrived |
from Portland yesterday. Among the pas |
sengers were the members of The Span
of Life" company, which opens at the
California Theater tonight.