The San Francisco call., 1899-10-12
ROLLED THROUGH
BLAZING BRUSH
Fire Fighter Has a Mar
row Escape.
HEMMED IN BY THE FLAMES
PAINFULLY But NOT sERI-
OUSLY BURNED.
Forest Fires IN the Santa Cruz
Mountains EfectuaIly Checked
by the Timely
Rainfall.
HEMMED IN BY THE FLAMES
PAINFULLY But NOT sERI-
OUSLY BURNED.
Special Dispatch 70 The Cau.

Mill. VALLEY. Oct. --.-While 1ghting
the flames which were raging asrc@4y on
the summit ~ Carts MADEIRA ridge -as-
night and threatening 70 sweep down
Baltimore Canyon and destroy I-a towns
Of Co--e MADEIRA and L4rE~2Ir. 1a9ma=
Kerriea1 II san Rafael had one . me
Iar-gwest escapes from a1 awful -eat-
that e.er fell 20 rhe l1r - man Kerr
gan was burned So severely about the i-1l
thai DE had 20 BE- taken u his nome q.
San Rafa.. and placed under the care o.
& physician That he was not roasted
alive is solely due 70 his own personal
bravery. -05lress and experience -1 IRE
fighting.
Ke-rigar. who has filed the position OF
guard both ~ Folsom and san quentin
was one NJ the twenty men sent from "a p
Rafae. bv Station agent DJoly 70 -stl
HI. flames when l. was seen Ihat Lark
sn7,- and The famous Baltimore Canyon
were ENDANGERED. Ite was working alone
IN the work OF 5aCElrlLg on LA= sum LL-l-
Of the ridge, his nearest conlpaL-3-S -
ing lsl -a-- away. when gust on VINO
carried 2 sheet Of fame about 90 feet III
less than ten seconds. In q trice Lne trees
and brush =, ere blazing leCceiE an around
herrlgar. end his escape looked hg2e-tsS.
Without losing any time ne StU-Iel rs
handkerchief into MS mouth 10 AVOID n
halirg the flames. and made dasl Tor
life through The raging element. he Aad
other than sirgeiug his hair, eyebrows
and muStache. when his foot struck q
stone that rolled under him ana threw
him heaClUrg. Not waiting % regain MS
feet for fear he would be suffCcatec ker-
Tigau roll4d over and over until ne found
himself out Of The fire 100 feet below. His
shoes were nearly burned OF MS feet ana
his feet and legs badly cooked " nile
the injuries thus received, and the sore
ness resulting from jolung over bushes
and rocks viii coufne him 70 his bed for
q few days. the injured man = Saugulne
that he viii soon be ''as good as new.
kerTiEau reinquiShcd mis- position at san
Quentin 20 serve as a volunteer IN Com
pany d, and was recently mustered out
OF service.
The Ere was completely extinguished by
the torrent OF rain which fell last night
for an hour and a half, and to-day the
aImC sphere i clear, with Eght vino
blowing. 4 conservative estimate places
the damage done by the fire Al not more
than $1,000 as il j. claimed that the red
wood timber. which was supposed 10 have
been totally destroyed. Will be freshand
green again next year. the bark being
too thick and moist 70 permit Of permanent
injury by the fire Contrary 10 the re-
port published in two morning papers
that q trestle Of the Scenic Railway mad
been burned. Manager Louis L. James as
serts that hardly any damage was done
u the road. and in proof Of his assertion
points 70 the fact that this morning
trains ran up and down the mountain as
utmost I'D finding sufficient rolling stock
10 accommodate the crowds that came
over from San Francisco TO view the
havoc wrought by the fire. and many mad
u wait IN town Until the afternoon trains
passed over the road.
Considerable damage was done personal
effects. furniture and other portable arti-
Cies by the rain. as the county road near
Alto station and CCrLe MADEIRA was lit
tered with household goods for three
miles. Every one Of these who removed
IE4-
structiOu By the flames was al work to-
DAY replacing them in the vacated cot
Ldees' ana express men nave had good
tnlng. All the cattle driven off the va
rious ranches were herGed together and
driven back this morning.
The cost y procuring fire fighters will
aggregate $500 The most Of this expense
Will be borne by the North Pacific Coast
Railway Company and the remainder by
lndiFIdual property owners.
SAN JOSE. Oct. HIT is believed that
last nights rain, which was heavy in the
Santa cruz Mountains, has put q stop 10
the forest fires which have been prevailing
70 such an alarming extent While only
indefinite reports have been received from
the mountains this morning, all tell Of
heaFy rain and the quenching Of the fire.
reports Wnich were sent out Monday
night from Santa Cruz saying that Hub
bard & CarmichaeIs mill had been
burned are, fortunately erroneous The
firm has headquarters here. and state
that hard work stopped the fire short Of
their property. so they suffered no loss
Their reports this morning indicate that
the rain put. out the FIRE Numerous resi-
dences and barns have been burned and
orchards and vineyards swept by
the fire. The rain comes as great boon
for the alarmed people. many Of whom
have lost their all and have been forced
To flee for their lives.
The latest estimates show that about
twenty houses were destroyed. and during
the high gale some cattle were caught and
sufOcated by fire and smoke. II is prob
ably conservative estimate to place the
loss at 800 60, with small insurance This
does not cover the loss Of timber for no
one knows yet what this may be. As a
rule. II is believed that the fire was fought
back from the redwood forest.
Before the rain came up last night a
terrible fire was raging along Bear Greek
and near Iona Prieta. Reports this
morning tell Of heavy rains last night al
both points. A message from Wrights
gays all the fire IS out in Austin Gulch
and that there is little left al Iona
Prieta. The largest scope of country ever
swept over since this section was settled
is now black and desolaJe as q result Of
the fire. No man can estimate what the