The San Francisco call., 1899-09-01


block of planning mills and small
factories to the value of about
il half a million dollars, thousands OF
dollars worth of machinery
burned and warped to ruin and two gal
lant tremen-Jim Callen, assistant lore
man of engine II, and Philip Denlcke OF
the same crew-scorched and mangIed un-
der falling roOkery walls, is the net res ~. p.
Of a confagration that broke out last
night in the Thompson Planning Mill Com
panv's sheds at the northwest corner Oh
Mission and Fremont streets.
The blaze was discovered by Speclal
Officer Robert Sample, who turned IN an
alarm from box 261. Two more alarms
followed as soon as the hrst engine
reached the scene, and in little more Illdil
the time it takes to tell it every steamer
in the district was throwing water 4H'0
the burning district.
From almost the start 1t was evident
that none of the fimsy structures IN the
path Of the fire could be saved. Inc pIaze
was confined to the wooden buildings o.!
Holbrook, Merrill & Stetson's big prlch
structure on Fremont and Market streets
and bv a row of bricks at the corner OF
SIiseicn and Main streets. The Fire De-
partment divided its force 10 save the TO"
Of frame buildings across MiSslou SIIeel
which repeatedly took hre rom oIle N
tense heat Of the general connaSrauoh'
The police handled the enormous crowd
thai gathered admirably. Fully 5000 peo-
pie were attracted by the three alarms
and scurrying engines, but no arrests
were made and despite the Intense eX-
citement which followed the falling OF the
walls and the bursting Of boilers the pest
Of order was maintained.
The origin Of the fire could not be de-
termined Office Sample, who discovered
it. was walking along Fremont street and
saw the blaze through the windows of a
vacant store 1t is his opinion that 1t
started from the boiler or flreboX in the
mill Of the Thompson Planning Company
for by the time he had turned in the first
alarm the flames were already Bursting
through the roof of that building. They
RAPIDLY communicated with the buildings
occupied by the California Iron Works
the +. B. Whitney Scale Manufacturing
Company and the Merrill Milling Com
The last engine had not arrived when
the heavy steamppe in Thompson's mill
exploded and sent through the burning
windows and rapidly falling roof clouds
Of cinders that at once set of the lesser
buildings in the fire zone. The. old Joshua
Hendy-Machine Works and the saloon of
Gus DenCker at the corner blazed up and
although the. engineers ordered their men
back outsof danger of the collapsing walls
the crews refused safety; and attempted
TO save the shanties still standing on the
Fremont street side.
It was work such as this that nearly
cost brave Phil Denehy and Phil Cailen
their lives. With the rest of the crew
Of II Engine they were handling two
Whitney Scale Company's shops on Ere
mont street The roof of the building had
already gone in. and the one object of the
fight was to save the stock and ma
chinery. Heavy machinery falling from
the second floor of the Hendy building
started the walls topping, and Denehy
and Callen were caught underneath a
whole side. The hose was dropped and
every man of the crew and a score of
police seized the burning timbers despite
their own burns, and soon had the injured
men in safety across the street. At the
Harbor Hospital, where both were taken,
It was found that Callen was nearly
blinded by cinders and melted tar He
had an ugly cash over his left eye, and
his left ankle was sprained. Chief SulIi-
van ordered him removed at once to st.
Mary's Hospital. Denehy was badly cut
and wrenched and suffered a number OF
slight, burns. but after proper attention
H: S. Chafee: an empl,oye Of the J. 3.
an effort to save his firms books He got
inside, and while, gathering up his effects
thrown a rubber blanket, and with the
aid Of a couple of tiremen succeeded in