The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1899-02-13

Fireworks exploded in celebration Of the
Chinese New Year by the Alaska Packing
Company, at 724 Commercial street, yes
terday afternoon, set fire to the building,
completely destroying the contents or the
second story, burned one Cinnamon TO
death and so badly scorched three others
that there is no chance for their recovery.
The fire started at exactly o'clock, and
within twenty minutes after the crackers
had been lighted the damage had been
done and the flames eXtinguished. A long
string of firecrackers was lowered from
a window in the second story to the
street, some twelve feet beyond the SIDE
walk, and as the clock struck match
was touched to the fuse. The flame ran
rapidly along a wooden chute in which
the fireworks had been placed and COM
municated with other fireworks stored
near the window of the second story.
These exploded, and In a very few mo-
ments the entire room was filled with
flames. Tinsel and the paper decorations
made excellent fuel for the fire, which
spread rapidly to adjoining rooms, o,;oo
By a fortunate circumstance the ponce
were on the scene at the time the Ilre
broke out, and. to this fact 1t is que that
there were no more lives lost. mere Hd ne
been considerable rivalry among the Oil
ferent packing and fishing companies, ana
each sought to Guido the others IN the
display of fireworks, thinking that the one
secure the most men to supply the vessels
with fishermen. The Alaska Company
purchased about 800 worth of fireworks,
and believing that TINS was more t nan
considerable fear that the rival compa-
MES might seek to interfere with the Gel
ebration. Jue Bun, the head man OF the
company, informed Lieutenant Price of
this fear and requested that officers be de-
tailed to prevent any interference with
the celebration, The lieutenant acceded
r4n TOM inn a r
terry: Bunner, Grunwald and Brodt in
front of the building and remained with
them himself
AS soon as the flames spread through
the rooms Lieutenant. Price turned in an
alarm for the Fire Department and sent
the officers for ladders with which to res
cue the people in the building. The wife
and. two daughters of Jue Bun and two
men were carried down the ladders by
the police, and over dozen other China
men escaped down the stairway. Until
the firemen entered the building 1t was
believed that all the inmates had escaped
without serious injury.
Engineer p: H. Shaughnessy and Will
liam Gallatin of chemical engine 5, while
fighting the flames in the room at the rear
of the one where the. fire started, found
two Cinnamon so badly burned that they
down the main stairway to the sidewalk.
Another man, also horribly burned, was
discovered by Assistant Engineer John
Willis in an inner room, and he was car
ried down ladder and placed with the
other victims Further search resulted
in the finding Of the dead body of Quong
Duck Fook.
Jue Now, Jim Shoe and Chan Wo, the
three men rescued, were horrible sights
for the large crowd which gathered in the
street near the burning building. The
hair had been singed from their heads,
the clothing burned from their bodies and
the flesh on their hands, feet and faces
burned TO crisp. They lay on the side
walk writhing, moaning and grooming in
their agony. The ambulance was sum-
moned as quickly as possible and the suf-
ferers were taken to the Harbor Hospital
AT a late hour last night all three of the
injured men were still alive, but the phy-.
sicians in attendance state that there is
no possible chance for the recovery of any
of them
Quong Duck Fook, the man who lost
his life in the fire. was a member of the
Alaska Packing Company, and was pos
sessed of a number of other interests. He
leaves widow and three children resid-
ing at III Clay street. 1t is stated that he
escaped from the building. when the fire
first started. but ran back into the build
ing to save a large sum of money His
effort, aside from the. fact that it cost
him his life. was unsuccessful. as when
the body was searched at the Morgue but
SIS was found in his possession.
There is a possibility that another
Chinaman was burned to death in the fire,
hut the truth of a rumor to that effect
could not be established. Several intelli-
gent Cinnamon, who were on the scene
Immediately after the fire started, state