Los Angeles herald., 1906-04-20
Special to The Herald.

Special to The Herald.
SAN FRANCISCO, April 19.-San
Francisco tonight is the city desolate.
1t seems that the acme of it's misery
was reached at dusk when flames burst
from all sides of the beautiful Hotel
Fairmount, the palace that above every
structure was apparently most strongly
entrenched against the attack of all
consuming fire
And surrounding the lofty pinnacle
of flame as far as the eye could see to
the south and east and far out to the
west lay in cruel. fantastic heaps.
charred and smoking, all that remained
of a prosperous city. The metropolis
of the western slope was in ashes.
Hope Worst Is Over
This has been another day Of an
uneven struggle of man against the
uncomfortable element of nature. Acre
after has been ground into dust and
ashes despite the heroic perseverance
of the flremen to limit the conf1agra-
tion, Tonight there Is a hope that the
worst has been nearly reached and that
when tomorrow dawns the end will
have come. but the hope is faint in
deed. If the flames can be barred in
their devastation of the western addi-
tion then finis will be written to the
great disaster.
But San Francisco is not discouraged.
It's best and highest class has already
begun to plan for restoration and to care
for the stricken ones, and relief will
be immediate and effective. Total sub
scriptions Of $180,000 were announced.
Arrangements were made for the i'm
mediate relief of the needy.
Provide Bread and Water
The baking of $4,000 loaves of bread
daily will begin tomorrow. Free trans
portation will be provided by the
Southern Pacific to persons desiring to
go to interior points. Major McKeeVer
was appointed commandant of the
camps of the homeless. 1t was an
nourlced that tomorrow there would be
gin a daily delivery into the city OF TO-
100000 gallons Of water.
Tonight for the first time direct tel
egrapllic communication was re-estab-
lished between San Francisco and the
outside world. and this message had
the honor of being the first to be sent.
BY the most energetic efforts in the
face of great obstacles the Postal Tel
egraph company succeeded in restoring
one of it's shattered lines, and it's man
ayers are hopeful of bringing back its
service to the normal plane in a day
or two.
Three Fires Burning
The Postal office tonight Is located
in a little wooden structure erected on
piles at the water front shore. To-
night three distinct fires were burning.
One was on that portion that extends
from Mob Hill down easterly to the
water front. 1t was travelling slowly
north toward the Telegraph Hill
section and may die out from lack of
material or may again sweep toward
the extreme water front. The second
center was in the Mission district Here
the fire had reached Eighteenth street
but was making little headway toward
the hillsides to the west, where thou
sands of people are camped. The third
and most dangerous fire is that
threatening the western addition. This
is really a continuation of the Mob
Hill fire. 1t is wedge shaped with the
apex pushing forward.
Place Dead at $50
This Is the point against which the
firemen are bending their greatest ef-
forts. Dynamite was used for back
firing purposes with only fair success.
Tonight many blocks may be blown up.
Chief of Police Dinan said he thought
260 would fully cover the number Of
deaths. He found 1t impossible to Sc
cure details. About fifty bodies have
thus far been found.
There was considerable shooting of
looters today, but the Offenders were