Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1906-04-19
CITY MAY BE DOOMED
The Fire Still Raging After a
Night OF Terror.


Full Details Of the Disaster Will Not
BE Known For Several Days-Resi'
dence Now Said to BE In Flames.
San Francisco. April 1s.-It looks
now as if the entire city would be
burned. The Associated Press men
are trying to get matter to Oakland by
boat. but they are very uncertain. The
government is furnishing tugs, but the
confusion is SO great that they cannot
be relied upon. 1t will be impossible
to send full details for several days.
From the Cliff house comes word
/ that the great pleasure resort and show
place of the city, which stood upon a
foundation of solid rock. has been
swept into the sea. Not. a thing stands
to tell where the monster stone build
/ ing once stood. 1t has been levelled to
the foundation, and only the rock
along the coast remains intact.
Night added to the horror, and as
darkness fell the sky was Illuminated
in all directions. People left their
homes and fed to the parks and the
| public squares. A series of rather Sc
we're earth shocks further increased
the terror, and many left homes that
were not in danger.
One of the big losses Of the day was
] the destruction of st. Ignatius church
and college, at Van Ness avenue and
HAYES street. This was the greatest
Jesuitical institution in the west and
was built at cost of couple OF mil
lions.
During the night the fire had swept
| from the south side of the town across
Market street into the western addi-
ton, and was burning houses at Golden
Gate avenue and Octavia street. This
result was reached after almost the
entire southern district from Ninth
street to the eastern water front had
been converted into a blacHened waste.
| In this quarter were hundreds of facto-
ries, wholesale hauses and many bust
ness firms, in addition to thousands
of homes.
On the north side. the fire was not
making such rapid headway as in the
western addition, where there is linn
tied water supply available.
Throughout the city, wherever there
is a public square, a scene of desolation
I is presented. Tents have been pitched
by fortunate possessors of canvas, but
most Of the homeless people are hud-
died in frightened groups about the
household belongings they managed to
save from the general ruin.
In Union Square park, where num-
Der of the hemelass are now given
temporary shelter. the mighty Dewey
monument his been shifted from its
base. 1t new stand les ag at an
angle of 10 degrees. There is now dan
ger of the Immense structure falling.
The ferryboat resumed running from
Oakland, aud thousands of homeless
and panic-strieken people are leaving
the city and seeking shelter in Oak
land and other suburban towns. The
suffering and hardship are great.
Countless numbers Of residents of the
poorer parts of the city. including Chi
nese, Japanese and Italian quarters,
have been rendered homeless, and un-
less supplies reach the city inside of %
hours the starvation will reach a ca
lamity.
Water Front Swept Clean.
Never has the fate of city been more
disastrous. For three miles alDng the
water front buildings have been swept
clean, and the blackened beams and
great skeletons of factories and offices
stand silhouetted against a back
ground of fame that is slowly spread
ing over the entire city The whole
commercial and Office quarter On the
north side of Market street to 10th
street has been consumed in the
flames, while hardly building is left
standing in the district south of Mar
ket street. Despite the heroic work
of the firemen and the troops of dyna,
miters who razed building after build.
ing and blew up property valued at
millions, the flames spread across Mar.
ket street to the north side and swept
up Montgomery street, almost to
Washington street. Along Montgomery
street are some of the richest banks
md commercial houses in San Fran
cisco.
Blocks of other houses are in the
path of the flames, and nothing seems
to Re at hand to stay their progress.
Block after block of banking houses
are now masses of red hot ruin, and It
will be months before the money that
was housed in their vaults can be
lyeached.
FIRE SPREADING RAPIDLY
Latest Dispatches Say Flames Are
Still Beyond Control.