The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1906-07-12
Friseo's Eight Fires.

Eight times has the phoenix bird had
Its pinions singed down to the min
feathers in San Francisco ;seven times
has 1t risen more fully plumed than
before and the eighth, to be more gor-
geous, more mature and more beauti-
full than all the others is nowbegin-
ming a rapid growth.
Each time the residents of this CITY
fled before the fire. saving only what
was nearest and dearest-their wives
and their children.
Each time before the, ashes cooled
they returned to begin the work Of
rebuilding. AS did the sires and
grandsires, so do the children and
better and greater.
The first great fire which burned
much of the city occurred on Decem-
Der "a, 1S49. The fire had its origin
In Dennison's exchange, frame build
ing ceiled with cotton cloth and paint
ed. The fire began at about the same
time as that of April 26, 19O6-5:30
a. m.-and spread even more rapidly
for the town was then built of thin
boards, cotton cloth and paint. There
was general stampede of the 5000
then In the city and in short time the
business district was in ashes at loss
estimated at million of dollars.
Within four months the district had
been rebuilt and was again prosper
GUS, but on the morning of May 4, 1850
the second great fire broke opt. this
time in the United States exchange.
on the east side of the plaza. The
fire started at o'clock in the morning
and at noon of the same DAY the en-
tire district bounded by Dupont and
Montgomery and jackson and CLAY
streets had been destroyed, entailing
a loss of $4.0O0,000.
Circumstances occurred which led
to the belief that the fire was of in
cendfary origin and the mayor offered
a reward of $1,000 for the detection of
the incendiaries. Several parties
were arrested on suspicion, but they
were afterward liberated. AS in the
case of the fire of the preceding year
new buildings were begun while the
sites of the old were smoking and in a
wonderfully short time the whole
burned district was covered with new
structures.
On June IA, 1850, scarcely breath
Ing space after the fire of May IA, the
city was reused to the third conflag-
ration which began in a little bakery
between Clay and Sacramento streets
in the rear of the Merchants hotel.
The wind was high and in a few hours
all that district between Clay and CAL
tfornia streets and from Kearney to
the waters edge had been DESTROYED
the loss being estimated at $5,0O0,O0O.
The district was soon rebuilt; the ex-
perience of the past had taught the
people that the cost of ''fire-proof
brick structures" was much greater
at first than the old wooden ones. vet
In the end they were cheaper and bet
ter, and from that time the street
architecture assumed a different an
pearance.
The fourth fire began at O'Clock
September II, 1850 in the Philadelphia
house, on the north side of Jackson
street, and in few hours all that dis
trict bounded by Jackson, Kearney
and Dupont and Pacific streets was
burned over. On the south side of
Jackson street everything was swept
away to the plaza; below Kearney
street the entire row on the east side
was destroyed, with the exception of
one building. The loss in this fire
was estimated at 100000.
The great fire" previous to the one
of last month, began at midnight on
May 4, 1851. Threats had been made
by gang of desperadoes that infes-
ted the city that the anniversary of
May 5, 1850 would be signalized by
an even greater fire. A blaze was first
discovered in paint shop on the south
side of the plaza, land soon the city was
in whirlwind of flame. The Annals
of San Francisco" read like descrip-
ton of the fire of last month. They
say in part:
Many persons owning or inhabit-
inb buildings which appeared to be
out of the possible range Of destruc-
ton looked upon its commencement
with thought of apathy for themsel-
YES, actuated only by their sympathy
tor others. How suddenly ended
their dreams of security. AS the first
faint hope of stopping the flames at
the point of origin died out. the city's
terrible fate became manifest. And
yet no one could anticipate to its full
lest extent the scope and completeness
of its eventual ruin. Great masses of
smoke assembled and rolled away load
ed with the wealth of men. the reward
of toll and danger, bearing above the
crumbling city greatflocks and sheets
of burning cinders.
Frame houses melted away like
frost work; brick structures became
batteries of flame, iron and zinc curled
III a
moments the earth and the air trem-
bled as great buildings were torn into
fragments by explosions of gunpowder
and the air was filled with shattered
timbers, bricks and mortar. The hill
sides, where the people had taken ref