Los Angeles herald., 1906-04-20
BY Associated Press.

have been wiped out or existence py the
dreadful conflagration.
One of the first to fall a prey to
the flames after the destruction Of the
| business district was the Palace hotel.
known the world over to travellers.
1t was built in the seventies by
James Ralston at cost of S6,000,000
and was owned by the Sharon estate.
Many of San Francisco's wealthy resi-
dents made their home at the Palace
and personal property losses in art
treasures and other effects have been
very great.
Hopkins Art Institute
The Hopkins Art institute, located
| on Mob HILL" owned by the university
of California and built by Mark Hop
kins, was destroyed with its priceless
contents. Close by were the Stanford
mansion, the Huntington, the Flood,
the two Crocker mansions. a-.d-=&
All were swept away. These were
the handsomest private residences In
San Francisco and were built by the
men whose names they bear in the ear
ly days of the city's greatness and who
played such important roles in the de-
velopment Of the Pacific coast.
Bohemian Club
Down near the business district at
avenue stood the Bohemian club, the
most unique and one of the widest
known social organizations in the
world.
Its membership lists include the
names of many men who have achieved
fame in art, literature and the COM
mercial world.
| works of artist members many Of whose
~ lrnnnn NuharAVar
are treasured and many of them price
less in their associations.
Annual Summer links
Many Of these were faced. The an
nual summer links Of the Bohemian
club amidst sylvan scenes at Redwood
Grove is the most unique celebration
known among social clubs.
There were on special exhibition In
the "Jlnks" room OF the Bohemian
club a dozen paintings by the old mas
! ters, including a Rembrandt, a Diaz
and Murillo and others, probably
worth 100000.
These paintings, which were loaned
for exhibition, were lost,
Olympic Club Burns
Further west on Post street stood the
home of the Olympic club, the oldest
| regularly organized athletic association
in the United States, and famous for
its appointments and for the number
of athletes It has developed.
The building was worth 100000, and
its furnishings were of the finest quail
ity. Nothing remains but mass OF
steel and stone.
Great Flood Building Coos
The great new Flood building, built
by James Flood ut a cost Of s4,ooo,O 900
and occupied about year; the new
Merchants Exchange building on Cali
fornia street. erected at n cost OF S2,-
100000; the Crocker building, at Mont
gomery and Market streets, a 81, 200, 900
structure; the Mills building, at Bush
and Montgomery, costing the same; the
new Shreve building, at Post street and
Grand avenue, costing S2,000000 and oc-
cupied on April l by the largest jew
elry firm on the coast, are some of the
new structures destroyed by the flames,
The Shreve jewelry company carried
stock Of S2,o00,OOO worth Of jewelry.
Phelan Building Burns
On Market street the Phelan building,
one of the earliest attempts at q pre-
tentious form Of architecture in the
business district, and covering the most
valuable piece OF real estate In San
Francisco, is gone.
The great group of buildings stand
ing on a piece Of ground bounded by
Larkin, McAllister and Grove streets,
erected by the city OF San Francisco
at cost Of $7,000,0 900 and known as the
city and county buildings, are now n
mass OF smoking. smoldering ruins = l.
st. Francis Hotel In Ruins
The beautiful st. Francis hotel, facing
Union square, erected at cost of $4,-
SOC, 900, and the Fairmont hotel, at Cali
fornia and Powell, the most conspicu-
Gus location in the city, are In ruins
from the flames.
The Fatrmont was built BY MRS. Her
man Oelrichs, at a cost Of $S,000,000 and
named in honor Of her father, the late
James ]. Fair.
Churches and CathedraIs
The magnificent group of buildings at
Van Ness avenue and Hayes street OF
the st. Ignatius college and cathedral,
probably worth 81, ,000, 900, and st. Dom
inicks church on Steiner street near
California, and the Emanuel synagogue,
g. handsome structure of the oriental
type on Sutter street, were wiped out.
Hall Of Justice Prey to Flames
The Hall of Justice, facing Ports
mouth square and just east Of China
town, was early a prey to the flames.
Sweeping up the hillside the unre-
strained element leaped from block to
block through Chinatown, the combus-
tible material of the flimsy structures
feeding the flames like powder.
Up and over the hills to the westward
the conflagration gained headway when
1t reached the residence section.
From Golden Gate avenue northward
to Pacific street the buildings were
dynamited to stay the progress Of the
flames, but without avail.
Spontaneous Combustion
The heat was 80 intense that the ruins
Of buildings were ignited by sponta-
neous combustion.
Out on Vas Ness avenue, the fashion
able drive across the city from north to
south, the devastation Is complete on
the east side, but the fate Of the
Spreckels, the Hobart and other great
mansions on the west side are not
known at this hour.
Branch Mint Damaged
The branch United States mint on
Fifth street, near Market. was not
destroyed but was damaged to a con-
siderable extent. It's escape is due to
the fart that II 0ccIiniad larGa SQUARE