Los Angeles herald., 1906-04-23

United states mint at Ine CorHeT VI
Fifth and Mission streets.
Harold French, an employe of the
mint, gave graphic account of how
the flames were successfully fought.
He said:
NEARLY two hundred million dollars
in coin and bullion are stored in the
vaults of the mint and for the preser-
walton of this prize a devoted band OF
employees reinforced by regular SOL
diers, fought until the baffled flames
fled to the conquest of stately blocks OF
so-called fire-proof buildings.
Fought Sea of Fire
"For seven hours O. sea of fire surged
around this grand old federal edifice,
attacking it on all sides with waves
of fierce heat. It's little garrison was
cut off from retreat for hours at a
time, had such course been thought
of by those on guard.
1.-The United States mint was con-.
structed in 1874 of granite and sand
stone blocks massive monoliths well
calculated ii resist fire from without.
Within, however, were enough in
flammable materials to feed a lively
conflagration. Iron shutters shielded
the lower floors, but the windows of the
upper story, on which are located the
refinery and assay office, were exposed.
"AlSo q tarred roof over the refinery
constituted a weak spot in the defense.
Tanks of wood and other inflammabie
material scattered about the roof and
upper story were serious menace.
Water Pumped to Roof
After the fire had swept past the
Mission street side, and the certainty
of it's returning from the north be-
came apparent, Captain of the Watch
Hawes ordered everything on the roof
that would burn thrown into the yard.
Soldiers and mint employees worked
with utmost haste throwing great tim
bers and tank slaves into the court.
Here are located some thirty tanks
of blue Vitriol, the surfaces of which
soon We're covered with debris into
which increasing showers of cinders
fell.
"Fortunately the mint possesses
good well, and Engineer Brady, at his
post, pumped water to the fire fighters
assembled on the roof. OF these, forty
were mint employees, and they were
aided by a company of coast artillery.
Heat Increases Rapidly
"As the fire swept up Fifth street,
the heat increased to dangerous de-
gree as one by one the Metropolitan
hall and the historic Lincoln school
building burst into flame, reinforced
by the roaring furnace Of the En-
porium.
ION the west the block bounded by
Sixth and Market street on the north
gave the greatest concern. for from
this quarter the fire was certain to rage
in It's worst fury Famed by q roaring
northerly wind, the flames rioted
through the structures reaching from
the Windsor hotel to the Emma
Spreckels buildings, sheets of fire 200
feet high licking up the intervening
houses on Mint avenue.
Augmented by these tinder boxes,
the blast of fire burst on the northwest
corner of the mint like the breath of a
second Pelee.
Kennedy Saves the Day
"a few desperate fighters under ex-
Chief Kennedy of Oakland were driYen
from between the tottering chimneys,
under whose twin terrors they had
struggled to the last, throwing buckets
of water upon the blazing roof over the
refinery.
'It is largely due to the experience of
ex-Chief Kennedy that this tar-covered
roof, the weakest spot of all, was sat
urated with sufficient water to stay
the flames.
"When the fire leaped Mint avenue in
solid masses of flame the refinery men
stuck to their windows as long as the
glass remained in the frames.
"Seventy-five feet of one-inch hose
played a slender stream on the blazing
window sills, while the floor was awash
with diluted sulphuric acid. Ankle deep
in this, soldiers and employees stuck to
the floor until the windows melted.
Fire Comes With Roar
with an exultant roar the tongues of
fire licked greedily the inner walls.
Binding, suffocating smoke necessi-
tated the abandonment of the hose and
the fighters retreated to the floor below.
The roar of falling walls, the thunder
of bursting blocks of stone, the din of
crashing glass swelled to an unearthly
diapason.
IF twelve-inch shells were crashing
against the mint walls the deafening
detonations and the jar of their impact
would scarcely have exceeded the fury
of the attack.
Down in the deeps, where untold
wealth is so we'll safeguarded, artillery
men, ringed with blanked rolls and
leaning on their rifles, coughed in the
strangling smoke.
Brick Walls Fall
"Then came lull-the walls of brick
buildings across the street had all
fallen.
There was yet a fighting chance, so
back to the upper story the IRE IlBnlers
returned, led by Superintendent Leach,
who by example and words encouraged
his men to extinguish the blazing inner
woodwork of the refinery.
"The roof was next swept by a hose,
cooling the copper r-sheathed surface un-
til 1t became passable for wet, acid
soaked feet. An army officer ak in
hand, tore UP sections of blazing tar
roof, beneath which a stream of water
was directed.
"At length, as o'clock drew near,
the mint was pronounced out of danger
and handful of exhausted but exultant
employees stumbled out on the hot cob
blestones to learn the fate of their
homes.
Mint Is Well Guarded
"The mint presents a scorched and
glassless front on the north and west
and the towering smokestacks are to be
torn down, but the building is intact
and the plant is unharmed and ready
for resumption of work.
There We're sensational rumors of an
attack of thieves upon the mint, in
which fourteen We're killed in the at
tempt, but it is needless to say that the