Los Angeles herald., 1906-06-27
FIRE DESTROYS
NOTORIOUS JOINT
Blaze Starts in Club of Four Families
and Spreads Quickly-The
CeIestaIs Are Terror
Stricken

Fire broke out about 9 o'clock last
night in the building occupied by the
club of the Four Families, 6 China
alley.
The damage amounted to about $3.50
and is said to be covered by insurance.
The flames were quickly controlled by
the department, but at first it looked
as though Chinatown would be wiped
out of existence. The denizenS of that
region were terror stricken and ran
about coatless and hatess, their queues
flying, muttering strange prayers to
placate their gods, whom the Chinese
believed had caused TIN fire.
While the great flames. like the
frenzied specterS of their outraged an
cestors, leaped and danced after them
and while the oil from the overturned
opium lamps blazed and flickered in
the darkness of the tiny apartments,
the celestial occupants of the club of
the Four Families hastily vacated their
home, and terror stricken dashed mad
ly to the streets.
There were more than score Chi
nese in the tiny rooms when the fire
started, and within ten seconds no
living occupant could be found there,
while slippers, coats and trousers
marked the trail of the fleeing yellow
men.
The fire started in the center of the
building and the police are now in
vestigating it's origin. For weeks there
have been sundry threats made against
the occupants of the place, for they
have many enemies it is said. On the
first floor of the same building the
Chinese crib houses are situated, and
the proprietor is not well liked.
But the occupants ignored warnings
and spent. their evenings in the club
room.
Occupants Were Dazed
In a space not more than fifty feet
square there were more than twenty
beds and ever bed had an opium lay
out in connection. When the fire
started the occupants were in a dazed
condition from the effects of the drug,
and many believing that the spirits of
the dead were about to take vengeance
upon them for their misdeeds shrieked
their terror and hurled their opium
pipes at the flames.
Then they turned and dashed madly
for safety.
On the narrow steps they crowded
and ten of these turned back and es-
capped by running to the upper veran-
da and leapinl to the ground.
For nearly half an hour celestiaIs in
the neighborhood, fearing a general
conflagratiC-, threw trunks, bedding,
furniture out in the streets, until it
looked as though the occupants of the
entire settlement were about to vacate.
When the engines reached the scene
the firemen were compelled to fight
their way through the crowd which
throngcd the narrow alley hoping to
catch a glimpse of the frightened Chi
nese girls who were huddled together
in the halls of the crib houses.
By that time the flames from the
burning building were tapping the ad-
Joining shacks and the odor of the
burning opium was empowering The
firemen fought the fire back to the
building and then surrounded it with
streams of water from every direction.
After cutting the upper floor of the
building the flames died out. and then
the celestials swarmed back, and each
carrying some treasured remnant of
an opium layout, fastened away to
find shelter with their friends.