New-York tribune., 1906-04-20
SAN FRANCISCO BURNING YET
Greater Part Of the City in Ruins, and All Apparently
Doomed
THOUSANDS HOMELESS AND DESTITUTE.
Flames Sweep Mob IDepera but Futile Efforts Check Them
Refugees Streaming Out Of the City.

San Francisco. April i9.-AIl efforts to check
the spread of the flames at Van Ness avenue oy
blowing up mile of buildings on the east side
of that street have proved fruitless. The hre I
has spread across the broad tloroughiare, and
from present indications the western addition,
which contains the homes of the wealthier class.
is doomed The destruction of the western ad-
dition will complete the work of the ravaging
flames and mark the devastation OF the entire
city.
San Francisco tonight is the city desolate. IL
seems that the acme of misery was reached at
dusk when flames burst from all sides OF the
beautiful Hotel Fairmount. the structure that
above every other. was apparently most strong
ly entrenched against the attack of the all con-
Stunning hre. Surrounding that lofty pinnacle Oh
fame as far as the eye could see TO the SOUTH
to the east and far out to the west, lay IN cruel
| fantastic heaps. charred and smoking, all that
remained of a once prosperous city. Ihe me-
| tropolis of the Pacific Coast was in ashes
This has been another day of an uneven
struggle of men against an unconquerable ele-
ment Acre after acre has been ground into
dust and ashes, despite the heroic perseverance
of the fremen to limit the conhagration.
Tonight there is a hope that the worst has
been nearly reached and that when tomorrow
dawns the end will have come. but the hope
is faint. If the flames can be barred from the
western addition, then the end will be written
to the great disaster.
San Francisco is not discouraged. It's best
and highest class has already begun TO plan for
restoration and TO care for the stricken ones,
and the relief will be immediate and effective.
Total subscriptions of $1S0.0OO were announced
tonight Arrangements made for the i'm
mediate relief of the needy. The baking of
fifty thousand loaves of bread daily will begin
tomorrow Free transportation will be pro-
vided by the Southern Pacific Railroad to desti-
tute persons desiring to go to interior points.
With each succeeding hour the devastation
grows The entire business and wholesale dis
: trict is a mass of Goals and ashes, while the
fire. has reached westward far beyond Van Ness
avenue. wiping out buildings and seeking more
|, TO devOur.
At t O'Clock Mayor Schmitz and Chief of Po-
lice Dinan decided that the only hope of saw
ing the western addition. with its forest of
frame dwellings. and the Richmond district,
with its thousands Of homes, was to check the
l fire at Van Ness avenue which crosses the city
from north to south where the residences be
gin. This avenue is ninety feet wide. and the
, possibilities of choking the march OF the names
: there looked hopeful Orders we're given to
concentrate every fire engine in the city at this
avenue to marshal soldiers, police and all
remainder of the city.
Huge cannon were drawn TO the avenue TO
aid the dynamiters in blowing up the mansions
of the millionares on the east side of Van Ness
avenue Every available pound of dynamite
was hauled TO this point, and the sight was one
of stupendous and appalling havoc. as the can
non were trained on the palaces and the shot
tore into the walls and toppled the buildings In
crushing ruins. At other points dynamite was
used and. house after house. the dwellings OF
miIIionaires were lifted into the air by the
power of the BLAST. and dropped TO the earth
q mass of dust and debris. The work was dan
gerous. and many of the men, who kept working
for forty-eight hours without sleep and scarcely
arv food. may have been killed while making
this last desperate stand
I The fire line at 6 o'clock extended a mile along
f the east side Of Van Ness avenue. from Pacific
t street 10 Ellis All behind this. excepting the
pussian Hill region and a small district along
rho north beach had been swept clean by the
= flames.
The steady booming of the artillery and the
roor Of the dynamite above the bowling and
cracking of the flames continued for hours with
monotonous regularity Such noises have been
, bonharding the ears of the panicstricken peo-
nle since the earthquake of Wednesday morn
ing.
Tonight three distinct fires were burning
One was i'm the territory that extends from NOD
Hill easterly toward the waterfront IL was
travelling slowly nOrthery toward the Ieie-
graph Hill section and may die out from lack
of material or may sweep toward the extreme
waterfront.
The second centre was in the Mission dis
trict. Here the fire had reached 18th street.
but was making little headway toward the hill
sides to the west where thousands of people
are camped.
The third and most dangerous fire is that
threatening the western part of the city. This
Is really continuation Of the Mob Hill fire.
II is wedge shaped. with the apex pointing for
ward. This is the point against which the fire.
men are bending their greatest efforts. Dyna-
mite was used for back firing purposes with
only fair success. Tonight many blocks may