The San Francisco call., 1906-04-23
FIRE CHIEF
SUCCUMBS
TO INJURIES

~ AAN OA<4Ao
! Dennis T. Sullivan, chief of the San
! Francisco Fire Department, who was
| injured in his home on Bush street on
! ing debris from the California Hotel,
died yesterday morning at the Presidio
! Hospital His death had been eX-
| pected for two days, and has cast the
! fire department into mourning.
On Wednesday morning while the
fire chief and his wife were asleep in
! their apartments on the upper floor
of the engine house on Bush street,
tall chimney on the California Hotel
was shaken from it's lofty position by
the heavy temblor and toppling over
4 it crashed through the roof of the en-
CINE house, completely wrecking the
/ latter The unfortunate chief and his
wife were buried under the debris of
the building, but were hurriedly extri-
Gated by members of the fire depart
ment and conveyed to the Southern
/ Pacific hospital Later, when it was
realized that the hospital lay in the
path of the rapidly spreading confla-
grafton, they were taken to the Presi-
i dio hospital, where Mrs. Sullivan is
still confined, although she is reported
/ to be rapidly improving. The chief
was unconscious for time and died
ignorant of the fact that people of
San Francisco had missed his services
during the most trying period in the
history OF the State.
During his lucid moments he talked
OF fire department matters with Ed
die Graney, who was constantly at his
bedside, and dwelt at some length on a
salt water system for the city and the
value it would be in the event of a
! big conflagration. Strangely the
chiefs mind was working out the very
problem his assistants were struggling
with only few blocks beyond his
death couch.
Arrangements for the chiefs funeral
will be made today. His position as
head of the department during his i'll
ness was held by Assistant Chief Dou-
gherty, who will probably succeed
him.
No man has gained greater distinc-
ton as fireman than did Dennis T.
Sullivan in San Francisco. An athlete
from youth, he was physically cap
able of enduring hardships, a fact
that frequently demonstrated itself
during his arduous duties as a fire
chief. His rise in the local depart
ment was rapid one and regarded as
we'll merited. He was first an extra
man with II engine and from that
position he rose to hydrant man and
then to district engineer. At the
death of Chief Scannell, Sullivan was
made chief engineer of the depart
ment. For years he had carefully
studied various problems that he pre-
dicted might some day confront the
+! fire department, among them con-
flagration which the city has just suf-
fered, and his friends, while not at
tempting to discredit the work of Act
ing Chief Dougherty, believe that if
Sullivan had led the departments
ifc hi
of conditions might have served to
greatly lessen the dangers to which
San Francisco was subjected.
/ DIsPoSlNG OF THE DEAD.
Coroner Walsh and his corps of dep
uties spent busy day yesterday col
lecting the bodies of victims of. the
earthquake and making final DISPOSE
| tion of them. A systematic search
was instituted in all portions of the
city and the Department of Health is
cooperating with the Coroner The
city was apportioned off and squads
of searchers dug among the ruins
throughout the burned district.
Thus far over 500 bodies have been
disposed of by the authorities. Near
ly 200 came from the Potrero Dis
trict Most of these victims perished
| in the flames and their charred re-
mains were picked from the ruins
None could be recognized. A small
percentage were found in the streets
The bodies were inferred yesterday
and each grave was numbered. Cor
oner Walsh believes that the loss of
life in the Potrero was greater than
| in any other district. Up to the noon