The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-04-26
Magnificent Ruins on Mob Hill.


houses were saved.
Magnificent Ruins on Mob Hill.
Tragic were the ruins on Mob hill.
The great Flood mansion, standing
next to the Paramount hotel. showed
more walls than any of the other mag
nificent homes that were once the pride
of San Francisco, but it was complete
~ cleaned out. Some of the furniture
was saved. and it was curious to see
how pieces of the most fragile stuff
came out uninjured. In the Flood
yard I saw a delicately enameled and
inlaid cabinet. Its bowed glass doors
of fragile glass were unframed, the
enameling was not scOrched and the in
laid work was as perfect as ever. Next
to it stood what had been a sewing
machine. Only the metal portions of it
were left.
The beautiful Spreckles home was
completely ruined. So were the homes
of the Fairs and Of other people whose
names are Identified with the history
of California and of San Francisco.
The Paramount hotel, one Of the cost
Hest and most beautiful structures of
its kind in the world, built by Mrs. Te-
resa Oelrichs, formerly Fair, is in good
condition. 1t was cleaned out as to
interior, but the walls are apparently
in first-ClaSs order. 1t should be pos
Sible TO repair IL at comparatively
small expense. BY a curious stroke of
fate Mrs. Oelrichs traded the hotel
only a few days before the fire for two
big buildings down town. Both of those
buildings are today level with the
ground.
Tarpey Knew Better.
Speaking of Mob hill and the Flood
mansion reminds me of a story told
/ by Paul Tarpey, who will be remem-
| bered as a prominent man on the in
VfncibIe High school football team Of
a few years ago. The day of the earth
quake and the commencement of the
/ fire the widest kind of reports as 10
other cities were circulated Among
them was a story to the effect that
| Salt Lake had been ruined Tarpey
heard that a telegram about Salt Lake
| had been received at the Flood house.
| Up there he posted, for the fire had not
reached that section. A neat maid an
swered the bell.
I'm told you have had a message
about destruction in Salt Lake." said
| the breathless Tarpey.
! Yes, a message has been received
answered the maid. 1T says that the
entire water front at Salt Lake is on
| fire and"
! But Tarpey waited to hear no more
He burst into a roar of laughter and
| fed down the steps, leaving the maid
| looking after him in open-nlouthed
wonder IT knew when she began talk
/ ing about the salt Lake water 'front.' y
said Tarpey, that no message about
| Salt Lake had been received here --'
Ira o. Rhoades. general purchasing
| agent of the Southern Pacific, formerly
! general purchasing agent Of the Short
Line, with headquarters in Salt Lake
/ City had a grim smile at his own ex-
pense. you know we were burned
out in Salt Lake once" said Mr.
Rhoades. losing all Of our supplies
and records. 1 determined that I
would never be caught in such fix
| again. SO when I came to San Fran
cisco I divided the supplies. Part of
| them I kept in the general headquar-
! ing far up town, several miles away.
and all our supplies with them" Mr.
writer's.
Work of E. E. Calvin
E. h Calvin. formerly of the Oregon
Short Line, now general manager Of
/ the Southern Pacific, is looked upon as
one of the biggest of the big men in
| charge OF affairs. Mr.. Calvin is in con-
| suItation almost hourly with General
| Funston, Mayor Schnitz and Governor
] Pardee. The result of Mr.. CsIvin's eff
| forts may be understood from the
| statement of one San Franciscan He
| said: "'E. z. Calvin is the most efficient.
| the most obliging. the most thoroughly
| competent official within the range of
/ my acquaintance. BY his work i'm this
our hour Of disaster he has caused
every one of Us TO forgive any sins the
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