The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1906-04-25
GREAT WORK BY
DYNAMITE SQUAD
Heroic Efforts of Brave Men
Saved Thousands From
Total Ruin.
HAD TO DESTROY HOMES
WORTH MANY MILLIONS
Men Fought Like Demons to
Check Progress of Raging
Flames.

SAN FRANCISCO, April A.-Thrce he
roes saved San Francsco-what is left OF
II. They were the dynamite squad, that
threw back the fire demon ut Van Ness
avenue.
When the burning city seemed doomed
and the flames lit the sky further and
further to the west Admiral McCalla sent
a trio Of his most trusted men from Mare
Island with orders to check tho confiagra-
ton at any cost OF life or property. With
them they brought a ton and half OF
gun cotton The terrific power of the ex-
plosive was equal TO the maniac dcterm-
lnation OF the fire,
Saved Many Lives.
Captain MacBride was in charge of the
squad Chief Gunner Adamson placed the
charges and the third gunner set them
on
The thunderous detonations to which the
terrified city listened all that dreadful
Friday night meant the salvation of 300 600
lives. A million dollars worth OF prop
erty. noble residences and worthless
shacks. were blown to drifting dust, but
that destruction broke the fire and sent
the raging flames over their own chnrred
path.
Whole Avenue Dynamited.
The whole east side OF Van Ness avenue
from Golden Gate TO Greenwich was dyna-
mited block deep though most OF tho
structures stood untouched by spark or
cinder. Not one charge failed. Not one
building stood upon Its foundation.
Unless some second malicious miracle of
nature reversed the direction OF the west
wind the whole populous district TO the
west, blocked with feetlng refugees and
unillumLnatcd except by the disastrous
glare on the water front. seemed safe by
O'Clock.
Only Ruins Left
Van Ness avenue Is fiat as the earth
on the east side, Every pound OF gun
cotton did Its work. and, though the ruins
burned. IL was but feebly. From Golden
Gate avenue north the fire crossed the
wide street In but one place. That was
the Claus Spreckels place on the corner
OF California street. There the flames
were wrthing up the walls before the
dynamiters could reach 1t, Yet they made
their way to the foundations, carrying
their explosives despite the furnace-llke
heat. Tho charge had to be placed so
that the explosion was not quite success
full from the trained viewpoint OF the gun
rers. But though the walls stlll stood.
II was only an empty victory for the fire
z bare brick and smoking ruins are poor
food for flames,
Nothing to Waste.
Captain McBrlde's dynamitlng SQUAD
realized that stand was hopeless except
on Van Ness avenue. They could have
forced their explosives further In the
burning section, but rot a pound Of gun
cotton could be or was wasted The
ruined block that met the wide thorough
fare formed trench through the clus-
tered structures that the conhagration,
wild as 1T was, could rot leap Engines
pumping brine through Fort Mason from
the bay completed the little work that the
gun cotton had left, but for three DAYS
the haggard-eyed fremcn guarded the
nlckerlng ruins.
Most Heroic Effort.
Tho desolate waste straight through tho
heart of the city is q mute witness 10
the most heroic and effective work of tho
whole calamity. Three men did this and
when their work was over and what stooaI
OF the city rested quietly for the first
time. they departed as modestly as thev
had come. They were ordered to sayo
San Francisco and they obeyed orders
and Captain MacBride md his two gun
neTs made history on that dreadful night.