The daily morning journal and courier., 1906-04-20

west lay in cruel fantastic heaps, smok- ing, all that remained of a prosperous city. The metropolis of the Pacific coast was in ashes.
 This has been another day of an uneven struggle of man against the un- conquerable element, Acre after acre had been ground into dust and ashes, despite the heroic perseverance, of the fremen to limit the confagration.
 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. Its best and highest class has already be- gun to plan for restoration, and to care for the stricken ones, and the relief will be immediate and effective. To- tai subscriptions of $1S0OOO were an nounced tonight. Arrangements were made for the immediate relief of the needy.
 The baking of 500O0 loaves of bread daily will begin tomorrow. Free trans portation will be provided by the South ern Pacific railroad to destitute per sons desiring to go to interior points Major McKeever was appointed con- mandant of the camps of the homeless. It was announced that tomorrow there would begin delivery into the city of 10,000000 gallons of water
 Tonight for the first time direct tell egraphic communication was re-estab- lished between San Francisco and the outside world, and this message had the honor of being the first to be sent. By the most energetic efforts in the face of great obstacles, the Postal Tel- egraph company succeeded in restoring one of it's shattered lines, and it's man. agers are hopeful of bringing back it's service to normal condition in a day or two. The Postal office tonight is in a little wooden structure erected on piles at the waterfront.
 Tonight three distinct fires are burn ing. One Is in the territory that ex- tends to Mob hill, easterly towards the water front. It Is travelling clowly
 
 northerly towards the Telegraph hill section, and may die out from lack of material, or may sweep toward the ex- treme water front. The second cen ter is in the mission district. Here the fire has reached Eighteenth street but is making little headway toward the hillsides to the west, where thous- ands of people are camped
 The third and most dangerous fire is that threatening the western plot of the city. This is really continual ton of the Mob hill fire It is wedge shape, with the apex putting forward, This is the point against which the fire men are bending their greatest efforts. Dynamite was used for back firing pur- poses with only fair success. Tonight many blocks may be blown up.
 Chief of Police Dinan tonight said 250 would fully cover the number of dead. About fifty bodies have thus far been found There was considerable shooting of looters to-day, but the of lenders escaped with wounds.
 The district on California street from Powell to Jones streets, known as Mob Hill which was swept by fire, contained the most palatial homes of San Fran cisco. The summit of the hill is about 800 feet above the sea level and gives magnificent view of San Francisco bay and the country for many miles around. At the southwest corner of California and Powell streets, just on the brink of the hill, was the Stanford residence. At the death of Mrs. Stanford about a year ago in Honolulu the mansion be- came the property of Leland Standford, ir., university. It contained many treasures of great value. On the south east corner of the same block stood the home of the late Mark Hopkins, who amassed many millions along with Stanford, c. P Huntington and Charles Crocker, in the construction of the Gen. tral Pacific railroad. The Hopkins house was presented to the University of California by his heirs, and it was known as the Hopkins Art Institute.
 Across California street from the Stanford and Hopkins homes stood the Fairmount hotel, which has been under construction for more than two years It was built of white stone, seven sto- ries high, and occupied an entire block One block west of the Fairmount is the Flood home, huge brownstone man. sion said to have cost more than $100O,- OO0 The Huntington home occupies the block on California street just west of the Flood house. The Crocker resi- dence, with it's huge lawns and mag nifcent stables, is on the west of the Huntington home. Many other beauti- full and costly homes are situated on the hill.
 A mile further west on Pacific Heights are many costly homes of re- cent construction, but these appear to have escaped destruction.