The National tribune., 1906-04-26
SATURDAY, APRIL 21.
Hope Reviving, Though the Fire Burns
Steadily On-The Fight for the
Whnryes and DOcks-DnnGer of Fam
inc Passed-Eear of a PestiIence.

Although the worst was over, the
| stubborn fire still burned on. Turned
| back from Van Ness avenue Friday af-
ternoon, II set itself to clean up the
districts which il had missed in its first
rush. Telegraph Hill went, but the dis
| tricts lying north of Telegraph Hill and
Russian Hill, and known as North
Beach, together with the seaward slope
of Russian Hill. had been spared. The
| flames took that to-day.
The west wind was high, and early
in the day 1t became apparent that the
wharves and wharf buildings on the
north frontage were in danger. So far
| the fire tugs had managed to save the
wharves, but this hot rush of flames
was too much for them. They were
doing the best they could when the
| fire, spreading fan-shaped, ran along a
| fringe of waterfront buildings that
were spared the first day and reached
out toward the ferry building. This
was the most important point in San
Francisco. II IL went the ferries would
| have no places to dock, and the refu-
gees be cut off from the country of ref
uge along the Oakland hills.
| a police tug brought news of this
peril to the fire police. They left the
| fight for the comparatively unimpor-
| tant north wharves 10 the regular fire
building. All the afternoon long they
kept streams on the buildings which
fringe the broad esplanade about the
ferry and by 4 o'clock the fire was
checked at this point.
This was about the only time in this
fire when the puny forces Of man have
| been able to save anything.
Danger of Famine Passed.
The danger OF famine was passed.
Not only have half a dozen provision
trains arrived, but the farmers of all
Alemeda County and of northern Santa
Clara County loaded all the provisions
they had into their wagons and brought
! them in to Oakland to offer without
money and without price to the Com
mittee of Safety. They brought crates
| of chickens, freshly killed calves and
hogs, wagon loads of dried fruits, which
they were holding in their storehouses
! from last season.
The baggage car of the Southern Pa
cific passenger train coming in from
the san Joaquin Valley was loaded with
miscellaneous provisions gathered in
the small towns along the line. The
man in charge reported that all over
the southern San Joaquin Valley the
women were gathering eggs and hard
boiling them so as to send in ready and
sustaining provisions which would not
need cooking.
Danger From PestiIenee.
Something, perhaps, worse than FAM
inc threatens San Francisco. The sew
ers are gone. Ii is a city without sani-
tation. Conditions are ripe for any kind
of pestilence. There is just enough
water for drinking and cooking, not
! enough for cleanliness. To settling this
| problem Gen. Funston, the little man
with horse sense, 10 whom the city owes
so much, has bent all his energy. Now
| that the city is more quiet and fresh
| troops have arrived from the South, a
good part of the soldiers have been
sent off 10 arrange sanitary camps in
| the Potrero and on the clean slope of
the city. Even Golden Gate Park, large
and open as II is. has become foul
through the occupation of more than
| 100000 people for two nights.
Committees Are Urging All the Home
less TO Leave.
The whole State has telegraphed Of
fers of hospitality. Berkeley, where the
University OF California campus is &
concentration camp. asks for 1000 more
tents. Fresno wants 3,000. and nearly
every small town of the San Joaquin
Valley offers 10 help. The Southern
Pacific is giving free transportation, and
all trains are crowded. This will help
TO avert the pestilence.
There is a great forest country with
flowing streams TO the north. If only
provisions can be got there. this and
the slopes of Mount Tamalpais can ac-
commodate thousands without danger.