Los Angeles herald., 1909-09-01
FREMONT HOME
SCARED BY FIRE
BOY SAVES FLAG AT RISK OF
HIS LIFE
Warehouse Of Los Angeles Hay Mar
ket Is Total Loss-Rapid Work
Saves Landmark from
Destruction

Rapid and efficient work on the part
of the Los Angeles fire department
saved from destruction by fire last
night the first residence built in Los
Angeles. the home Of General ]. c.
Fremont, a landmark of pioneer days.
which has attracted thousands of east
ern visitors and is one of the show
places on the itinerary of every tourist
who comes to the City of Angels.
The fire started at 1880 o'clock in
the hay storage warehouse of the Los
Angeles hay market at Oliveras and
Marchessault streets, and spread with
such rapidity that the entire building
was in flames before the fire was dis
covered by an employe of the Edison
power house, Immediately in the rear
of the warehouse.
Crying fire at the top of his voice,
the man ran to the door of the office
of the market, in which were sleeping
Samuel HILL the manager, and George
Smith, a teamster, and, kicking In the
door, awakened them.
Risks Life for Horses
Hardly awake, Smith, at the risk of
his life, ran to the big doors of the hay
barn, and, opening them, plunged into
the dense smoke through an aisle piled
high on both sides with burning hay
and made his way to the stable at the
other end in which two horses were in
stalls for the night.
Almost overcome by the smoke and
heat, he managed finally to cut the
horses loose and to take them through
a door at the stable end of the barn
and lead them out to Los Angeles
street through a narrow alleyway in
the rear of the Fremont residence.
Adjoining the office of the hay barn
facing on MarchesSault street is the El
Recreo restaurant and lodging house,
in which a number of Mexican labor
ers were asleep. Patrolmen Willitt,
Hartnagle, Meyer and Murphy of the
Chinatown squad broke down the door
leading to the bunk room in which ten
or twelve men were asleep and dragged
them from their beds into the street.
II was at first believed a tramp, or
perhaps more than one, had been
burned in the warehouse, but a care
full overhauling of the burned hay by
the firemen after the blaze had been
eXtinguished failed to show signs of
any bodies.
At the height of the fire and while
the flames were mounting into the air
through great gaps in the roof a flag
was observed flying from flag pole on
the Fremont residence, and in near
danger of being burned. Sergeant
Sebastian saw the danger to the flag
and called for a ladder to get to the
roof. Harold Lynn of 204 Bellevue
avenue, 19 years old. without waiting
for a ladder, climbed to the roof by
means of the wooden awning in front
and hauled down the flag just as a
shower of sparks and burning brands
fell all around him. His clothing was
set fire in several places, but he re-
turned to the ground unhurt with the
flag tucked safely under his coat Fire
men who had noticed his predicament
on the roof turned a spray stream on
him and the thorough wetting which
Ne got probably saved him from serious
burns.
The hay warehouse with its con-
tents is practically total loss. The
proprietor of the place is ]. r. Cate.
now IN a visit east. The hay stored
therein was valued by Manager Hill
last nieht at $1,000. with no insure nee.
| The losA on the building is estirfated
at $3.50. Adjoining the hay barn is the
Frisco junk warehouse. which was
filed with Nailed rags. The fire burned
into this place and destroyed greater
part of the Sontents, the loss being
placed at $780,
The damageNto the Fremont resi-
dence is nominA.
Sparks from pipes or cigarettes of
tramps camping 'pn the hay for the
| night is believed 70 be the origin of
| the fire.