The San Francisco call., 1910-03-14
FIRE DESTROYS
COUNTRY Club
AT BURL|NGAMF
MilliOnaires Fight Flames and
Rescue Furnishings, While
Women Render Aid
San Mate0 Department Finds
Task of Saving Building
Beyond Human Skill
| Special Dissateh 10 The Call


nURLINGAME, March 1s.-The home
of the Burlingame country club is
mass of smoldering ruins to-
night as a result of blaze that broke
out this morning and burned for sew
earl hours despite the efforts of pro-
fessional fire fighters and millionaire
volunteers.
Beautiful tapestries and furnishings,
which made the clubhouse one of the
most attractive in the country. are in
of several aristocratic members valu-
able trophies, paintings and works of
art were saved from the flames.
Undaunted by the misfortune, a COM
mittee of club members is tonight plan
ming the reconstruction of the build
ing.
Flames Defy Volunteers
The fire. which was due either to
defective flue or crossed electric wires,
was discovered by Manager Kenneth
Mcleod in the east wing of the build
ing about 1880 o'clock this morning
An alarm was turned in, and young
millionaires who were leisurely slipping
Scotch and soda in the lawns and We
randas became willing and Industrious
fire fighters.
Percy Selby and DR.. w. A. McEnery,
who shone as opponents in the society
Marathon walking contest recently,
were two of the first to reach the
scene, and were quickly followed by
Horace Pillsbury, Peter Martin, John
Noyes, Cyril Tobin, Stewart Lowry.
Douglas Grant The volunteer depart.
ment was quickly organized, but the
flames gained rapidly and suddenly
burst from the second story of the
main building.
An extra alarm was turned in and
within a few minutes aristocratic Bur-
lingame was rushing to the rescue.
Women Aid Fire Fighters
Miss eleanor Sears, who was en-
gagged in a game of tennis when she
heard the alarm, secured an automo-
bile and raced to the scene of the fire,
where, with Miss Jennie Crocker and
Miss Vera Havemeyer, she formed an
auxiliary corps of women fire fighters
and rendered material assistance.
The, San Mateo fire department ar
rived on the scene shortly afterward
and the fight with the flames was on
in earnest.
George H. Howard, George Newhan,
Templeton Crocker, Oscar Cooper.
Prescott Scott and George Parsons time
and again entered the burning build
ing and returned to the lawns carry
ing valuable furnishings to places of
safety. The efforts to quench the
flames. however. were unsuccessful. ow-
ing to partly to brisk wind which
had sprung up and gradually the fire
lighters were forced back.
An heroic stand was made to save
the west end annex and was success
full, but all of the main building and
the east wing were reduced to ashes.
Loss Estimated at SIS 900
After four hours of stubborn lighting
the flames were quenched. Postponing
the time Tor useless regrets the MEM
bers of the millionaire volunteer fire
department engaged themselves with
the task of removing the rescued fur
nishings that Uttered the lawns to the
Andrew L. Stone residence for safe
keeping.
The loss to building and furnishings
is estimated at $4,000, all of which
is covered by insurance.
The clubhouse was built in 1896. and
two of the members of the building
committee were present this morning
when the fire broke out. They were
Mountford Wilson and George H. How
ard. The latter was the architect, and
he announced tonight that the build
ing would be restored from the old
plans, which he saved from the fire of
April Is, 1906.
1t was announced tonight that the
Osgood Hooker residence would prob
ably be used as home by the club
until the reconstruction of the club
house if completed.