Evening star., 1920-02-09
ONE LIFE IS LOST,
SCORE ARE INJURED
Early Morning Blaze De-
stroys the Berkshire Apart
ment in San Francisco.

Special Dispatch to The Star.
SAN FRANCISCO. February o
Only one life was known definitely
today to have been lost last night in
a fire that destroyed the fashiona BILE
Berkshire apartment house at Sutter
and Jones streets. A search of the
ruined building early today revealed
no additional bodies. a score of per-
sons are in various hospitals. how
ever. suffering from burns and IN
juries
Before squads of firemen and police
entered the building at daybreak TO
search for bodies it was believed that
more than a score of persons had
been burned to death. The body
found was that of an elderly woman.
but it was SO badly burned that
Identification was not possible.
Condition Of Injured Favorable.
The condition of the injured, in most
cases, was reported favorable Many
sought to save their lives by jumping
either into the. fire nets or into vacant
lot at the rear of the apartment house
Twisted sheets, many feet long. hung
from the windows. and by this means
scores of persons slid to the street.
Last night the windows and ledges OF
the upper floors were choked with scores
of men and women frantlca!ly calling TOT
help. AS no escape for them seemed
possible. the belief grew that many OF
them We're burned to death. The pres
ence OF the rope sheets seemed to prove,
however, that the expected large loss of
life was inaccurate.
The fire started in a Storeroom OF the
basement and spread quickly to the
floors, and in few minutes
had reached the roof. The flames made
q huge torch which the firemen were
unsuccessful in combating. The morn
ing the shell of the building was stand
ing.
Most of those taken to hospitals
were women. Some suffered from
severe burns. while others leaped
from windows and fire escape bal
comics.
The fire broke out in a hall on the
third floor, how neither police nor
fire departments could say.
Alarm Sounded Mt Midnight.
The first alarm was turned in
shortly after midnight and three
others in rapid succession called out
almost the entire tire-fighting force.
Policemen said that when they ar
rived those of the $50 persons who
lived on the lower floors were stream
ing into the street, many clad only
in night clothes. while more than
score of persons on the upper floors
were clinging to window ledges.
trapped by the rapid spread OF
flames.
The fire departments ladders would
reach only to the fourth floor win
dows. and from these number OF
persons were taken, firemen carrying
them down the ladders.
An explosion. apparently on the
fourth floor, blew out part OF the
upper wall. handicapping the fire
fighting and rescue work.
Within half an hour after the hrSt
alarm the fire had pierced the roof
and its glare lighted the streets Tor
Ilocks. Shortly afterward the roof
collapsed.
FireMen Begin Search.
Firemen began searching the lower
floors, while others continued to
drench the upper section, Where tne
flames persisted.
The firemen penetrated to the third
floor and brought down one body and
a report that lat least twenty-five
bodies" were pinned under wreckage
or otherwise situated, making 1t i'm
possible to take them out then. Prep
arationS for a more extensive search
were under way when the flames
broke out afresh. forcing suspension
of rescue work for more than half an
hour, when the firemen made another
entry to the upper floors and brought
out two persons still alive.
After that the wrecked building fill
ed with smoke through which early
today no more rescue parties had been
able to go.
Blaze Presents "Peculiar AnEles."
Discussing the origin of the fire.
Fire Chief Layden said: There are
many peculiar angles connected with
il that remain to be explained"
The entire rear part Of the building
was afiame when the firemen arrived.
The Berkshire was a five-story brick
building, containing eighty-f1ve apart
ments 1t was in section devoted al
most entirely to exclusive apartment
houses and hotels.