Year: 1872

manSard rOOt. ADOVo these manBarQ roofs the wind howled madly, but below there was little or nothing of it's force felt ir the streets, not enough to give much direction to the spread of the fire, winch seemed steadily eating on in all di- rections. Now, the streets in all this business section were filled with eager, frightened men, striving to save all they could gather of their effects. Teams were scarce and wagons drawn by hand dashed hither and thther through the crowd, laden with books and valuables, but the amount thus saved was comparatively nothing. Every one of these huge build ings held hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of property, of almost every kind known to commerce, and not all the wag ons in the land, and all the men who could have worked, would have been able to rescue a tithe of this wealth, so rapidly did the flames now do their terrible work Every inhabitant of the doomed district felt instnctively the three leading chances for entire destruction of this part of the city, viz, scant water, overcrowded build ings and mansard roofs, and the terror of saving what little could nest readily be reached, spread blocks ahead of the con- fagration. Add to these causes for fear two more. The fremen were becoming exhausted ,and every moment the boundary of the fire was growing so terribly larger and larger that all their force could not surround it.

 Chancing to discover in the crowd an acquaintance who could procure for me a view from the roof of a tall building just back of the post office, I ascended there. From that elevated post of observation the spectacle was the most fearful and at tue same time the most magnificent I have ever beheld. From Washington street to the wharves was a sea of fire, which tossed its horrible pillows of flame into the very clouds, which glowed back respon- sive to the blaze. The light made all the city bright, like day. Each stecple glistened white, and shapes of cornices and domes came out with most unnatural sharpness and a ghostly gleam, outlined against the angry sky, the moon looked dim and no bright stars twinkled through tho lurid light; but to and fro in the unwonted glare above tine fire, wheeling in circles in their wild alright, now fleeing from it's terrors and anon turning in their confusion, pIunging into it and mserably perishing, were focks of birds. Like the low roll of muttering thunder, smote upon the ear the roar of the flames, amid which almost each minute some single violent crash told that another tall building had gone down in ruins. Mlngling with these awful sounds were the shouts of the excited firemen, the desperate cries of frightened men, and now and then cheers, full oi clinging hope, with which were welcomed fire companies from other cities as they ar rived to aid in the herculean task.

 After little time descended again to the street, and once more faced the fire at close quarters. Buildings which but ar hour before seemed saved; now laid in piles of glowing smbers. The fire had advanced three blocks farther toward State street | from the time left it to ascend the roof | Beside me in the crowd stood man, mid dle aged, with a face upon which wa: pictured the most exquisite agony of sus pense. He watched & big house stil two buildings from the fire, upon which the fremen were exerting all their ener gies. People pushed him out of the way, stepped on his toes, jammed h1s hat over his eyes, in their mad hasten ing to and fro, but he moved not anc said nothing. He simply watched that house. As he did so he saw thin blue smoke curling from the windows of the second beyond it, then, almost immedj ately, in the one next it, then in the one he watched. The smoke moved steadily from one window to another as & mar would walk. Then the smoke changed to flame, and the firemen had to make { desperate rush to save themselves anc their apparatus, as simultaneously the three huge edifces were transformed into one vast glowing furnace. "Gone lost, ruined, every dollar in the world that owned" I heard the man say at he turned away and went down the street, staggering as one who is drunk with hopelessness, or who has beer stunned by blow. He was but one oi thousands like him.

 The streets were now almost impassa. ble, and again ascended to my roof tc see something of the process of blowing up buildings which I learned that the fremen and police were now about tc resort to. As I reached the roof the dull roar of an explosion met my ears Then another and another and | knew this desperate necessity had come at last The spectacle was more appalling now than before, for the fire was now mucI nearer-only two little blocks removed from where l stood. Away off toward the wharves at the foot of Summe1lstree arose mountains of black smoke, anc from out these burst flames like prea

 balloons, which rolled up round anc firm and threatening into the cloud. above, and there burst, spreading out broadly. Vast quantities of oil and WOO and ship stores were contributing tt those fires. Nearer and nearer came tn, explosions each closer than before. A length, almost under my nose, larg, edihce seemed to be lifted up little way then to sink down iR shapeless mas! into its cellar; noise like thunder filled the lair, and the house upon which stood rocked and trembled. I wen down stairs. As did so. I met police men coming up to warn everybody out as that house also would sh ortly be blowr up. The employees of the post office were hurriedly rescuing what they could of the mails. No prospect of saving anything was now cherished.

 From here I went over to the opposit, side of the fire, where the wind wa

 driving it with terror inspiring speed

 Here families were being burned out

 Terrified women, weeping children, anG anxious men carrying in their arms wha

 they could gather of their household goods were fleeing before the rapidl, advancing flames.

 Back to Washington street. Her,

 the fire seemed stayed on the east side

 but so intense was the heat that th

 thick plate glass in the windows on tn other side of the strcet cracked and fel in showers, while the paint smoked, an, the water thrown on the fronts of tn buildings went up in steam.

 The street was blocked up with hug masses of ruins from the buildings O the other side. All over there had gon down. The little cigar stora Mhera