The San Francisco call. [volume], April 21, 1906, Page 1, Image 1

About The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913

Image provided by: University of California, Riverside; Riverside, CA

                
Temporary Office
of The Call,
1651 Fillroore Street
VOLUME XCIX— NO. 142.
WATER FRONT BURNS
ALMOST TO THE FERRY
The loss of North Beaoh/ Russian Hill and t^
completed yesterday's record of disaster^
of achievements. ; / . . ilti£ ' . W^^^^M^&M^^M^^^^^^^^M^M \u25a0-•'•'••'\u25a0•• \u25a0 * • --^ 6
Fierce Gale Drives Flames to North
Beach During Afternoon De
; spite Brave Fight.
About midnight a strong gale was raging and the fire
Was spreading rapidly toward the ferry building. Despite the
•gallant fight made by many tugs during the afternoon, and
despite the hopes that seemed fairly well-founded up to a
late hour, the sudden springing up of a strong wind baffled
every attempt to save the eastern water front from total de
struction.
." . Those at the ferry building had hope until after mid
night, but when the wind veered and the flames began to
rush toward the noble structure that has served as a union
;ferry for so many lines of suburban boats during 1 many
years- the situation appeared :dark: --;--"-— — ; ; \u25a0 : j ;
* ) Just when hope was almost abandoned there was! back- .
firing from Vallejo to the bay which gave some hope of saving
ihe ferry, and a block or two of the water front adjacent
thereto. Soldiers that had been in readiness to blow up the
ferry were withdrawn.
A number of dead bodies found along North Beach and
other parts of the water front were those of thieves and hard
characters who had been killed by the soldiers.
One hundred and seventy-six prisoners from various
branch county jails were sent to San Quentin, but the War
den refused to receive them, as they had not been sentenced.
They were landed at Alcatrazand will probably be removed
from there today to various jails adjacent to the bay. George
D. Collins was among those thus transferred.
Two vital events marked yesterday in San Francisco — the
breaking out of a great fire that consumed Russian Hill and
most of the district between its apex and a point on the water
fro:it a few blocks north of the ferry building, and the subduing
of the same blaze in its vicious attempts to creep back to the west
arid possibly invade the large section between Van Ness; avenue
and Golden Gate Park.
The cause that lost the fight to save Russian Hill was the
cause that contributed largely to the saving of the Western Ad :
dition — in both instances the violent gale from the west. The
same high wind that drove the flames over Russian Hill did much
to beat it away from the Western Addition. This, with dynamit
ing buildings to the west and using the waters of the bay through
one large hose won the battle for the untouched areas west 1 of
.Van Ness avenue. : .
TUGS FIGHT BRAVELY.
The fight to save the water front after the blaze had.^rossed
Russian Hill was waged entirely by a number of fire tugs that
battled with vigor and did much to check the blaze from leaping
at once to the foot of Market street.
.Yesterday was an anxious and eventful 'day to about half a
million people, and particularly to. a. large proportion of that num
l)er camped in the wide areas west of Van Ness avenue, who still
hoped that the great holocaust was at an end,' but the leaping of
flames and the thundering of dynamite blasts all afternoon awoke
twice a hundred thousand men, women and children who were
sleeping in yards and parks, on sidewalks or in beds.
News from sentries and automobilists hastening to the West
ern Addition from the fire line was that there was danger that the
flames might cross Van Ness avenue and consume the western
section of the city despite all dynamiting and other measures at
the disposal of the department.
WESTERN AREA SAVED.
Soon after that there were reassuring reports to the effect
that the demon had -been- throttled and turned back toward trie;
bay. By n a. m. the blowing-up of houses in the vicinity, of;
Russian Hill showed that there. was a close battle to save the water, i
front, but by noon the flames had run over, a large area- in the bay/:
region, and with the. fiercest. westerly gale in many days driving;
the flames to the east; it was soon evident that much of the water
front was doomed.
North Beach was the last, section of the city to be devoured
by the flames. All hope for it was : abandoned when the fire
crossed Pacific street near Kearny. Throughout the : night, the
conflagration raged in the direction of the beach, sweeping up the
sjdes of Telegraph and Russian hills.
Early in the morning the . fire had reached , the lumber yards
r.nd factories adjacent to the bay and stretched as far as Van
Xcss avenue.
The San Francisco Call.
PARDEE CALLS LEGISLATURE
Governor ]^H||l^|3l|lcalli|a
special session of the State fLegis
kture at once to< prepare for relief
rheasuresifdr San Francisco^ v
i\ Then they, stopped, but*- burned in an i easterly, direction .from "
Kearny street, destroying the two sections of ; the \u25a0seawall'' and en
circling Telegraph -HiU.^ At the southern basppf::the hill vlay
3arba>y Goast,^ :. which had^until thi?r ;tirrie^ escapeil •.the;blaze.-\-In'-'a-;
\u25a0 comparatively short time this far-famed distri^'\yas3 laid' in, ashes.'
and Ihe fire -reached out for that ' port ion iof I "tire city on ' lower
\u25a0Broadway, yallejb . and \u25a0: Pacific.streets. streets -that -yet-iremairted -intact.';
;The ilames then' crackled in the directicn of .-the ;V water , front and
made the work of cl^rnqlitionVin^liis section^of. the. town com
plete. ; The, fire tugs -were pressed ; info serviceVandi fought the .
fire as quickly, as- it. f reached East 1 *: rest. ir ' ' ' " f
iMEIGGS WHARFS GOES. fi ; '\u0084 .V."** V : - ..-C'
By 3 p.m.; Meiggs wharf ,was •'•ih-'flsmes/" which, traveled ;fa«t
toward the ferry. Froni the deck \u25a0 q f c " the ' yahguard, -; opposi -a
MeiggS; wharf, a Gall man saw the bunrng; of -Meiggs, wharf and
thev gallant : fight of " about twenty \u25a0\u25a0 fire^tr gs/ : : pumped^ large '
streams of ; bay; water ahead of tKe advancing' flames}! an^ even j' j^ 1 :
;'\u25a0« The battle^ was : ah unequal \u25a0 one. l)ut^the\work;;of *thf.^tugs . dici- .
much to ccheerk r irie^progress^of ; • ilve';'fire '\ivc\ finally, %;is\belieyed^tb
save the ferry- clepot from annihilati^:..VJx >.- --^ ; - :^v' v v :
Despite ca-'i epbrt received by- Gbvti rips i Pardee^at ,9; o'clock-:
last r.ight to; theyeffectl that>tiv»:-f erry:?ijiuildingH wa^jdoojrried ? andi..
being .ibandoned the fire ; was not with[ri;»t\vp ;,^loclcs ..of {the.>^^gTe'«t"
tower-)ike structure as late as 11 l -p.'."^ni>'; and '-^employes vhaid ;, r rot ?
thought; of deserting' their" polls' 'It
ttigs ni ig ht save the noble structure ; :CvA ';\u25a0 stop'; trie ; flames a I block
' away irom it. : w: .• .-.. \u25a0• / -: ; , .:/ - : ;. \; . . J ),-\u25a0', ..\u25a0:
and it seemed'jinevitaWe^that.jLhe; fcrry-ibuilding^must :);b^At^an"<j
early hour this morning' hope iqf saving ; the :Wierry ; : was^abin-^
'dbn'ed;-...- : . : \u25a0\u25a0"•. \u25a0 ::'.;:'.".' '„\u25a0\u25a0\u25a0 : V • : ,:r' ; v';. - ."---.v' '"-'•\u25a0•"• :'-'.- : : '-';*^ : *- :: '':'- : ; : ', ; -Vvvr>*;'Bw
SAN ERA:NGISGO^§ATIJRDAYi;iAPRIL'2I^ 1906?
Continusd on Pags 2, Columns 6 and 7,
RUINS OF THE CITY HALL AS THEY APPEARED YES! ERDAY AFTERNOON; !
SCENE -ON MARKET SIREET LOOKING WESTWARD FROM EAST 'STREET^}
• ASD-yiEW^ OFF-ICE. [
WILL RISE AGAIN
IN SPLENDOR
Wit&M Francisco Faces the
San \\ ! Francisco: has^aemonstrated the courage and confidence of her
citlzen^by^decjaH^^^ will not be solicited from
citiei bither^^
willTise a^
tul-SariiFraqc^^^^ •/\u25a0'<;,\u25a0 ';'' jpf o^.
yy-'/;:-; : :'?fij$ a special session^of the
I^gis^tuireiany^ State of Calif ornia v may extend to the
'n^tro|k>listof^helwmm / ~ '•\u25a0'•"''
%G6ntiriu^^pn?F?ag;^^^Cblumns^^
OaKland Office
of The Call ,
1016 v Broadway.
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