172 ELDORADO 



When I viewed the site of the city at 5 A. M., when 

 the fire had nearly ceased, the smouldering embers 

 were throwing up huge clouds of smoke and lurid 

 flashes, bringing a feeling of desolation to the hearts of 

 all who witnessed the sickening sight. The losses were 

 estimated at $5,000,000. 



On the evening of the 4th of May, 1851, a great fire 

 occurred in San Francisco. 



"In less than five minutes after the dreadful cry of 

 fire the whole city was illumined by the lurid glare of 

 the flames. The entire force of the fire department 

 were promptly on the spot with their apparatus and 

 put into the most efi^ective service. Fortunately for 

 the lower part of the city, there was but little air stir- 

 ring and a slight misty rain had fallen during the day 

 and evening, which checked the tendency of the fire 

 to spread towards the bay. Had it not been for this 

 the mass of sparks falling upon the roofs of the frame 

 buildings on the east side of Montgomery street must 

 have extended it to the whole lower part of the city. 

 These buildings were covered with men provided with 

 wet blankets, buckets of water and everything neces- 

 sary to extinguish the flames should they communicate 

 to the roofs. The records of the different courts in 

 the old City Hall on the east side of the Plaza were 

 removed, but thrown into the utmost confusion. In 

 the midst of the excitement a gentleman well known 

 to the community as the former keeper of the Sacra- 

 mento House, rushed to the scene of the disaster and 

 shortly afterwards returned to his place of business. 

 He was immediately seized with alarming symptoms 

 and in a few moments breathed his last. Pronounced 

 by his physicians to having been caused by congestion 



