The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, January 27, 1897, Page 1

i — SRS | . FRANCISCO \VEI; }iSDAY MORNING, JANUARY 27, 1897. PRICE FIVE CENTS. FLAMES SWEEP BUSIRES BLOCK Merchants in Philadelphia Lose Heavily by a Big Fire. John Wanamaker Saves His Establishment by His Own Private Brigade. Intensely Cold Weather Interfer:s With the Efforts of the Firemen to Check the Confl gration. hat have visited ke out shortly tora of Hanscom Market street. This firm ion of the large building of Brothers, umbrella manufac- hich extended from 1309 to 1317 spread rapidly throughout ling and to the gdjoining proper- of which were occupied by m The loc f , and diractly Hirsch building was the ex mous establishment of John Wanama and within a few hunered yards stands the spa In addition to the t er, e time moving business, t the streets in the became cho with im- The proximity of the crowd the ces o owds. also aduec of city clerks and other Director of Public and other executive officers at once began the direction of the police and firemen. The weather was In- and this in-a measure de- orts of the firemen in check- ames. The Wanamadker estab- lishment was at one time in flames on the Market et front, but a detail of fire- men was quickly put to work on the building and soon checked the progress of the fire there. The entire block on the south side of Market street from Thir- teenth to Juniper and from Market to Filbert is practically in ruins. , The fire started in a bakery which was cierated by Hanscom Bros. in connection th their grocery-store, and which was ocated in the basement thereof. Hans- com Bros. occupied a portion of the lower fioor and basement of the six-story build- ing used by Hirsch Bros., extensive um- brella manufacturers, and the flames were first seen by an employe of the lstter firm. Two employes of the bakery, dazed from the effects of the smoke, were rescued and taken to a drugstore which was subse- ed. h building ipied by Dennett’s restau- thirty waitresses were em- m escaped in safety. a portion of the ories as a salesroom and manu- nearly 500 hands, a large per- them women and girls, being to the early hour, however, but en were in the place and thev o fire became general. The cold weather and a high wind wasa o the firemen, and although six alarms were sounded, and about all of the fire apparatus soon appeared on the scene, the flames apread with alarming rapidity. In balf an hour the whole block of bu from Thirteenth to J ness establishments per and Market to Filbert streets were in danger of des- oically, The spray of w fell on them re formed on the burning structures. o'clock it was clearly evident that the block was doomed, and some atten- tion was turned to surrounding property. At this time the wind carried the biazing embers across to Wanamaker's store and the clock tower was soon ablaze. The fire engines did not bave sufficient ce to send the water to the tower, and after burning some minutes it fell. The fire then communicated to the roof, but it as bela in check, and in comparatively little time was practically extinguished. The Market-street iront of the store was badly damaged. At9 o'ciock, while the flames werg at their height, Chief of the Fire Department Baxter sent two engines to the vicinity of Filbert and Juniper streets, and several streamis huge 1c nd roof of the small thoroughfare between Market and Filbert streets, and directly in the rear of the Market-street properties. The firemen stationed there did efficient work to pre- vent the flames from spreading to the building occupied by the Dunlap Printing Company and the Collins Carriage Com- pany. The crowd saw the walls totier, and cried for the firemen to run for their lives. Tne brave and ice-covered workers started to run, but two of them were struck by the debris and severely hurt. The Market-street front of the Hirsch building fell at about 8:30 o’clock, but no one was hurt. The flames raged fiercely until 11 o'clock, when they were under control. The Hirsch building was owned by the Henry C. Gibson estate. The streets in the vicinity were covered with ice, and the trolley and otber wires in the vicinity were broken down. The efficient police reguiations, however, in keeping the crowd at a distance prevented possible accidents by contact with wses. Mr. Wanamaker carries his own insur- ance. When 1t was feared that his estab- iishment would also be doomed, 600 of the employes were organized into brigades and under Mr. Wanamaker's personal direction they beean preparing for the worst. The fire was confined to the roof and tower, however, because of the cour- ageous work of the firemen. The lunchrooms in the esubli«hmentl were thrown open to the firemen and the lines of hose were run into Silver street, a | That Robbed His Constituent Amendment Was Lost. = ‘minating the Pestiferous Quail ts of Their Little Crops. The employes, and hot coffce was served to the fire-workers. John A. Felt, who was employed at Ivins, Deitz & Magee's car- pet-store, 1217 Mar from the sceneof the fire, dropped dead this morning. While the flames were raging the work of carrying out zoods was begun, and it was while assisting In this work that Felt dropped dead. Inthe midstof the intense excitement and while nearly all the firemen were en- gaged at the great conflagratiens, two alarms came from other sections of the city. Archer ana Pine streets, and another at 25 came from Franklin and Callowhill. These fires, however, were extinguished | with slight damage. Mrs. Hall, janitor of the building 1312 Filbert street occupied the fourth story back room with her two children, Mary aged 4 years and Adam aged 2 years. All were asleep when the fire was discovered and-were aroused just in time to save their lives, The two firemen who were injured by the falling walls while engaged in fight- ing the fire from Filbert street were Wil- liam J. Gorman aged 32 years, assistant foreman of company No. 1, and Frank Piper, 36 years of age, & hoseman. Gor- man was severely injured about the head end burned on the neck by flying embers, and Piper was struck-on the back by fall ing bricks and had his shoulder contused, Several other firemen were overcome by | the smoke and stili others were affected by | the intense cold and had to be taken to| hospitals for treatment. Every hospital | in the city sent an ambulance to the scene | of the fire and many representatives of | the medical emergency corps were on the | ground prepared to render medical aid. The principal losers are: Hirsch & Bros., umbrellas; Hanscom Bros., grocers, and A. W. Dennett, restaurant, 1309 to 1317 Market street, building total loss; loss on buiidings and contents, $300,000. The loss to the three renants and business is fully covered by insurance. The building 1319 Market street, occu- pied by Henry Plum & Bros., loss on | building ana contents, $250,000; fully cov- ered by msurance. The Dunlap building, | 1306 to 1310 Filbert street, owned by John | Wanamaker; loss on building, $50,000; insurance, $35,000. The building was oc- cupied by numerous tenants, the principal losers among whom are the Dunlap Print- | ing Company, whose loss is covered by an | insurance of $68,000; the Wilbur Printing | Company, loss covered by an insurance of | $10,000; the Collins Carriage Company, loss $10,000; fully covered by. insurance; John Weanamaker's stores on Market | street, $100,000; loss mostly by water; | covered by private insurance. The Joseph Harrison Jr. estate owns | 1301, 1303, 1305, 1307 and 132 Market | street, the rear of 1327 and 1320 Mar-| ket street, the rear of 25 and 27 North Juniper street and 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18 and 20 North Thirteenth street. Most of ket street, half a block | One at 10:05 o'clock came from | | goods; l these were small buildings, and were | badly gutted, but the loss was pretty well | covered by insurance. These buildings were occupied mostly by small tenants in a small line of business, and most of them carried lines of insurance nearly sufficient | to cover their losses. The losses were dis- | tributed among so many that only an | approximate idea of the tétal loss could be ’guthemd, but the greater part is covered by insurance. The total loss will probably | not exceed $1,000,000. FORTY FIRE, IN CHICAGO. | One Was of @ Fery Serious Nature, and Ten Persons Were Injured. CHICAGO, IrL., Jao. 26.—During a de- structive fire in the 6-story structure at 196, 198, 200 and 202 Monroe street, occu- pied exclusiveiy by wholesale firms, ten | persons were seriously injured, seven of | whom were firemen. Three of them will probably die. | * The injurea—Jerry O'Rourke, fireman, | caught under falling wall, both legs broken |and vbreast crushed, will probably die; William J. Workaman, fireman, caught | under the wall, back injured and hip in- jured, may die; James Shanahan, fire- man, internally njured aud spice burt, may die; Jerry Rederoit, fireman, legs se- riously crushed by falling wall; Patrick Ryan, fireman, strack by falling wall, in- | ternal injuries and ankle crushed, wili re- | cover; Andrew Geoghan, fireman, fell from fire-escape, and left ankle broken; Fire Captain Barker, burned about hands, Jace and shoulders; William Watson, leg broken; John Watson, seriously bruised; —— Ross, 14 years old, burned by a falling brand. The structure, with its contents, was almost entirely destroved by the flames, and the loss is estimated at not less than $380,000. The building alone, the prop- erty W. M. Williams, is damaged to the extent of $150,000. The other loss by the fire is distributed among ten firms: Wurzberger Bros., wholesale dealers in woolens and under- wear; J. H. Foster & Sons, trimmings and woolens; Townsend & Yale, dealers in ladies’ jackets; the Continent Shoe Com- pany; the Pickwick Clothing Company; A. M. Stewart & Co., clothing and dry the National Rubber Company; the Eureka Silk Company. The stocks of these various concerns are entirely lost. The losses are fully covered by insurance. . The fire originated on the first floor of the building, which was occupied by ‘Warzberger Bros. When discovered flames were bursting from a dozen windows, and in a few moments the west half of the building was enveloped in flames. A fire- wall divided the buildings, but only afforded a temporary barrier to the flames. The flames spread rapidly over the struc- ture. The upper two stories of the west wall Continued on Sccond Page. GUSTAVE POHLMANN, Acuthor of the Bill to Issue Bonds for the Extension of the Seawall. - PILOTS WILL NOT LIKE THIS PLAN Proposed Reduction in Their Fees in San Francisco Harbor. Merchants and Ship-Owners Pre- test Against Irjustices Under the Present Law. Legislators Asked to Pass a Bill That Wil Help Commerce at This Port. SACRAMENTO, Cir, Jan. 23.—-This was a great day for tbe San Francisco committee on commerce sent here to pre- sent the needs of San Francisco in the matter of pilotage reforms before the joint Commerce Committee of the Legislature. The session lasted two hours and a half, and the passage of each minute percepti- bly strengthened the position of the Ban Francisco commercial delecation. Hugh Craig acted as pokesman for his colleagues and was ably seconded by C. E. Naglor. While no definite action was taken by the Legislative committee to- night, the evidence in the shape of facts and figures presented by Craiz and his associates appeared so striking that it was only a sense of fairness to the pilots and Pilot Commissioners that prevented the committee from at once deciding to recom- mend the reform measure for passage. The first bill considered was that ap- propriating $75,000 for the construction and equipment of a fireboat with a speed of not less than twenty statute miles per hour, a pumping capacity of not less than 8000 gallons per minute and & draught of not more than seven feet when loaded and equipped for service, It was explained shat the light draught and high speed were necessary in order that the fireboat might be available for use at Stockton and Sacramento and other inland points where it might be of service. It was decided to report the bill favorably. Senator Gleaves’ measure relative to pilots, Pilot Commissioners and piiotage was next considered. The bill reduces the number of Pilot Commissioners at San Francisco from three to one, and the Com- missioner, as well as the pilots appointed by him, is required to hold certificates from the board of examiners of the Cham- ber of Commerce. It further provides for two classes of pilots, general and special. ‘Lhe former are those to bo directly under control of the Pilot Commissioner, while masters and mates of American ships and masters of tugboatsare to be known as special pilots. The license fee is fixed at $10 per annum, and the license can be renewed from year to year by the payment of $2 50 for each renewal. It was when the section referring to the compensation of pilots came under dis- cussion that general interest became aroused. This secticn reads as follows: Every general pilot of the harbors of San Francisco, Mare Island, Vallejo and Benicla must render an account each day, or as often &s practicable, to the Pilot Commissioner, of each and all vessels to which or for which he has rendered service, and the pilotage there- for must be charged up and collected by the said Commissioner, who shall deposit the same with the State Treasurer. The Commissioner shall draw by warrant upon the State Treas- urer, specifying the purpose, for the necessary expenses of the pilots, boats and office ex- penses, not to exceed §200 per month salary for each general pilot licensed and actusiiy rendering services that produce an income equal to such salary; $200 per month saiary for the Commissioner; $100 per month for the secretary; $40 per month rent and sundries, and $500 per month for the use, maintenance and repair of each pilot boat in actual service, not to exceed four. Any surplus remaining shall go to the State public school funa. After this had been read Hugh Craig read from a communication which had been received irom the secretary of the Pilot Commissioners. This gave a réview of the pilot business in and out of the harbor of San Francisco for the past fifteen years. Tais showed that the four pilot-boats now 1n service at San Francisco were the private property of the pilots and tlLat their average cost was about §18,000, and that the average monthly earnings of each of the twenty pilots en- gaged in the service was $329 88. He showed further from the statement re- ceived from the Pilot Commissioners that these earnings were made after rebates amounting to nearly one-half of the gross earnings were made to local shipowners. This diseriminaiion, he averred, was made in order to retain the friendship and aid of the San Francisco shipowners when necessity such as the present occasion cre- ated arose for their kindly services. In response to some questions by Sena- tor Braunhart, a member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Craiz stated that ample provision was made in the measure under consideration for the valu- able services of the pilots by paying them a salary of §200 a_month, and that ample returns were made them for the money they had invested in their pilot-boats by atlowing them $6000 a year for each boat. This allowance, he stated, gave them a net retarn of $2400 a year on an investment of $18,000. Senator Braunhart still sought enlight- enment. He stated that several times be- fore similar measures had been before the Legislature, but each time they had failed of passage. He explained that stich meas- ures were gererally referred to by a pe- culiar term by the press and no member cared to be under suspicion of favoring such a measure. He asked Craig why such a bill was now again submitted, in view of the past history of its prede- cessors. In his sweetest tones and manner Craig re plied that never before had the best co mmercial element of San Francisco had an opvortunity of applying to such an in- telligent end able body of legisiators. When the laugh at Braunhart's expense had subsided Craig further explained that there was really no need for pilots in the barbor of Sau. Francisco.. He said the harbor was so well guarded by lights and signals that the insurance people would charge no more for covering a ves- sel that did notengage a pilot than for one that did. T C. E. Naylor said that in his opinion YOUNG MR. MAHONEY of San Francisco and His Contested Seat. there should be free competition in the pilotage business at the port of San Fran- cisco, and that if this was brought about there would be a clear saving of $78,000 to the State. He added that the measure under consideration was in reality a con- cession to the pilots. George E. Plumer, who has been man- ager of six vessels for fifteen years, said that only on three occasions did any of his vessels have to employ a pilot, and that yet he had been compelled to pay large sums annually to the pilots for services which they had never performed. C. E. Naylor followed this line of argu- ment by stating that he had letters from San Francisco ship-owners, showing that they had paid from $1100 to $19,000 a year 10r compulsory pilotage, and for services which had never been performed. He de- clared that in this showing the present law would certainly be declared to_be un- constitutional, if brought to a test. Uraig again took uptheargument, when the following section was under considera- tion: The following shall be the rates of pilotage into or out of the harbor of San Francisco: All vessels under 500 tons, $3 per foot draught; all vessels over 500 tons, $3 per foot draught, and 2 cents per ton for each.and every ton net registered ~messtirement. In all cases where inward-bound vessels are mot spoken until inside the bar the rates of pilotage above provided shall be reduced 50, per cent. Any vessel, the master or. mate of which holds a spectal pilov's license and which displays the requisite signal. or that is in tow of & steam tugboat, the master of which is a licensed spe- cfal pilot, o that is engaged in the whaling or fishing trades, shall be exempt from all pilot- age at any port in this State, unless a general pilot be actually empgoyed, and all provisions of law to the contrary are hereby repealed. This he declared was the most im- portant clause in the whole bill, and was designed to free the commerce of San Francisco from the incubus which now oppressed it and which for many years past has driven the foreign trade that rightfully belonged to San Francisco to other ports. The present rates of pilotage are $5 per foot draught for vessels under 500 tons, and $5 per foot draught and 4 cents per ton for each ton net registered measure- ment for vessels over 500 tons. He con- cluded by explaining the great saving that would result from the enforcement of this section, by cheapening the cost of actual pilotage service and by doing away with pilotage altogether where a vessel was being towed in by a tugboat and where the master or mate of a vessel held a spe- cial license as pilot. After all who desired had been heard Senator Mahoney moved that the whole matter lie over until to-morrow night at 8 o'clock, in order to give the Pilot Com- missioners & ciance to be heard. The motion was carried. IN SENAIE AND 4SSEMBLY. Withington Makes an Apology to Bulla and Is Forgiven. SACRAMENTO, CAL., Jai 26.—Benator Withington apologized before the Senate this marning for his charges against Bulla yesterday. Bulla accepted the apology. Braunhart's bill reducing streetcar fares in 8an Francisco between certain hours to 214 cents, was reported back by the San Francisco delegation with a favorable re- port. A resolution by Morehouse appointing a committee of three to visit the Home for Feeble-minded in Santa Clara, in com- papy with Governor Budd, was adopted. The projegt under consideration is to use the buiiding as a reformatory for the girls now at the Whittier Reform School. The committee is composed of Franck, More- house and Androus. The Committee on Constitutional Amendments reported favorably on the woman’s suffrage amendment. At the afternoon session the bill appro- priating $75,000 for the use of the State Printing Office was passed and sent to the Assembly. Senate bill providing for the destruction of municipal bonds of cities of the fifth class, where the same remain unsold, was passed. Senate bill conferring powers upon cities of the first class to erect municipal hospi- tals, was also passed. Senate bill providing for the emiploy- ment of Japanese interpréters in criminal cotirds of eities of 100,090 inhabitants, wi amended on motion of Burt, to read ¢ of the first' class. Braunhart’s amend- ment to fix the salary at $100 per month, instead of $150, was voted down. 3 Doty’s bill providing for the erection of monuments to the veterans of the Mex- ican War in the Sacramento City Ceme- tery, was killed by the Senate’s refusal, on motion of Smith of Kern, to permit third reading. Several other bills received second read- ing. Adjourned. In the Assembly to-day the Senate reso- lution asking Congress for a protective fruit tariff and Assembly resolution re- garding Hawaii were adopted. The joint resolution referring to Cuban recognition was passed on the file. Two hours were spent in discussing bills from the Fish and Game Committee relating to the closed season for salmon and doves. Several amendments offered by Shanahan were voted down and the bill was ordered to a third reading. Another long discussion occurred over Chynoweth’s bill to limit the number of employes of the Legislature. A number of amendments were made and the bill was referred to the Committee on At- taches. Soward’s bill relating to town lands granted under the act of 1867 was passed. The Committee on Hospitals made a report on its trip of inspection, commend- ing the management of the institutions visited. Adjourned. = Voting for San Diego Rolles. SAN DIEGO, CaL, Jan. 26.—Balloting for goddess of the water carmival began to- ay. It promises’ to become vely ex- citing. Twenty candidates are already in the field. W Tl i MR. WRiGHT of Berkeley, Chairman of tfe Committee on Fublc Buildings and Lands, LIVELY DEBATES AS T0 ECONOMY Legislators Who Would Do Away With Temporary Organization. Duckworth Is Yet Too Ill to Appear Before the Investi- gating Committee. Speak:r Ccombs Decides That All the Evidence Must Be Taken in Public. SACRAMENTO, CaL., Jan. 26.—The matter of providing for the reorganization of future sessions of the Assembly was made the subject of a lively debate in the House this morning. It came up on the special orders when Chynoweth’s bill was reached. The bill limited the number of attaches to be employed on prelimi- nary organization. The reading of the bill was the sigual for a member, once well known as « Democrat but whoa short time ago drifted into oblivion on the mud scow of Populism, to rise and move an impossible amendment for tbe purpose of being in harmony with his Quixotic environment. Melick of Los Angeles, a newspaper man whose voice crieth aloud in the wilderness of the Mojave desert near Laucaster, op- posed the amendment. “The law as it stands,” he said, *may be good enough for Populists, but it is not good enough for Republicans. The gentieman says that there is no need of temporary or- ganization. Whether -that be so or not, we find in looking over the history of past sessions of the Legislature that there have been times when for weeks aud nezrlya month the temporary organization was prolonged. At the time of Mr. Stanford’s election to the United States Senate we know that the temporary organization was held for seventeen days, and there have been other times when it waseven impossible to organize at all. This bill provides for twenty-four attaches in the Assembly. They are absolutely needed to carry on the business of the House."” Mr. Waymire said that the bill would give to the organization of .the Assembly ample power in the selection of its clerks and other officers. The bill would pre- vent abuses such as had been noted in the ast, B pThe object of the bill, Valentine said, was to take the matter out of the hands of the Speaker. “The power of appointing the attaches s 'S | sheuld be taken out of the hands of the Speaker,” continued Valentine, *‘because it was a power that was likely to be abused. It had been abused two years ago and it had been abused at this session. The selection of the attaches by the chief clerk is wrong in principle and pernicions in practice. The Assembly should ap- point its own employes. We don’t need a whole'army of temporary and permanent attaches for the use of the temporary or- ganization.” Chynoweth took the floor.and in his most impressive manner begged the House to vote down the amendment. The amendment would leave the law exactly as it was, and would allow the Legislature at the next session to repeat the scandals which have agitated the present session. Qn motion of Treacy the whole subject matterand all the bills relating thereto were referred to the commaittees There was Duckworth talk in the air all the morning and a disquieting ramor that at least two members of the committee were in favor of conducting the investiga- tion in the dark. There was more than rumor in 1t, as the newspaper corre- spondents learned, and a committee of reporters waited upon Speaker Coombs and asked him whether he haa agreed that the procesdings should be of the star-chamber whitewash variety, and he replied that he wou!d not consent to have the investigation seld in any but a public manner, and farthermore, that he would use all the influence in his power to have the investigation held witn open doors. The committee of investigation met at 3p. m,, Judge Waymire presiding. Chyn- owetl produced the temporary roll, and onrequest of Emmons the committee authorized the chairman to issue a subpena for S. J. Duckworth to appear and produce all written requests and other evidence, documenary and otherwise, bearing upon the matter of the appoint- ment of temporary employes. R. R. Duckworth announced that his brother was still contined to his bed ana unable to appear; that his physician had consented that he might go out to-morrow for exercise, and that 1f strong enough at that time he would attend the meeting. The subpena accordingly was issued sub- ject to the certificate of Mr. Duckworth's physician. Nortk of Alameda was called to the stand and said that he had been informed that among the papers in his possession was a document containing a list of ap- pointees in Duckworth’s own handwriting. Chynoweth suggested that the witness should produce the papers instead of tell- ing the committee of what he bad been informed, and North replied that the papers were under his control, locked in a safe uptown. He asked that he should be subpenaed to produce the papers, he not desiring to volunteer any evidence. Belshaw of Contra Costa came next. The letter presented 10 the committee by Econo- my 10 take Hood’s Sarsaparilla, because “100 Doses One Dollar” is peculiar to and true oniy ©of Hood’s. Keep yourself healthy by taking Hood's Sarsaparilla Which builds up and strengthens the system |Food’s Pills e Liver Tc7easy o take,