ny millions more.
The fourth and last day of the world's greatest conflagration had been
one of dire calamity and in some respects was the most spectacular of
all. On the evening of the third day (Friday) a gale swept over the
city from the west, fanned the glowing embers into fierce flames and
again started them upon a path of terrible destruction.
The fire which had practically burnt itself out north of Telegraph
Hill was revived by the wind and bursting into a blaze crept toward
the East, threatening the destruction of the entire water front,
including the Union ferry depot, the only means of egress from the
devastated city.
The weary firemen still at work in other quarters of the city were
hastily summoned to combat the new danger. Hundreds of sailors from
United States warships and hundreds of soldiers joined in the battle,
and from midnight until dawn men fought fire as never fire had been
fought before. Fire tugs drew up along the water front and threw
immense streams of water on to the flames of burning factories,
warehouses and sheds.
Blocks of buildings were blown up with powder, guncotton, and
dynamite, or torn down by men armed with axes and ropes. All night
long the struggle continued. Mayor Schmitz and Chief of Police Dinan,
although without sleep for forty-eight hours, remained on the scene
all night to assist army and navy officers in directing the fight.
At 7 o'clock Saturday morning, April 21, the battle was won. At that
hour the fire was burning grain sheds on the water front about half a
mile north of the Ferry station, but was confined to a comparatively
small area, and with the work of the fireboats on the bay and the
firemen on shore, who were using salt water pumped from the bay,
prevented the flames from reaching the Ferry building and the docks in
that immediate vicinity.
On the north beach the fire did not reach that part of the water front
lying west of the foot of Powell street. The fire on the water front
was the only one burning. The entire western addition to the city
lying west of Van Ness avenue, which escaped the sweep of flame on
Friday, was absolutely safe.
Forty carloads of supplies, which had been run upon the belt line
tracks near one of the burned wharves, were destroyed during the
night.
A survey of the water front Saturday morning showed that everything
except four docks had been swept clean from Fisherman's wharf, at the
foot of Powell street, to a point aro
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