DESTRUCTION OF THREE HUNDRED HOUSES AT CaLIFORNIA BY FIRE. [From the "Alta California," May 4.]

New Zealander, Volume 6, Issue 446, 24 July 1850, Page 3

DESTRUCTION OF THREE HUNDRED HOUSES AT CaLIFORNIA BY FIRE. [From the " Alta California," May 4.]

This morning we were visited by one of ihosc •a'amilom events winch bring down mm and devastation upon hundreds, destroying in a few hi ief moments the a< cumulat< d gains ol months and yum of (oils mid enterprise, The effects of tic great /ire in December last had piihifd away, and with it the »ense of danger from the devouring element which was then uppei most in the minds of all. About 4 o'clock this morning, the alarm of fire was given in Portsmouth tqtiare, and flames were icen isiuing from the building known as the Unred Ma cs lixchange. Before many ptrsons had colleote.d, the entire building wn envelo, ed in flames, which communicated with lightning-like rnp.dity, to tin* Phoenix Kxchuiigc, towards Wa»hington-Btree.t, and to the Empire House, upon the Cliiy-H'rcet side. A <\rin and confusion prevoded all sides, and all thy efforii which could be us j d to check the flnnis were utterly fruitless The scene was animated beyond expression, and hundifds weie been hurrying tv und do endeavomiug to clear tlieir stores of goodi, and convey them to a place of safety. The flnmet spiead acrois Washington-street and caught ihe building upon the ocposite corner, and also the S A.. Wright Hull. What little assistance could be i flfered towards chocking the flimea was of no avail, and the huge flakes of Inn mug material which were watted by the breizeand fell upon the sui rounding buildings rend'-mi their det>truc'K>n inevituhle. The enlne block between K'-arny, City, Wuiliingion nu\l Montgomery >tri'cts, was entirely duittioyrd, with the exce.pt'oll of Dnbou'a Hank ng House, and Suigoyne and C'i's. The hooks, money, and Vdlu.ible pap.-rs, in almost nil the mercantile h uses were laved. Upon the north tide of Waslung-ton-street neaily all the building* were consumed to Montgome»y. includin s the lurge brick building occupied us th'i National I he utie. Taking a buckward course the (lames spread across Washington-street nnd destroyed the Bella Union, Haley Home, Washington Hall, St. Clmilcs Hotel, Alia California Punting establishment, Fruzei's building, and all ihi- ediiices up as far a» DujiOiit-»iieef, sweeping through to Pacific, and going down a^ain to the lower corner. Tiie lohs of property in very grout, vaiiounly es>tiniat d at from three to five millions of dollars, As soon as it was rendeud ceit'>in that the north side ol the uquare must he consumed, we stoppc 1 our morning edition, whii h hml just gone to press, and commenced moving our presses and material into the ph'Zi. We were cimblctl th<oug(i the kindness of fiends aid aequumtuntci, who promptly Clime to our HM*i->tance, to uccred in saving a eomiderablc portion of our material and our presses, althongh much damaged Irom fire. The buildings, both l/ont and rear, were entirely consumed. U on the south tide of Claystreet, all thu stores were badly scorched and ht-iioualy damugfd, but weie prevented from destruction by the aiduroui cxertioiu of lhe t ciiizc-nsa nd pioperty holders, who threw water upon the scorching fiouts and kept the rood covered with wet blanket!. One or two engines nlio did good service in that section. It u irnpomible in tin* hastily prepared cx 1 ra sheet, ii-ued under tlin grcattst disadvantagts, with our mateiials all in the q eateitt con usion, 111 1 attempt to particulai - ize in a detcnp'ion of the individual losses sustained, or of a list of ihe mercantile firms who were burned out, Ou Monday morning nc alnll prepare a full mid complete account ot this deplorable ca«ualuy, accompanied by nil uccuraie diagram of the burning district, prepared expiessly for the Alia California. There is no douut whatever that thi< wh> the ua>c act of inceudiarieH, and we are happy to hear that thtsie u a j.roipect ot their arrest, tiuspiciun lias already nitachtd ilmlt tv ihtcc peions, we ham, and the polite are alieady upon their track. One of the » has * I ready brcß arrested. Language is inadequate to cxpreii (he universal honor and ezecrution wiih which they ahould be *isi ed, or to point out a | uniihtnent due the heinouaness of their offence. It is stated that two lads who were sleeping in ihe basement ot the Emp re — in the bowling »aluon — peruhtd in the flumes. Several per=oua were i, jnred by tlie diicharge ot fire orros cuui^d by the heat, but none of them dangerously. The lamei were not tubdu^d until about

eleven o'clock, and while we write the emhen arc sdll blitzing bnghtly and flowing with nngry heat, us if in triumph «t the work of dcvHitntion of tin* Fire Kinjjf. Our neighbours of (he Pacific News moved hll their niiiteiiul out of their oflice, but MiccueJed in suv.ng their buiMing. The dffice of the Journal of Commerce was destroy eil, urn! a poiliiin of the type and rnniciihl of the establishment. The eflVrN of thin confl ifjration will fall henvily upon the oity «i the present time, and probably product- n tempomry de/>ie»sion in busn cs», The scarcity of wn'et and the utiei übiencf of anything lil<e an nrgntrzution in the working parlies, tendered then services less available ihait they would otherwibC huve been. A reward ->f-S' lo,ooo Ins bepn flVrcd by his Honir the Mayor for the detection of the incendiaries of this morning. It we take into coiibideiation the tjrent extent of property destroyed, covering an area more than three time* aB huge a» I hut of the December fir«, we do not think the emiimted low of foui millions of dollars is exaggerated. We subjoin a lUt of Eome of the sufferers by the fi p, but without attempting to i»ive an cslimitc of thtir lossess until we hi«ve bad a better op irtuniiy of obtaining rc'iable information on the subject. Croekfofd'-t, corner of Clay and Kcarny streets; Clarkson and Co., dit o ; Campbell ami Huogs, Claystreet ; De Boom, Vigneuux, and Grisa, wholesule commis ion merchants, Olay-strrct; Karl. M'lnto.h, and Co., commission irerch.mia, Washington street ; Elliptic Ilotel Ssuloon, by Spicer and Bookitnver ; New Varker House, Portsmouth square ; Gildfmeester, Demery, and Co., commission meichintu, A! mtgo-mery-Btreei ; Garrick's Head Saloon, VVashinfjtonstrct't; Grout and I'lolmea, attorneys-at-law, Montsjomnyntreet; Horace Hawes, af»orncy, Claystieel! Hood and Co., Clay-sfrcet ; Heatley and Co., commiHgion merchants, Montsomt'iy-s'reft ; Henry M. llnle aid Co., Clay and Montgomeiy streets ; Jolnuoit and Canfield, Keamy mid Dupont ; Jewctt'i auction siore, Monlgomory-street ; Kels- y's hoot store, Keerny- ■ tieet; Lippitt, M'Alhster, and Turk, attorneyvatlaw, Clay-street; Jo!»n A. Lewis, Cliy-Btrcet; Lafayette Hutel, WHshington-placc ; Ch.irlet M'llae, attorney, Clay-street ; Meyer and Co., Montgomery-street ; Nagle's biinkitiK-houeo, Montgomery-street ; Napoleon II >tel, Washington otroct; Uiddle'u aucnon store, Clay-htree ; Snook's i in store, Keariiy-streut ; Still and Tliomas, buok itore, Washington-tt'eet, Ten Evck and M'Kac, lawyers, Montgomery-stn-et ; Ward anl Co, Montgomery st ept ; Wei' 1 * ami Gower, auctioneers, Montgomery street ; Wykoff and Co , Monigomery-strcet ; IDberhoid's Rutecory, Washing-lon-it,rect ; Ililti.noiv It-lectory, Washm^ton-stieet j Universe Restaurant, Keai ny-screet ; butler RoatHurailt, Kearny-jtreet; Ccniral Hi-staurant, Washingtonstreet ; Millars Metroat, Washington street ; St. Clmrli s Ilotel, Wa^hington-strfiet ; Haley House, Washington-sliect ; Evr.irdaud Harrison, auctioneers ; B-ila Union Hall, Gothic Hall, W^hington-itreet ; ICI Dorado, Washington and X amy ; Empire Ilotel, Unitol State* Hotel. Phoenix Houce, Kearny-street ; Delmonico's old building, corner of Clay anil Keamy; Pilch and TUdcn, blii, -bnikers, Cljy and Washingtonstreets ; Merchants' Exchunge, Moutgoinciy-xtrcct ; Middieloii, 8,-rry, and Co., ancti meers ; Pollock an>l Co., auctiinecrs, Cl.iy. street ; Bulling llou-e, Van Dyke, Beld.-n and Co., drußgi-tt ; Folder, Hill and More, auctioned u, Washiugtou-htreet ; Knnvlot.' jewellery cnUblibbmcnt, Cl.iy and Kearney -streets ; the Veraudah, Wftshington, and Kenrny-atreets. A good deul of exonemeni |>ie vailed ia the m«>ri r in(>, giowing out of a demand made upon the Mayo by u jiany of labourers, lor alleged nerVices duriu^ .he fire. The demands was not granted, on the gruunds ih tit they weie noi authorised by the city. Thty then thieateind and msjlted the rffusei-i present, and bo ex«s|ierated the crowd, that the Chief w.m forced to lork a ft w of them up. This proceeding hud the elFect ol qu'eiing ihe others and lestonng order.