CALIFORNIA. TERRIBLE CONFLAGRATION. DESTRUCTION OF SAN FRANCISCO. (From the "Daily Alta," May 4.)

New Zealander, Volume 7, Issue 550, 23 July 1851, Page 3

CALIFORNIA. TERRIBLE CONFLAGRATION. DESTRUCTION OF SAN FRANCISCO. (From the " Daily Alta," May 4.)

It is our melancholy duty to announce this morning- the most awful anniversary of the terrible conflagration a year ago in this place. San Francisco is again in ashes. The smoke and flames are ascending from several squares of our city, as if the god of Destruction had seated himself in our midst, and was gorging hiniself and all his ministers of devastation upon the ruin of our doomed city and its people. About eleven o'clock last night the cry of " fire!" startled every one like an earthquake. The fire had just commenced in a paint shop on the west side of Portsmouth-square, adjoining the Bryant-house, formei'ly called, but more recently the American. It was but a slight blaze when first seen; but in five minutes the whole upper story was full of flame. We have never seen llames spread more rapidly. Before the engines could get upon the ground and commence playing, the American on one side, and a store occupied by Messrs. llhodes as a furnishing establishment, weie in flames. The buildings in the vicinity being all of wood and extremely combustible, the fire spread up Clay-street, back towards Sacramento, and down Cl.iy towards Kearney, with frightful rapidity. It soon had full command, and the five department could only work upon the borders, and endeavour to check it 3 pi ogress by anticipating it. In this they succeeded on the north side before it 1 cached Dupont-strect. But in every other direction in which it could spread, it took its own course. There waf. little chance to

save much of the movcablc?, for ere they ■were aware of their clanger in most cases, the flames were wrapping them in destruction. To the south it spread to Lush-street, and fo the east, at the time of writing this, at 5 o'clock, a.m., it has passed Jackson-street, sweeping everything- from a little east of Dupont to the wharves. The blocks between Dupont and I Kearney streets, west of Portsmouth-square, as far as Bush -street, three in number are in ashes. Between Bush and Jackson, Kearney and Montgomery, five blocks in number, all down. Between Montgomery and Sansome, Bush, and Jackson streets, five in number, all down. One man in Washington-street fell dead from over exertion. lie was so completely surrounded by the fire he could not be relieved by those who caw him fall. Beyond Sansome towards the shipping we do not know how great is the destruction, for the smoke is bo dense on the lire intervening, it is impossible to tell. Besides these thirteen blocks, almost every building of which is destroyed, there are many others, It is impossible to even guess at the number of buildings or the amount of property destroyed. A thousand buildings is within the bounds of truth, we judge, and ten millions of dollars could not replace the terrible destruction. Some place it twice or three times as high. It is sufficient to say that more than threa-fourths of the city is nothing but smouldering cinders. It is impose sible to give a lisfc of the buildings burned or tlio names of the sufferers, but the principal buildings are the following :—: — Custom House, Union Hotel, Parker house, Jones's Hotel, Adelphi theatre, Dramatic museum, National Hotel, New World, City Hotel, Delmonicos', Merchants 1 Exchange, Ross's building, ships Niantic, General Harrison. Every newspaper office in the town, except the Alia California, nearly or quite all the bankers are in the list. Burgoyne and Co., Wells and Co., James King; of Wm., Delmonica, American Hotel, Revere House, Pacific Mail Steamship Company— all are down. Not a house was left on LeidesdorlT-strect, and everything on both sides of Long wharf to beyond White Hall, Here and there a brick building stands like a tomb among a nation of graves, yet even they in most cases have nothing but their walls standing. Scarce a fire-proof building in the whole burnt district has stood the test. Such as have are the California Exchange, El Dorado, Verandah on. Portsmouth-square, and the buildings of Captain Howard, in which was the U.S. assaying office cf Moffat and Co., on Montgomery-street. This building was saved only at the risk of their lives by Messrs. Moffat, Perry, and Ward, of that firm, who remained within the building throughout the conflagration, and extinguished the fire repeatedly. The fire has now (half-past five) reached Paci-fic-street, and is rapidly spreading in that direction towards Clarks Point. A man, at half-past five o'clock, on Jackson' street, between Kearney and Dupont streets, shot a woman and immediately after shot himself, wounding himself in the forehead, The woman is dead ; the murderer was taken to the station house. A man was stabbed in Washipgton- street, about; two o'clock near the Jackson -house. But the most lamentable part of this sad story is the loss of human life. How many have lost their lives cannot be known at present — perhaps it never will be known how many ; but several ai*e known to have lost their lives. The following have been reported. One man was taken ont of Starkey, Janion, and Co.'s, about six o'clock this morning, burned to a crisp. Mr. Mudge was dangerously burned. He with Messrs. James, Noyes, and Frost, were for fow hours shut up in the vault of the Naglec building, which they saved but could not get out. We have experienced several severe conflagrations in this doomed city, but none of them caa compare in extent and destruction of property and life with this, which is still in progress, and all of it the result of carelessness of some one person in the paint shoji of Baker and Meserve, where the fire commenced.