Identifier: exemptfiremenofs00exem (find matches)
Title: The Exempt firemen of San Francisco; their unique and gallant record
Year: 1900 (1900s)
Authors: Exempt Fire Company, San Francisco
Subjects: San Francisco (Calif.). Fire Dept
Publisher: (San Francisco : Commercial Publishing Co.)
Contributing Library: San Francisco Public Library
Digitizing Sponsor: San Francisco Public Library

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eemed by the people assome less worthy achievement performedon the bloody field of battle. All honorthen to the brave firemen of the presentand the past who have accomplished somuch real and substantial good in thecitys service. All things must have abeginning and all beginnings have acause. The Fire Department of San yC^Francisco sprang into existence as a re-sult of the disastrous fire of the 24th ofDecember, 1849. Prior to that timethere had been no fire department orcompany of any kind. The earlier set-tlers probably had never had broughthome to them, with the lurid vividness ofocular demonstration, the supreme nec-essity of having an organized and well-equipped fire department. But at theclose of the year 1849, so memorable inthis citys history, the citizens werecompelled to turn their thoughts, for atiine, from the more congenial task ofmoney-making to the work of pro\idingsome sort of protection for the city againstthe occurrence of fire. The population of SAN FRANCISCO FIREMEN
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U. C3I O 00 SAN FRANCISCO FIREMEN 5 the city at that time was a queer assort-ment of all sorts and conditions of men.Gambling and drinking went on withoutlet or hindrance, and it was no wonder,as we shall subsequently see, that thegreat fire of December, 1849, was suc-ceeded, in a comparatively brief interval,by several other fires that swept wholeblocks away in their fury. The bujld-ings of the city were of the flimsiestcharacter. The houses were mere shellsof wood, ceiled and walled with cottoncloth and offering a most imtlammablefuelwith which to feed a fire. On the 24thof December, 1849, what has now passedinto history as the First Great Fire,occurred. It broke out early in themorning in Dennisons Exchange, onKearny street opposite PortsmouthSquare,.and spread towards Montgomerystreet. Fortunately there was no wind,but even without that aid the flamesrapidly enveloped all the adjoining build-ings and swept away all the houses butone on Kearny street between Clay andWashington, Amoexemptfiremenofs00exem

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