Welcome to Criminalia, a production of Shondaland Audio in partnership with iHeartRadio.
George Dornan, a forty nine er who'd traveled to California from New York during the Gold Rush, once recalled of San Francisco quote the glimmer of lights as they shone through the many tents of which the city was then largely made up. That's right, tents. At this time in San Francisco's history, most of its structures were flimsy, made up of materials like canvas and oil, cloth or wood.
Most structures were heated and lit by wood stoves and oil burning lamps, and people made makeshift chimneys or flues for ventilation. Imagine it as a frontier outpost. There was hardly anything. A few boarding houses, mercantile houses, saloons. There was no sanitation infrastructure. There were few city services, and
that included a lack of police and fire departments. Between eighteen forty nine and eighteen fifty one, peak years of the gold Rush, San Francisco was almost entirely destroyed by fire seven times. And there was something about these fires, at least the majority of them, that seemed well, somehow not accidental. Some were suspicious because they seemed to start at odd times, or when someone's temper was flaring, or they seemed to break out when what locals reported as
odd people were hanging around. Seven's a lot of fires, and we'll talk about some additional smaller blazes too, So let's get started. Welcome to Criminalia. I'm Maria from Marcy.
And I'm Holly Frye. In the city's earliest days, the days before the gold Rush, San Francisco was known as Yerba Buena. It was officially renamed as San Francisco on January thirtieth, eighteen forty seven, and Yerba Buena was a small village that was formed on June twenty fifth, eighteen thirty five, when its first resident, a man named William Richardson, pitched a lean to made out of a ship's sail on a sandy rise near what's now Grand in Clay Streets.
It was tiny, but that would change with the influx of fortune seekers. Its population of roughly two hundred residents grew to an estimated one thousand by early eighteen forty eight. According to doctor Malcolm Roorbo, professor emeritus at the University of Iowa and an authority on the American West. The gold rush is what put San Francisco on the map.
When James Marshall, a prospector who had traveled to California from New Jersey, discovered goldflex at Sutter's Mill in January of eighteen forty eight, made his heart thump.
It also sparked a rush of people to the state. Thousands of prospective gold miners traveled by land or sea, and they all flewed into town, and the place overflowed nearly overnight. It was attractive to a certain type of person, not only because of its location, I mean it was where the gold was, but because, according to historians, it was a place with no rules, or at least no
one to enforce rules. San Francisco's population in eighteen forty nine had grown to about five thousand residents, but we've also seen estimates as high as twenty five thousand. By the end of the decade, that tiny village had swelled to fifty thousand people, and by eighteen fifty seven, roughly one hundred and fifty thousand people lived there. San Francisco had rapidly transformed from what was basically an encampment into a city in roughly a decade, and with that great
change came great destruction. During the early years of the Gold Rush, a series of several fires, some small and some really big, hit the city about the same time as the forty nine ers.
It was on December twenty fourth, eighteen forty nine, when the first great Fire of San Francisco happened, and historical accounts have all agreed in describing the night in one word, bedlam. Just before six am, fire ignited in Denison's Exchange that was one of the city's most prosperous gambling houses, located on Kearney Street, opposite Portsmouth Square, which back in the
day was known as Portsmouth Plaza. Today this is part of San Francisco's Chinatown neighborhood, but in eighteen forty nine it was mostly overtaken by twenty four hour saloons and gambling dens.
Roger Lochkin, Professor Emeritus of History at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, described in his book San Francisco eighteen forty six to eighteen fifty six from Hamlet to City that quote, widespread carelessness and maliciousness were responsible for
many blazes across the city. He continues, quote time and again, bursting pamphine lamps, falling against curtains or fabric walls, or discarded cigars started fires time and again, though there were also blazes like Denizens, which, according to local reports, likely went up in flames because of an angry bar patron.
Teafield de Rute, a Swiss merchant on holiday, wrote of his time in America in his book The Adventures of a Young Swiss in California The Gold Rush account of Teafield de Route and It included this vivid description of the fiery night as he saw it. Quote, the cry of fire so terrifying for the city of San Francisco, built of wood and canvas, echoed in the air and spread rapidly from person to person and street to street. This was the district of wine and vegetable stalls, and
also of lumber merchants, alcohol and wood. The most voracious fire could not have sought a more potent combination. Fed by a strong north wind, the flames took giant strides. It was a horrible and yet spectacular sight. With each new rum, brandy or grog shop it devoured, the fire doubled in intensity and at the same time changed color.
It resembled a superb display of Bengal lights with reds, yellows, and blues, or else a giant punch bowl ignited by Satan and continuously stirred by the demons of Hell.
The fire destroyed the block and then spread down the south side of Washington Street between Kearney and Montgomery, all the way to the edge of the bay. Only two
fire engines were available. That's because there were only two fire engines in the city, and they were, according to reports from the time, manned by greenhorns, which was not their fault, though there was no training available, and according to author Pauline Jacobson in her book The City of the Golden Fifties, one of the two trucks was worn out and the other was, to share her perfect description,
almost a toy machine designed to water lawns. In addition to a lack of an organized fire department at the time, the city had few cisterns, and at low tide the ones they did have were empty. Between the lack of water plus poor equipment, and the lack of training for those expected to use that equipment, fledgling volunteer firefighters were not much help extinguishing the flames.
Most of the city's population at this time was transient. Most of them were gold seekers, and they didn't really care much about saving or rebuilding the city. They were there for gold, They were not there for San Francisco. In his book El Dorado, or Adventures in the Path of Empire, New York Tribune correspondent Bayard Taylor observed first hand during the fire quote at the time of the most extreme danger, hundreds of idle spectators refused to lend
a hand unless they were paid enormous wages. One of the principal merchants offered a dollar or a bucket for water and made use of several thousand buckets and saving his property. All the owners of property worked incessantly and were aided by their friends, but at least five thousand spectators stood idle in the plaza, and in the end, to defend the city, it came down to blowing it up. Authorities used black powder explosive to create fire breaks to
stop the blazer's spread. In the end, the fire burned a total of two hundred and ninety structures and caused one point five million dollars in damage.
We are going to take a break forward from our sponsor, and when we return we will talk about the formation of the city's first volunteer fire company, and of course more fires.
Welcome back to crimin Ilia. Before we get into the second great fire, let's talk about the changes that were put in place in the aftermath of the first one.
There was an emergency meeting held the day after the Great Fire, called by the town Council. Along with those considered the city fathers, and that's a list that includes names you may recognize on modern day street signs around San Francisco. We've got Samuel Brannan, William Davis, Alfred Ellis Talbot Green, Edward Harrison, William Stewart, and Frank Turk. The following resolutions were adopted, and we quote from their meeting.
The town is severely suffering this morning from the want of necessary organization and means to meet the devastating element of fire. Therefore resolved that the citizens be requested to meet in Portsmouth Square on Wednesday next at twelve o'clock to take such measures as may be deemed advisable to protect the town against another calamity by organizing fire companies, and that the town Council will supply the hook's ladders, axes, ropes,
et cetera to be kept by said companies. More precautions were advised concerning the use of fire streets would be widened. They also authorized the Chief of Police to employ a sufficient number of people to guard burned neighborhoods and protect the property of those impacted by the destruction.
The town council didn't just say they'd organized fire companies. They followed through. On January thirteenth, eighteen fifty fifty two men enrolled in the volunteer San Francisco Fire Company. Frederick Koehler was elected by the town Council as the first chief engineer, and there it was the first volunteer fire department was formed, and it was instructed to quote direct operations at fires and conflagrations, and with permission from the mayor,
to blow up buildings with explosives as necessary. Less than a month later, on February fifth, Protection Engine Company Number two was organized. It wasn't until December of eighteen sixty six that the council established the San Francisco Fire Department, its first professional fire department, ending its sole dependence on volunteer firefighters. Later two the council had cisterns built at strategic points around the city.
In less than a month, property owners had amazingly rebuilt most of their city. According to an historical account published in the Annals of San Francisco, which is one of the most important primary sources of information about the formation of the city, so we quote scarcely where the ashes cold, when preparations were made to erect new buildings on the old sites, and within a few weeks the place was covered as before with houses of every kind. It was
the San Franciscans who rebuilt their city for themselves. There was no sauntering, no idleness, no dreaming. All was practical and real, all energy, perseverance and success.
But just a few months later, at about four am on May fourth, eighteen fifty, a second great fire broke out in the city. This time the fire started in the United States Exchange that was also a saloon and gambling house, and it happened to be built on the same site as the former Dennison's Exchange where the first fire started. The flames proved difficult to extinguish, in part because it was always pretty windy, but also because parts of the city had elevated wooden sidewalks, perfect fuel for
spreading fire. Before the Second Great Fire was extinguished, it had engulfed the entire block bounded by Kearney, Clay, Montgomery, and Washington Streets, and had jumped Washington Street across from Portsmouth Square. Three quarters of the city was destroyed. Town officials suspected arson, and a five thousand dollar reward was posted for information leading to an arrest, but no one was ever found responsible. Once again, though residents rebuilt quickly.
In fact, construction started even faster than after the First Great Fire. The Annals of San Francisco reported that quote in a wonderfully short time, the whole burned space was covered with new buildings and looked as if no fire had ever been there. It was generally remarked that these were even more unsubstantial and inflammable than those which had just been destroyed.
People were trying to improve building methods and materials after the fire of eighteen forty nine, and to prevent future fire. A few more volunteer fire houses had been established. On June fourth, eighteen fifty, Empire Engine Company Number one was organized, which was Great because just six weeks after the Second Great Fire, the Third Grade Fire occurred on June fourteenth, eighteen fifty. Fire broke out in the bakery in the
Merchant's Hotel at Clay and Kearney Streets. Of all the fires discussed in this episode, this one was unlike the others, assumed not to be arson and may have been caused by a faulty chimney, but we don't know. We do know. It blazed for three days and destroyed three hundred buildings. San Francisco in eighteen fifty had only a fledgling police force, but it was big enough to control or to mostly
control looting. The volunteer fire department, on the other hand, was growing, but was in no way up to the challenge yet. After the destruction multiple large fires had on the city, more fire units were established, and after this Third Great Fire, the city began placing experienced firefighters who had come to California from back East, where they'd had training into these new and untrained fire companies.
Three months later, another fire broke out out in the early morning hours of September seventeenth, eighteen fifty, known as the Fourth Great Fire. The reportedly suspicious fire broke out on the north side of Jackson between Graham and Kearney Streets, and it destroyed one hundred fifty buildings in the area
bounded by DuPont, Montgomery, Washington, and Pacific Streets. The newly organized fire departments that was the San Francisco Empire and protection companies tried to fight the blaze, but had no available water with which to do so.
Five weeks later, in October, the city hospital, owned by a doctor, Peter Smith, was destroyed by fire. All one hundred and fifty patients were rescued, but the loss was estimated at roughly forty thousand dollars. Smith filed claims against the city. He sued, and it took years to settle.
Arson or accidental, we don't know, but it left an additional charred mark on the already charred city and in mis In December, to wrap up a fiery year, another blaze suspiciously broke out in the Cook Brothers and Company building, resulting in an estimated one hundred thousand dollars in damages.
We're going to take a break and hear from our sponsors, and when we're back, we will be you guessed it talking about fires. Get ready to move into the fires of eighteen fifty one.
Welcome back to Criminalia. Want more fires, We've got some.
We're now ready to get into the fires of eighteen fifty one. What's known as the San Francisco Fire of eighteen fifty one broke out overnight on May third, the anniversary of the Second Great Fire. Flames engulfed a paint and upholstery store on the south side of Portsmouth Square. English author Frank Marriott wrote of this scene, quote, At one time the burning district was covered by one vast sheet of flame that extended half a mile in length.
It burned the city's entire business district, jumping street to street. He described this destruction at length, and will quote just part of it. But when the excitement of such a night as this has passed by, one can scarcely recall
the scene. The memory is confused in the recollection of the shouts and of the excited populace, the crash of falling timbers, the yells of the burned and injured, the clank of the fire breaks, the horse orders delivered through speaking trumpets, Maddened horses released from burning livery stables, plunging through the streets, helpless patience being carried from some hospital as the swaying crowd forced back by the flames, tramples all before it, explosions of houses blown up by gunpowder,
the thunder of brick buildings as they fall in the heap of ruin, and the blinding glare of ignited spirits. In fewer than ten hours, two thousand buildings across eighteen blocks were destroyed. The fire was so intense that the California Engine Company Number four, which had organized only just in October of eighteen fifty, saw their first and only fire engine destroyed.
As authorities had done in the First Great Fire, black powder was used as an explosive to create fire breaks in an effort to save the city. It's reported the flames were so bright they were seen in Monterey, about one hundred miles away. The Daily Alta, California published quote, it was as if the god of destruction had seated himself in our midst and was gorging himself and all his ministers of devastation upon the ruin of our doomed city and its people.
Some residents suspected that the fire was set by the Hounds, a nativist gang in the city. Others suspected it was by the Sydney Ducks, a criminal gang of immigrants from Australia who lived on the waterfront in the area known as Sydney Town. It was after this fire that city business and property owners took matters into their own hands and formed a vigilante group known as the First Committee of Vigilance. The Sydney Ducks were known for intentionally setting fires.
They found that it was a good distraction while they looted homes and businesses as people tended to the flames. Four members of the Sydney Ducks were hanged by the Committee.
And then came the final major fire we'll talk about today. On June twenty second, eighteen fifty one, fire broke out in a wood framed home on the north side of Pacific Street. It destroyed residences from Powell to Sansomi and from Clay to Broadway, and in total about sixteen city blocks. Among the ruins were many of the old landmarks of the original year Burguena. The newly constructed reservoirs were nearly empty at the time and without proper ways to fight
the flames. This fire destroyed city Hall at Kearney and Pacific and the Jenny Lynn Theater. The theater had actually been destroyed in two different fires that year and rebuilt each time. In total, the fire caused upwards of three million dollars in damages. Local police arrested a man named
Benjamin Lewis for arson charges. He got off. In fact, you may have noticed, even if a fire was suspicious, and there may be was a suspect, no one was held responsible for any of these blazes and their destruction.
During the fire spree in the city. Estimates of the combined death toll from the fires depend where you look. They range from three hundred to more than one thousand, with most deaths occurring during the fire of May fourth,
eighteen fifty one. According to the San Francisco Chronicles, some residents who had tried to improve their safety situation after living through multiple fires had constructed a life edged fireproof corrugated iron houses, but unfortunately, many people were killed inside their homes because the intense heat caused the metal to swell and made it impossible to open the door. There were additional reports of people injured or killed from weapons and ammunition that discharged in the heat.
The final fire, the one on June twenty second, is considered the last of the Great Gold Rush era fires. In general, improved building materials, full cisterns, and firefighting training helped prevent future disasters. There would, though continue to be arson in the city. For instance, the nineteen oh six earthquake got the nickname the nineteen oh six Earthquake arsen Fires for a reason. Many fires that broke out immediately following the earthquake were ultimately found to be arson fraud.
Most fire insurance policies of the time had what was called a falling building clause, which meant they didn't have to pay out if a house fell down because of an earthquake. So to collect insurance on their losses, property owners pretended their buildings did not fall down in the quake, but had rather instead burned down. The full extent of arsen fraud is unknown, but experts suggest it may have reached as high as thirty million dollars, and that's not adjusted for today's equivalent.
And we can't really close out without talking about the San Francisco Phoenix. It can't be coincidence that the Gold Rush fires and the city survival inspired San Francisco to adopt the phoenix, a mythological bird that arises reborn from its ashes, as the symbol of the city. It was first used in an official capacity in the city seal in eighteen fifty two as the city was being reborn. Are you ready for a little lighter fluid man?
Yes?
Okay, where's the thing that kept jumping out at me as we were looking at this, Even after they had put hopeful protections in place, built better things, made fire departments volunteer, otherwise, they really could not sort out the water situation. Yes, and so I wanted to make a drink that addressed that. And it's called the Dowser.
That is an excellent name for a drink that's based on that.
A dowser or a dowsing wand is one that allegedly finds water. There's some mystical attachment to this idea that someone has a natural knack for finding water with a dowsing wand. But I wanted to just make something super delicious that was very light and airy and easy to drink. And I also wanted to do something that we haven't done before, but also wanted to reference the fact that this was all kind of gold rushing originated, right, So
I wanted to do something golden. But we've done all the gold things except for saffron.
Oh, oh interesting, So.
For this one, which I love. I have a rabid love of saffron. I love it in everything. Put it in rice, put it in ice cream, put it in bread, put it in drinks. So we're putting it in drinks today. You just need a little pinch of saffron. I know it's pricey, but if you're like me, you'll be an addict and you'll get through it pretty quickly. You're gonna put a pinch in like a mixing glass with two ounces of gin. Let that sit for a little bit. You could stir it periodically. I would say, like ten
or fifteen minutes. It's not a long thing, but it will break down and it'll turn the liquid very golden and it's very pretty. And then in a tin, a shaking tin. While you're letting that sit. After a while, you're gonna add an ounce of lemon juice, an ounce of simple syrup. And one of my favorite things.
One a I've come around. I have come around.
Oh, this one's really good because something magical happens and it gets really fluffy. So once you have these things in place, pour your gin with the saffron pieces still in it. Right in there. I used my little frothy magic hand mixer and it became giant.
Oh, there's egg wets.
Or you can do a dry shake, meaning you don't put ice in your tin and you shake it really hard till it gets quite frothy, and then you add ice and get it really cold with your next shake. And then all this time you've had the cocktail glass of your choice pre chilling, and you're gonna glaze it with lit le blanc, which is a French a pair of tief, so it's a French fortified deserty kind of wine. And then into that you will just pour no ice
in there, because theoretically everything's already cold. You're gonna pour this drink through a strainer. It is so fluffy and delicious.
Oh, it takes your mind off of the fact that the city's burning down.
This already, I think is a high level candidate for my favorite of the seasonally. Oh, it's really good to make this one in mocktail version. In lieu of using gin, you're gonna do what we've done a couple of times I think in the past, which is let some tonic water go flat and use that. Again, you're not going to get an exact dupe of a spirit. You can always we don't really talk about it much. You can always buy zero proof spirits and use these uses in any of these.
We don't really talk about that.
But those are a vailable yeah, they are, and some of them are quite good. It's a mixed bag. I've tried a number and some I really like and some I'm like, mah, not quite. But it's always worth trying because everybody's palate is different. So like I have encountered ones where I think they're pretty good and a friend thinks they're gross, and vice versa. And so I think
some of that's just palette. So you'll do the exact same thing with the saffron, using your flat tonic, and then the rest of it is no alcoholic except for your little blanc, which you are going to mix a little simple syrup and water and I mean very little, like a half ounce of each and a drop or two of vanilla extract to just give it a little something. Use that to glacier glass and you're ready to go.
Holly just made a young face.
Egg white with that little saffron situation. Yes, I'm going to make this all the time, and I may adapt it into many other drinks for my own personal use. So that is the dowser.
I love that there was still something gold to use because I feel like we really golded it up during the Alchemy season.
You know, I don't want to use gold slogger. I don't want to use I was trying to avoid ginger ale because that's an easy way to do a gold thing.
This is a great solution to it.
Thank you Universe for Oh that's so good. I'm in love with it. We hope that you love this drink if you give it a whirl. We will be right back here again next week with another fire story and hopefully another delicious concoction to drink. Criminalia is a production of Shondaland Audio in partnership with iHeartRadio. For more podcasts from Shondaland Audio, please visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.