San Andreas Independent

Vallecito Destroyed by Fire!—Loss $56,000!

The town of Vallecito, in the southern part of Calaveras county, was almost totally destroyed by fire on Friday evening, 12th inst.—The fire broke out at 6 o'clock. One man was so badly burned that he expired next day, and two others were severely burned—one of them is not expected to recover.

The fire originated near the center of the town, in the store of Madame Belzance, where Mr. Mondot, an employee, was drawing some alcohol, the fumes of which caught fire from a lighted candle and flashed in his face. He fell back upon the floor, and a number of persons rushed into the room to his assistance.—The flames had reached a can of camphene, which exploded and completely enveloped the party and filled the building. M. Balzance, his wife and a small girl, were thrown out at the back door of the building by the force of the explosion. Messrs. Mondot and Bonny were thrown out at the front door. The clothes of these latter gentlemen were all on fire but were soon torn from their bodies or extinguished by Mr. Charles Norris and others. Mr. Mondot was horribly burned. When the clothes were torn from him, the skin parted from his flesh. He was conveyed to a house near by, from which he broke in great agony, and ran to a reservoir on the flat, into which he plunged and remained for upwards of an hour, no one knowing where he had gone, and supposed by many to have perished in the fire. Messrs. D. Clark and L. Simms found him near the reservoir, with no one near him but Madame Balzance, who was endeavoring to carry him to a house on the bank of the creek.—He was carried to the lumber office of Dickinson & Co., where he expired.

Mr. Balzance is badly burned: Mr. Bonny's left side, hand and arm also: and but for the presence of mind and promptitude of Mr. Norris, he would in all probability have lost his life, as his clothes were charged with camphene and in flame.

The blowing up of the camphene scattered the fire for rods around, and instantly ignited the adjoining building and the Masonic Hall. The latter building being very large and composed of very light and combustible material, soon rendered it impossible to save those in the vicinity. A light breeze from the north-west sent the flames in the direction of the Main street, carrying everything before it save the fire-proof buildings of Messrs. Donnelly; Alfretz; Cohn & Levy; and Wm. Krause. At the latter premises the fire was prevented from progressing farther by Mr. Krause, who had one of Barker's Force Pumps in his well, which was manned by a stout set of boys, and a constant stream kept on the large wooden hall of the Gesang Vereins, thereby saving the entire lower part of the town.

Messrs. Cohn & Levy had fifty men pumping and carrying water into the back door of their store, and by this means kept the front door from springing, which saved the store-house and an immense stock of goods from destruction. As it is, their goods is somewhat damaged.

The following is a list of the losses as far as ascertained:

Cohen & Levy $3,000
Wm. Krause, 4,000
Louis Hohenchild, (Pacific Hotel) 3,500
Maria Ubella, 3,400
Otto Eckleman, (Vallecito Hotel), 2,500
Francis Conio & Selbes, 3,000
P. J. Pendergrast, 2,000
P. Alfretz, 2,000
John Booth, 1,800
Charles Brutcheg 2,000
Wagner & Co., 1,500
Union Hotel, 1,500
E. Krause, 1,500
S. Zaun & Co., 1,500
C. Enright, 1,200
A. Hanke, 1,500
Justus Hoover, 1,500
French Charley, 1,000
C. Shuckle, 1,000
P. Warner, 1,000
Masonic Hall, 800
F. Wendroth, 800
Chileno Restaurant, 800
California Water Company 800
Dr. Cibiel, 800
Charles North, 700
H. Dunkel, 600
Mr. Dolin. 500
Wilson & Wesson 500
Rough Hardy, 500
Mr. Beatty, 600
Peter Argent, 500
Restaurant 500
R. Grumwell, 450
J. Thomas, 450
Masonic and Odd Fellows, 400
Cohen & Lery's Stable, 400
Lorenzo, 300
Crouch & Shanks, 300
Curry House, 300
Mr. Meyer, 300
Alexander, 200
Dr. Ray, 200
Chileno, 100
Ah Choy, 100

Mr. Mondot, the gentleman who was burned to death, and his partner, lost four thousand dollars.

TOWN RE-BUILDING.

From present appearances it will be but a short time before all traces of the fire will be obliterated, and the buildings will be much better and the street arrangements of the town greatly improved. On Monday last, only two days after the fire, Justus Hoover had an excellent building nearly completed. Several gentlemen occupying wooden buildings, formerly, contemplate erecting stone structures. Mr. Pendergrast, postmaster, saved all the mail matter and about six hundred dollars worth of goods, chiefly stationery, which was stored in the same room. With that spirit of kindness for which he is proverbial, Mr. P. shared his bed, (on the ground) with the writer.

Mr. Hohenchild did not save a dollar's worth of property. Messrs. Eckleman & Wendroth saved but little; and many others have lost in an hour what it took years of toil to accumulate.

The citizens extend their thanks to Mr. Harvey, of Washington Flat for kind attentions; also, to Messrs. Reynard & Metz and other gentlemen of Murphys, for timely attentions in supplying provisions.

For some of the facts connected with the fire we are indebted to an extra issued by Mr. Heckendorn, of Vallecito, from which source we glean the following:

Our Office.—The fire occurring within three doors of our office, it was rather rushing times with us to save our material. Some of it we rescued at the risk of a scorching of that part where "the wool ought to grow." We are out a trifle, but as we saved our blankets, and the good people of Murphys bread us, we do not complain at the loss of a few types, &c. This is only the third time we have been burnt out and had our office turned into pi.—Our friends must excuse the appearance of our extra, as we had to work it off on a press half burnt up.