Throughout this whole day constant trouble had been experienced  owing to the large number of drunken people along the waterfront.

My force was unarmed with the exception of the officers, who carried revolvers; and the police, of whom I only saw two, were absolutely helpless.

The crowds rushed saloon after saloon and looted the stocks  becoming intoxicated early in the day.  In my opinion great loss  of life resulted from men and women becoming stupefied by liquor  and being too tired and exhausted to get out of the way of the fire.

During this whole day we needed unarmed men to rescue women and  children in the neighborhood of Rincon Hill, the fire having  made a clean sweep of this poor residence district in about an  hour's time.  The most heartrending sights were witnessed in  this neighborhood, but with my handful of men we could not do as
much for the helpless as we wished.

Able-bodied men refused to work with the fire department,  stating that they would not work for less than forty cents an  hour, etc.  Men refused to aid old and crippled men and women  out of the way of the fire and only thought of themselves.

~excerpted verbatim from the account of Frederick N. Freeman
Lieutenant, U.S. Navy, Commanding U.S.T.B.D. Perry~

Fascinating first hand account of what was happening.