The September 19, 1919 Sausalito Wildfire
Twelve homes, five stores, and a church hall destroyed.
Sausalito is located on the southeastern end of Marin County, adjacent to the San Francisco Bay, and at the western end of the Golden Gate Bridge. The only large flat areas of the community are down near the water – otherwise it has fairly steep hills and valleys filled with homes and other structures. The community often experiences cool and moist weather being located along the water, with fog commonly rolling back and forth across the hills.
In these cool and moist conditions it would be hard for visitors to imagine a raging wildfire in the area, but under the right weather conditions it can and has occurred. This is the story of one of the largest and most damaging of those fires in the recorded history of Sausalito. Remember that in 1919 there were few motorized fire apparatus available, with the fire service still in transition from the hand and horse drawn era. Most fire departments like Sausalito were fully volunteer, and there were no air attack planes as commonly used today when fighting wildfires. There were no organized fire department hand crews, although fighting such fires with hand tools and wet sacks was the most common methodology.
Given the general lack of extensive community waterpipe systems with fire hydrants, the most common early motorized fire engines used chemical tanks to create pressure to spray water. These chemical tank systems had been in use for several decades, first on hand or horse drawn carts. They used acid combined with soda dissolved in water to start a chemical reaction that would produce carbon dioxide. In this process, the carbon dioxide expanded, pressurizing the tank and propelling the entire mixture out of the hoseline and onto the fire.
There were no portable or mobile radios for communication, and in this case the community relied on ringing a church bell to sound the alarm of fire. There were no bridges across the San Francisco Bay, nor were there many paved roads in the city, with dirt or gravel packed streets being the most common. On the positive side for firefighting, Marin and the Bay Area had a very large military presence, and they would often be called in to help with large fires.
Sausalito in 1919 was a small but growing town. Coming from San Francisco or Oakland, ferries led to railroads, and since the various Bay Area bridges did not exist, Sausalito became a bustling waterfront transportation hub. Wealthy San Franciscans vacationed there in summer homes, including large, ornate Victorian mansions. When the Golden Gate Bridge was opened in 1937, the community transitioned from being a transportation hub to what is today more of a tourist attraction with spectacular views and a very popular waterfront.
By 1919 a large working class and mercantile community had developed along Water Street (later to become Bridgeway.) The people included fishermen, Italian and German merchants, Portuguese boatbuilders, Chinese shopkeepers, dairy ranchers, boarding house operators and railroad workers.
The Sausalito Volunteer Fire Department was established in 1909, originally with a fire wagon and horses and five hose cart stations. Arthur Jewett was paid $25 a month to serve as the Fire Chief. An actual firehouse was built down on the waterfront in 1914, and residents were informed of the new fire alarm system - church bells to call volunteers from their homes.
The fire that began on September 19, 1919 was initially a smoldering outdoor burnpile, near the home of Sausalito resident and painter E. Chalopin. Unfortunately, a heavy wind came up and fanned the flames “…with lightning rapidity…”, according to the Sausalito News. Outdoor burn piles are well known today as significant fire hazards that can ‘take off’ under the right weather conditions. Often the person supervising the pile has left it alone after the flames are gone, to eventually smolder down to cold ashes. For this reason and also air quality concerns, burn piles in California today are typically either required to be permitted and are regulated, or even banned entirely.
Initially the Sausalito Volunteer Fire Department, led by Fire Chief W.R. Walker and assisted by a large number of citizens, worked hard fighting this fire, even though many had been up the night before fighting another fire in the hills. Sausalito Mayor E. G. Coughlin, as soon as he realized the extreme danger, quickly telephoned San Francisco Mayor James “Sunny Jim” Rolph to ask that a fire tugboat be sent over immediately to help. Mayor Rolph responded quickly, sending the fire tug Dennis T. Sullivan, along with Fire Chief Thomas Murphy, a large force of firemen, three chemical engines and a hose tender. Remember that the Golden Gate Bridge did not exist at that time, so it is assumed the resources were transported both by the fire tugs and by barge or ferry.
Following the disastrous 1906 Earthquake and Fire, San Francisco had ordered two fire tugboats to be built to boost firefighting capabilities. The steam-powered boats were named after Chief Sullivan, and Chief David S. Scannell, the first paid fire chief for San Francisco in 1871. The two boats were built on the SF waterfront by the Risdon Iron Works in 1909 at a combined cost of $279,618, or in 2016 dollars about $7.1 million. They were each capable of delivering 10,000 gallons of water per minute from the bay waters.
Dennis T. Sullivan was the Fire Chief who was killed in the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake, when a building collapse next door heavily damaged the San Francisco firehouse where he was sleeping with his wife. Note that the next Sausalito Fire Chief after W.R. Walker was Walter A. Cook, a retired San Francisco Battalion Chief. Cook had been on duty at the same fire station in 1906, and helped to rescue Sullivan and his wife from the collapse. Read about this story on our Line of Duty Deaths pages – Chief Cook was killed in the Line of Duty in Sausalito in 1924 fighting a residential structure fire.
In addition to the forces from San Francisco FD, the U.S. Army provided great assistance. Lieutenant General Hunter Liggett sent several hundred solders equipped for fire fighting from their locations nearby that included the Presidio, and Forts Baker, Barry and Scott. In addition, the San Francisco Examiner reported that soldiers were dispatched from “Goat Island”, today called Yerba Buena Island, located next to Treasure Island.
As reported by the Sausalito News: “Fort Scott sent 432 enlisted men and thirty-five officers, belonging to the 58th, 57th and 50th regiments, under command of Brigadier General William C. D., visiting commanding officer of the 31st brigade, Coast Artillery Corps. Presidio sent a detachment of the 11th Cavalry, 98 enlisted men and five officers, also two companies of the transcontinental motor convoy, the latter under command of Major H. C. Farrell, and the entire command under Lieut. Colonel K. C. White of the 44th infantry. Captain L. H. Nixon was with the 44th. Captain W. J. Johnson of Fort Baker with a large number of men did excellent work in the south end of the town.“
The Sausalito News reported that the Larkspur Volunteer Fire Department responded to fight the flames. We can speculate they came in their three-year old 1916 Ford Model T Chemical Truck, the pride of the department. There were fires burning in both Muir Woods and Mill Valley at the same time, so it is not known yet if other Marin Fire Departments responded to Sausalito, but research will continue.
Two Secretaries to SF Mayor Rolph turned out in their firefighting clothes to help - Edward Rainey, and W. P. Benedict. They “…were of great assistance…”, according to the Sausalito News. Hundreds of people from the town and many automobilists assisted in removing the household items from houses in the path of the fire to different parts of the town. Even boat launches were used to carry the belongings of those impacted.
“The homes of all were thrown open to the homeless people last night,” as reported the News, “Miss Caroline Fiedler, local chairman of the American Red Cross, with a large number of will workers, opened up headquarters in the San Francisco Yacht Club. Mrs. George Nelson and others were carrying coffee to the fire fighters.”
“Lieut. Colonel White had a large force of men patrolling both South Sausalito and Wildwood Glen last night, using sacks and shovels to extinguish fires. Early this morning a fire started on the hillside below the transformer station of the Pacific Gas and Electric Co. It was noticed from below by the officers, but before they came near It, it was extinguished by the soldiers stationed in that section of the hill. Mrs. Dwyer, occupying the Adolph Spreckels home on South Street, provided sleeping accommodations for several officers and over forty soldiers. T. Powell, C. H. Wollman, Eric Stewart, Joe Blatcelt, W. T. Burney, and others placed their autos in service for transportation of soldiers.”
Sausalito Fire Chief Walter R. Walker said "My men for the twenty-four hours previous to the time the fire started up in South Sausalito yesterday afternoon, have been busy fighting the fire that started in Wildwood Glen and spread Into South Sausalito and, in patrolling the burnt district, extinguishing fires and covering them up with a shovel.”
The Chief continued “…with two chemicals [fire trucks or wagons] we extinguished a blaze on the hillside near Chalopin's about 1:30 p.m. and went back to the fire house and refilled the chemicals. When we returned there the whole hillside near Sausalito Boulevard was ablaze. Trustee Manuel Flores told me that from his home he saw a mass of fire rolling down the hill and in a few minutes everything was ablaze. The fire loss would not have been more than possibly one or two houses had we sufficient fire hose.”
“We needed a few hundred feet of additional hose and we would have had no difficulty in saving all outside of the Arbogast and Baker houses. The volunteer fire department has worked hard, night and day for the last forty hours and deserve credit for their work."
Twelve homes and five stores were completely burned out by the fire. In addition, fires on the roofs of the multiple homes and businesses were extinguished before any significant damage. The Holy Family Hall on Third St., used as a Catholic church and belonging to the parish, was totally destroyed. The South End Grocery Store, belonging to William McCarthy, was saved with slight fire damage. Many grass fires and roof fires were also promptly put out. A spark landed on and set fire to the canvas covering on Adolph Spreckels power boat cruiser Lurllne, moored five hundred feet off shore. It was extinguished quickly, with only minor damage.
Through the courtesy of J. K. Brassill, superintendent of the Southern Division of the Northwestern Pacific Railroad, General Davis made his headquarters in Mr. Brassill's office in the ferry building in order to keep in touch with the fire here as well as in Mill Valley and Mulr Woods. Lieut Colonel Joseph C. Hatie, aide de camp to Lieut. General Liggett, came over and spent his time between here and Mill Valley, to keep General Liggett Informed.
The News later reported "Sausalito Mayor Coughlin, the town trustees, and the citizens of Sausalito wish to express their great appreciation to Lieutenant General Hunter Liggett, Mayor James D. Rolph, and Fire Chief Thomas R. Murphy. General Liggett, in response to telephonic appeal for help from Town Trustee Murphy, sent General Davis with a large force of men from Fort Scott and from Forts Baker and Barry with a large number of men equipped for fire fighting, over very rapidly."
Sources: The Sausalito News, The San Francisco Examiner, and the book "Sausalito: Moments in Time", by Jack Tracy, available through the Sausalito Historical Society. A Pictorial History of Sausalito’s First One Hundred Years: 1850-1950.
In these cool and moist conditions it would be hard for visitors to imagine a raging wildfire in the area, but under the right weather conditions it can and has occurred. This is the story of one of the largest and most damaging of those fires in the recorded history of Sausalito. Remember that in 1919 there were few motorized fire apparatus available, with the fire service still in transition from the hand and horse drawn era. Most fire departments like Sausalito were fully volunteer, and there were no air attack planes as commonly used today when fighting wildfires. There were no organized fire department hand crews, although fighting such fires with hand tools and wet sacks was the most common methodology.
Given the general lack of extensive community waterpipe systems with fire hydrants, the most common early motorized fire engines used chemical tanks to create pressure to spray water. These chemical tank systems had been in use for several decades, first on hand or horse drawn carts. They used acid combined with soda dissolved in water to start a chemical reaction that would produce carbon dioxide. In this process, the carbon dioxide expanded, pressurizing the tank and propelling the entire mixture out of the hoseline and onto the fire.
There were no portable or mobile radios for communication, and in this case the community relied on ringing a church bell to sound the alarm of fire. There were no bridges across the San Francisco Bay, nor were there many paved roads in the city, with dirt or gravel packed streets being the most common. On the positive side for firefighting, Marin and the Bay Area had a very large military presence, and they would often be called in to help with large fires.
Sausalito in 1919 was a small but growing town. Coming from San Francisco or Oakland, ferries led to railroads, and since the various Bay Area bridges did not exist, Sausalito became a bustling waterfront transportation hub. Wealthy San Franciscans vacationed there in summer homes, including large, ornate Victorian mansions. When the Golden Gate Bridge was opened in 1937, the community transitioned from being a transportation hub to what is today more of a tourist attraction with spectacular views and a very popular waterfront.
By 1919 a large working class and mercantile community had developed along Water Street (later to become Bridgeway.) The people included fishermen, Italian and German merchants, Portuguese boatbuilders, Chinese shopkeepers, dairy ranchers, boarding house operators and railroad workers.
The Sausalito Volunteer Fire Department was established in 1909, originally with a fire wagon and horses and five hose cart stations. Arthur Jewett was paid $25 a month to serve as the Fire Chief. An actual firehouse was built down on the waterfront in 1914, and residents were informed of the new fire alarm system - church bells to call volunteers from their homes.
The fire that began on September 19, 1919 was initially a smoldering outdoor burnpile, near the home of Sausalito resident and painter E. Chalopin. Unfortunately, a heavy wind came up and fanned the flames “…with lightning rapidity…”, according to the Sausalito News. Outdoor burn piles are well known today as significant fire hazards that can ‘take off’ under the right weather conditions. Often the person supervising the pile has left it alone after the flames are gone, to eventually smolder down to cold ashes. For this reason and also air quality concerns, burn piles in California today are typically either required to be permitted and are regulated, or even banned entirely.
Initially the Sausalito Volunteer Fire Department, led by Fire Chief W.R. Walker and assisted by a large number of citizens, worked hard fighting this fire, even though many had been up the night before fighting another fire in the hills. Sausalito Mayor E. G. Coughlin, as soon as he realized the extreme danger, quickly telephoned San Francisco Mayor James “Sunny Jim” Rolph to ask that a fire tugboat be sent over immediately to help. Mayor Rolph responded quickly, sending the fire tug Dennis T. Sullivan, along with Fire Chief Thomas Murphy, a large force of firemen, three chemical engines and a hose tender. Remember that the Golden Gate Bridge did not exist at that time, so it is assumed the resources were transported both by the fire tugs and by barge or ferry.
Following the disastrous 1906 Earthquake and Fire, San Francisco had ordered two fire tugboats to be built to boost firefighting capabilities. The steam-powered boats were named after Chief Sullivan, and Chief David S. Scannell, the first paid fire chief for San Francisco in 1871. The two boats were built on the SF waterfront by the Risdon Iron Works in 1909 at a combined cost of $279,618, or in 2016 dollars about $7.1 million. They were each capable of delivering 10,000 gallons of water per minute from the bay waters.
Dennis T. Sullivan was the Fire Chief who was killed in the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake, when a building collapse next door heavily damaged the San Francisco firehouse where he was sleeping with his wife. Note that the next Sausalito Fire Chief after W.R. Walker was Walter A. Cook, a retired San Francisco Battalion Chief. Cook had been on duty at the same fire station in 1906, and helped to rescue Sullivan and his wife from the collapse. Read about this story on our Line of Duty Deaths pages – Chief Cook was killed in the Line of Duty in Sausalito in 1924 fighting a residential structure fire.
In addition to the forces from San Francisco FD, the U.S. Army provided great assistance. Lieutenant General Hunter Liggett sent several hundred solders equipped for fire fighting from their locations nearby that included the Presidio, and Forts Baker, Barry and Scott. In addition, the San Francisco Examiner reported that soldiers were dispatched from “Goat Island”, today called Yerba Buena Island, located next to Treasure Island.
As reported by the Sausalito News: “Fort Scott sent 432 enlisted men and thirty-five officers, belonging to the 58th, 57th and 50th regiments, under command of Brigadier General William C. D., visiting commanding officer of the 31st brigade, Coast Artillery Corps. Presidio sent a detachment of the 11th Cavalry, 98 enlisted men and five officers, also two companies of the transcontinental motor convoy, the latter under command of Major H. C. Farrell, and the entire command under Lieut. Colonel K. C. White of the 44th infantry. Captain L. H. Nixon was with the 44th. Captain W. J. Johnson of Fort Baker with a large number of men did excellent work in the south end of the town.“
The Sausalito News reported that the Larkspur Volunteer Fire Department responded to fight the flames. We can speculate they came in their three-year old 1916 Ford Model T Chemical Truck, the pride of the department. There were fires burning in both Muir Woods and Mill Valley at the same time, so it is not known yet if other Marin Fire Departments responded to Sausalito, but research will continue.
Two Secretaries to SF Mayor Rolph turned out in their firefighting clothes to help - Edward Rainey, and W. P. Benedict. They “…were of great assistance…”, according to the Sausalito News. Hundreds of people from the town and many automobilists assisted in removing the household items from houses in the path of the fire to different parts of the town. Even boat launches were used to carry the belongings of those impacted.
“The homes of all were thrown open to the homeless people last night,” as reported the News, “Miss Caroline Fiedler, local chairman of the American Red Cross, with a large number of will workers, opened up headquarters in the San Francisco Yacht Club. Mrs. George Nelson and others were carrying coffee to the fire fighters.”
“Lieut. Colonel White had a large force of men patrolling both South Sausalito and Wildwood Glen last night, using sacks and shovels to extinguish fires. Early this morning a fire started on the hillside below the transformer station of the Pacific Gas and Electric Co. It was noticed from below by the officers, but before they came near It, it was extinguished by the soldiers stationed in that section of the hill. Mrs. Dwyer, occupying the Adolph Spreckels home on South Street, provided sleeping accommodations for several officers and over forty soldiers. T. Powell, C. H. Wollman, Eric Stewart, Joe Blatcelt, W. T. Burney, and others placed their autos in service for transportation of soldiers.”
Sausalito Fire Chief Walter R. Walker said "My men for the twenty-four hours previous to the time the fire started up in South Sausalito yesterday afternoon, have been busy fighting the fire that started in Wildwood Glen and spread Into South Sausalito and, in patrolling the burnt district, extinguishing fires and covering them up with a shovel.”
The Chief continued “…with two chemicals [fire trucks or wagons] we extinguished a blaze on the hillside near Chalopin's about 1:30 p.m. and went back to the fire house and refilled the chemicals. When we returned there the whole hillside near Sausalito Boulevard was ablaze. Trustee Manuel Flores told me that from his home he saw a mass of fire rolling down the hill and in a few minutes everything was ablaze. The fire loss would not have been more than possibly one or two houses had we sufficient fire hose.”
“We needed a few hundred feet of additional hose and we would have had no difficulty in saving all outside of the Arbogast and Baker houses. The volunteer fire department has worked hard, night and day for the last forty hours and deserve credit for their work."
Twelve homes and five stores were completely burned out by the fire. In addition, fires on the roofs of the multiple homes and businesses were extinguished before any significant damage. The Holy Family Hall on Third St., used as a Catholic church and belonging to the parish, was totally destroyed. The South End Grocery Store, belonging to William McCarthy, was saved with slight fire damage. Many grass fires and roof fires were also promptly put out. A spark landed on and set fire to the canvas covering on Adolph Spreckels power boat cruiser Lurllne, moored five hundred feet off shore. It was extinguished quickly, with only minor damage.
Through the courtesy of J. K. Brassill, superintendent of the Southern Division of the Northwestern Pacific Railroad, General Davis made his headquarters in Mr. Brassill's office in the ferry building in order to keep in touch with the fire here as well as in Mill Valley and Mulr Woods. Lieut Colonel Joseph C. Hatie, aide de camp to Lieut. General Liggett, came over and spent his time between here and Mill Valley, to keep General Liggett Informed.
The News later reported "Sausalito Mayor Coughlin, the town trustees, and the citizens of Sausalito wish to express their great appreciation to Lieutenant General Hunter Liggett, Mayor James D. Rolph, and Fire Chief Thomas R. Murphy. General Liggett, in response to telephonic appeal for help from Town Trustee Murphy, sent General Davis with a large force of men from Fort Scott and from Forts Baker and Barry with a large number of men equipped for fire fighting, over very rapidly."
Sources: The Sausalito News, The San Francisco Examiner, and the book "Sausalito: Moments in Time", by Jack Tracy, available through the Sausalito Historical Society. A Pictorial History of Sausalito’s First One Hundred Years: 1850-1950.
Fire Related Photographs - Slide Show
Thank you letter from U.S. Army for Hospitality
Sausalito News, Volume 35, Number 39, 27 September 1919
ARMY APPRECIATES SAUSALITO’S HOSPITALITY
Headquarters, 31st Artillery Brigade CAC
Fort Wlnfield Scott, California
21 September, 1919.
From: Commanding General
To: the Mayor of Sausalito, California
Subject: Appreciation of Hospitality Shown Troops.
On behalf of the officers and men of the several detachments recently on duty In your city in connection with fire protection, permit me to extend to you, and through you to the trustees, fire chief and other officials and to the superintendent and other employees of the Northwestern Pacific Railway; to the Local Auxiliary of the Red Cross; and to your citizens generally, our hearty thanks and appreciation of the hospitality in the way of food, shelter, etc., tendered us by your community. While sympathizing with the community In their dire affliction you may be sure that we have returned home with a warm feeling for your people and with best wishes for your prosperity.
Signed, WILLIAM C. DAVIS. Brigadier General U. S. Army (born 1866 - died 1958)
ARMY APPRECIATES SAUSALITO’S HOSPITALITY
Headquarters, 31st Artillery Brigade CAC
Fort Wlnfield Scott, California
21 September, 1919.
From: Commanding General
To: the Mayor of Sausalito, California
Subject: Appreciation of Hospitality Shown Troops.
On behalf of the officers and men of the several detachments recently on duty In your city in connection with fire protection, permit me to extend to you, and through you to the trustees, fire chief and other officials and to the superintendent and other employees of the Northwestern Pacific Railway; to the Local Auxiliary of the Red Cross; and to your citizens generally, our hearty thanks and appreciation of the hospitality in the way of food, shelter, etc., tendered us by your community. While sympathizing with the community In their dire affliction you may be sure that we have returned home with a warm feeling for your people and with best wishes for your prosperity.
Signed, WILLIAM C. DAVIS. Brigadier General U. S. Army (born 1866 - died 1958)
A telegram of appreciation was sent by Sausalito Mayor E.G. Coughlin to San Francisco Mayor James "Sunny Jim" Rolph Jr., following the fire, to thank him for the response of the SFFD. The letter below is a letter in return from Mayor Rolph, who would go on to serve as Governor of California.
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James “Sunny Jim” Rolph Jr. (August 23, 1869 – June 2, 1934) He was elected to a single term as the 27th governor of California from January 6, 1931 until his death on June 2, 1934 at the height of the Great Depression. Previously, Rolph had been the 30th mayor of San Francisco from January 8, 1912 until his resignation to become governor. Rolph remains the longest serving mayor in San Francisco history.
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