File:Wasp 1877-08-04 (pg 16) - Beale Street Fire of July 25, 1877.jpg

English: Description on page 12: The Beale Street Fire. The illustration which we present on page I6 recalls one of the most exciting incidents of the late period of disturbance. At about eight o'clock on the evening of the 25th ult. a lurid glare of fire lit up the sky in the direction of the Pacific Mail Docks, and in an incredibly short time some thousands of people had assembled at the scene of the conflagration. The fire was not at the Mail Docks as had been supposed, but in the extensive lumber yards near the foot of Beale Street. The inflammable nature of the material soon caused the flames to mount to an astonishing height, and as the shipping at the wharves, the excited throng closing around the firemen, and the high bluffs covered with people, came under the strong glare of the fire, the scene baffles description. Everything was almost as clear as day and the soft light of the moon was obscured as she looked down on the scene of destruction. The dazzling light of the fire, the crackling of the flames, the shouts of the multitude as the police pressed them back, coupled with the hissing of the engines and the loud voices of command lent a savage and well-nigh indescribable beauty to the scene.