Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1866-06-18
THE E FIRE.

~ kAGoh AS@ShS
the city of Virginia, and the county Of
Storey as well, naturally brings forward
many inquiries and reflections Of general
and intense interest. What effect will the
eonaagration have upon the financial con.
dition of these communities Aside from
the positive loss, considerable as it is, will
there be a large, sympathetic depression
Of business ; constituting a much greater
injury to the city and county's prosperity
than is involved or indicated merely with.
in the lines Of the burning district. Not
only how much has been actually destroy
ed, to what extent will tax receipts be
reduced, but will there be any substantial
rebuilding: I lrents be raised because of
this ires VIII insurance be more expen-
sives Win it be decided by many that
it would be well to establish q general
agreement among our citizens as to condi-
tons Of insurance, when mades These
and like questions will be discussed over
the ashes of wooden houses, the crumbling
brick Of the fre-proof buildings that be-
came too hot TO live in on Sunday morn
ing. The revenue of city and county
will certainly suffer a noticeable falling-off;
for neither had q margin to spare from,
according even t present high rate Of tax
alton. II is improbable that there will
much rebuilding over the burned district,
in the valuable form Of brick and stone
ediices,-not this year, at any rate. Some
plain lessons are learned or ~re.taught and
enjoined by this sweeping blaze. Virginia
City cannot afford to enhance the value OF
Jones scrip BY putting W fire engines
permanently out Of service. Two or three
more cisterns are needed, near the business
centers OF the city; to construct which
there will have to be subscriptions gath
cred from the citizens, or they cannot be
furnished this year. A large bell, one
that can be heard and understood as a FIRE
alarm and so exclusively used, should be
purchased at once, and placed in a central
position. The people did not rally as
quickly as they would have done, on yes
terday morning, if there had been a loud
and u~nmistakable call from a tower ain
the midst Of the inhabitants" Carson
City has a larger and more sonorously
lunged alarm bell than Virginia. There
was distress for help on the brakes Of some
Of the engines, yesterday, because the
mass of the folks were not duly and thor
oughly summoned from their sleep. and
bid to saving service. The regular fire.
men worked until they were almost utterly
exhausted, and then it was with difficulty
that Foremen could obtain reinforcements
from the unenrolled ~bystanders. Instead
Of being moved to say, with Othello. "Stop
that dreadful bell," hundreds were ours
ing, with the query "Why don't they
rouse out the folks with the FIRE signal?'
And the explanation was met with the
inquiry : "0nly me 6re-bell in town ?
Why don't they (who is they } have a
bell on every engine house, and a big one
on Gillig's, or some such focus spot, where
it would be the frs, thing heard and the
last thing to be itself unyoked by the
flames :"
We believe former fires in Virginia have
travelled over a larger space Of country.
but none have destroyed so much Of pro-
per,y value. To those "ou and injured"
who have alike private enterprise and pub
lie spirit, the time-since the calamity was
inevi,able-is propitious: never a better
part of the year for commencing new edi-
fees. The pleasant seasons just at hand,
and all before US; and the ruins Of May
18th may voc be cleared away for i'm
proved structures, more expensive, du-
rable, convenient and adjoining than were
any Of the consumed.
Advantage should be taken OF the pre-.
sent condition Of the neighborhood to
increase the prescribed width Of Sutton
Avenue. from A to D, one-half or more
beyond its original limit. Alas! the Fire
King has widened the space on either
hand to a mournful extent. A spectacle
of desola,ion is witnessed as you stand
above the old Virginia Hotel ; but Pho
nix is the name of the American bird
that scars above, and typi6es the indus
trial spirit and energy Of Pacific Pio-
neers.